A MUM-of-four claims her family was left homeless after her estate agent pushed through the sale of her old house too quickly.
Jemma Hurst, her partner Lee Cook, and their kids were allegedly forced to sleep in hotels and on friends’ floors while they waited for their newbuild to be ready.
1
The 27-year-old bought the three-bed property last month and was assured she would be moved in weeks later.
But it transpired there was no insurance policy included to cover any defects, which led to hefty delays.
Jemma says she was advised to go through with the sale of her current home anyway and stay in an Airbnb for a few days until the paperwork had been approved.
But two weeks later and the mum and Lee, 43, from South Norfolk, were still living out of suitcases – and terrified things would fall through.
Jemma, who claims to have spent thousands on temporary accommodation during the busy summer holiday period, said: “I was stressed out to the high heavens.
“I really cannot believe we were left like this. We were essentially homeless. This was our worst nightmare.
“We kept having to book hotels, BnBs and caravans, but there was literally nothing available, and it was so expensive.
“I had to pay over £1,000 just for a week in a caravan, and then £240 a night in a hotel.
Most read in The Sun
“We then had to sleep on friends’ floors and whatever else because it was just whatever we could grab.
“With six of us, it was cramped. And all our stuff was in storage.
“It was so much work every time we moved somewhere new, it got ridiculous. But everything was still up in the air.
“The new house was just sitting there empty. I even offered to pay rent there until it had all gone through. We were that desperate.”
Jemma said she wound up in the “nightmare” situation after estate agent William H Brown told her the buyer of her property wanted it now or he was pulling out.
She claims she was told if she didn’t agree to sign off the sale, even without the purchase of her newbuild going through, she would risk having to start from scratch.
“It came as quite a shock, but we were trying to move into an empty newbuild so I assumed it would be fine,” Jemma, whose children are aged seven months, eight, 10 and 15, said.
‘IT WAS CRAZY’
“My solicitor didn’t come through so my estate agent told me to go through another because they were pushing through the other houses on the estate.
“I did what they told me, but little did I know all of this was going to happen.
“When I was advised to stay in an Airbnb for a week, I thought I had no choice but it might just be a bit of a holiday.
“I knew we were cutting it fine when we did the completion and exchange on the same day on a Friday at 4pm, but I was just going it would all be ok.
“But then the solicitor said they couldn’t accept it.”
To make matters worse, Jemma, who works in a warehouse but is currently on maternity leave, said she had already been made to pay for the flooring at the new house so she was invested and “there really was no going back”.
And when she complained to William H Brown, she says she was told no one could help her as her designated agent was on annual leave.
“It was crazy,” she said. “The estate agent completely ignored my calls and disappeared on holiday during the process without telling us.”
Jemma and her family were eventually able to move in to their new home in the second week of September.
I really cannot believe we were left like this. We were essentially homeless.
Jemma Hurst
A William H Brown spokesperson said: “Any legal matters (exchange and completion dates, risks around breaking chains, indemnity etc) would be for the customer’s legal team to address or any issue with regard to the development for the developer to address.
“Should the customer remain dissatisfied with William H Brown’s service, we ask that they get in touch with our dedicated complaints team in order that they can investigate fully and respond accordingly.”
Premier Property Lawyers confirmed it acted on Jemma’s behalf for the purchase of her newbuild on Kings Close in Diss but declined to comment further on an individual transaction.
However, a spokesperson added: “The purchase took two months which is well within the expected timescales in the current market.
“At all times, the client was aware of the situation and details regarding the purchase.
“We cannot comment on the sale transaction (because another firm completed this) but would not recommend (and would certainly not advise) a client to separate the sale and purchase completions where they rely on both.
“Critically we would also not recommend any client to complete the sale of their home without also exchanging contracts on a related purchase because any unexpected issue prior to exchange of contracts could delay or in the worst cases, stop the purchase.”
A Conveyancing Direct Ltd spokesperson, which completed the sale of the family’s old house on Aldrich Way, Roydon, said: “We are sorry to hear the issues raised by the complainant.
“Conveyancing Direct acted purely in the sale of the property and, therefore, only one element of the transaction.
“It must be noted that we have not received any formal complaint in relation to our service, but would welcome the complainant contacting us directly with any concerns in order for us to address them.”
