Hi

The agent, vendor and purchaser have agreed to make a settlement date change to an already signed (both parties) contract note and to correct a name spelling.

In addition the original contract note has been faxed, scanned and printed a few times rendering it quite blurry and messy. The agent has said that the purchaser's solicitor will not accept it for this reason.

The agent wants to write a newly typed contract note with the agreed changes, the original dates and then have it mailed to each party in turn for signing.

Having already signed the original contract at the original date, does signing a newly written contract note (with agreed changes only and keeping original dates etc) 7 days after the original cause any problems or issues, particularly for the vendor?

Regards

Max

Hi Max,

Never, ever, let the estate agent touch the contract!  You will find that estate agents do all sorts of things with legal documents, but they NEVER accept responsibility.

If ever an estate agent has a recommendation or "advice" in relation to legal documents, have the estate agent explain it in writing to your solicitor, and have your solicitor take responsibility for advising you on the most appropriate course of action.

See the following blog postings for examples of problems that can occur when estate agents involve themselves with contracts:

BEWARE – Estate Agents Who Act As Lawyers

Why Estate Agents Should NEVER Handle Contracts

More On Why Agents Should Not Be Allowed To Prepare Real Estate Contracts