Me……….. with just 45 minutes to go until our solicitors close, I am running around to my neighbour in 40-degree heat 
(I hardly know them by the way); asking a massive favour of “can you witness my signature”. Poor woman, I basically barge my way into her house, thrust a pen 
in her hand and vanish again. Hurriedly scan the document 
, beg the other side to complete with copies pending originals and cross my fingers. 
It is truly beyond me that in this modern world of technology 🌐, that as yet, no one has come up with a better way than wet signature documents for legal transactions. While I do get the need for correct controls and compliance to protect everyone, it can be frustrating.
We have managed to get ID verification to a point where this can be completed on a phone 📲, how much easier everyone’s lives would be if something could be proactively adopted by solicitors and UK government bodies to aid the entire house buying process.
As Expats, we already jump through a fair few hoops ⭕, and the last minute.dot.com approach taken by solicitors (not their fault I know) creates stress where it just does not need to be. 😫
Add with a Friday closure in Bahrain and some working days ending at 2pm there is bound to be the odd challenge or two! 😩
After completing several documents, having them independently witnessed and shipping 📦✈️ them back to the UK all in good time we get a message, “just one more to sign”. 😱
One more to sign REALLY! 🤯
I had asked multiple times “do you have everything”, “is there anything else you need”, “are we ready to complete?”. 🧐
I am not alone in this melee; and if you are an Expat then be prepared for a last-minute scramble and a pinch of stress. 😁
Documents we had to sign / send:
- Terms of Business
- Letter of Authority
- Client Instruction Form
- Evidence of ID – Certified Originals of a passport and utility bill and business bank account statement.
- Proof of funds
- TR1
- Signed Completion Statement
Finance Docs:
- Letter of advice – Personal guarantees
- Personal Guarantees
- Draft Board Minutes
- Debenture
- House Insurance Policy – annotated to show interest of finance company
- Exit of Loan Declaration
- Facility Letter
- FCA Declaration
- Legal Charge
We are looking into having a firm act that has a branch in Bahrain and a branch in the UK; it will not deal with the issue of original documents going back to the UK, but hopefully each branch can trust its partner office and we can eliminate the need for just quite so much hoop jumping!
Never a dull moment!
