service charge areas dispute - help needed

[londonflat]

Hi. I am currently in a process of buying a flat and we are desperate to complete ASAP. However, there is an ongoing dispute between the sellers and the management company about service charge areas. Sellers said they have paid any invoices received (we have proof), however, apparently the management company has not settled the accounts and is refusing to for some reason (incompetence being the most obvious one). They want us to sign something to the effects of that we will pay IF there are any areas but the sellers are saying there are none, and they have paid all invoices, but the management company is the one to blame.

What are our options?

[londonflat]

Let me just add that we are working on really tight timeframes here.

[atticus]

My advice would be to say no. Would the seller be willing on completion to pay the disputed amount into some form of stakeholder account?

[londonflat]

Thank you for your response. We can ask them. We have all the email threads of their contacts with the management company and it is all a big mess. They seemed willing to pay any outstanding amount but the management company cannot provide invoices for some of the charges on their account. Additionally, the amounts they have paid off have not been settled by the management company since April, apparently. What a nightmare!

[dslippy]

Do not let it become your problem. Do not buy your way into a dispute.

Ensure that the sellers make available enough to clear any liability asserted, and make sure that whatever has been going wrong will not continue to go wrong.