I’ve done a bit of digging around into UK case law. Not sure whether it’s worth the hassle, but there’s a legal term ‘negligent misstatement’ which may be applicable. The tricky part is proving intent, if I can demonstrate that the seller has deliberately concealed pertinent information and massively overvalued the property… they might be liable for my costs.
Lots of ‘might’ in there though, and proving intent can be difficult. I’ve instructed solicitor to cease work on the exchange of contracts; wondering if I should say anything to the seller / estate agent. They wasted my time and probably £1000+ of my money, and I definitely feel a petty impulse to waste theirs in turn.
Yeah I took the explanation at face value, at first… but the more I think about it, in conjunction with not turning the water on it feels very much like they’re trying to pull a fast one.
This is a really good idea. My dad and I were saying yesterday it’s such a waste of resources for each buyer to have to get a survey done, especially where the property has hidden issues. Would be great to have some sort of national register, where the first person to pay for a survey can then give access to subsequent buyers for a nominal fee.
I’m definitely going to give the estate agent a politely-worded email stating clearly that the seller is being at best neglectful and at worst, deceptive. I’m sure they won’t be happy either about having their time wasted. I’ll also pass a copy of the survey on.
Am not sure I’d be able to do that, it’s attached to another house; planning permissions I imagine would be a nightmare; it’s likely they’ll balk at any reductions in price let alone a massive reduction; and iirc the terms of my mortgage are specifically for a house purchase not a house build.
Dream idea though, I was looking at land the other day thinking how cool it would be to be able to just buy some land and build a house on it. Potentially cheaper than buying, just a huge project to manage.
There’s nearby homes in turnkey condition for £90k, forget £100k! Like I said I have to wait until I have the full report in my inbox but it kinda feels like they’re trying to pull a fast one, especially with regard to the electrics / unsigned electrical cert. What company gives an electrical certificate but doesn’t bother to sign it? I don’t see how either the estate agent nor the seller had no idea it’s in such a bad state.
Yeah peace of mind is priceless. Plus as I’m buying via a mortgage, there’s no question about getting surveys done… iirc the provider would be content with a ‘basic’ survey but I felt like it was worth the extra ~£80 to go for a more in-depth one!
Am trying to look at it not as £500 wasted, but a £500 expense that’s saved me from potentially making a very bad purchase.
The surveyor said he was actually surprised to find the roof in quite good condition… seems like at least one area where it’s either been properly maintained, or had very high-quality work performed.
I’ll definitely do some shopping around for structural engineers in the area for future surveys, might as well go in deep for the most expensive & important issues before moving forward with any future potential purchase. Great advice, thanks.
That’s funny - not your roof troubles but that they came crawling back in the end, because they must’ve found that every other buyer was similarly unhappy about the roof. My dad had the same thing trying to buy a house last year, they wouldn’t accept his bid then came back months down the line to accept it… at which point my dad reduced his offer again by 5k haha.
I am definitely going to make the point to the estate agent (who was boasting she could’ve sold the house 10x over), that all other buyers are going to have a survey carried out and discover the same serious issues. So if the seller and her are serious about selling the house, then they need to sell it for a serious price that reflects those serious issues!
Am definitely not in love with the house! I think I’m pretty desperate to be a homeowner after renting all my life and dealing with scummy landlords, plus while I’m living with my dad I can’t really work. There’s just about room for a table with my PC and one synth, but certainly no space for my giant monitor speakers, let alone any bass traps or room treatment (as this is essentially a rental for my dad, albeit housing association so he’s very secure).
So I prob need to factor in my emotional state, try my best to be as cold & calculating about this as possible. Thanks for your advice.
I guess I can do an update once I have the report in writing. Someone has made the point that the surveyor will ‘over-survey’ to cover their arse, but for sure I’m very much leaning into the possibility that this purchase isn’t viable. Thanks.
This is very sage advice. I mentioned this comment to my dad and we both didn’t take a heartbeat before responding “Definitely not” to the question of if we’d buy it in perfect condition for 100k.
Renovations are really time consuming especially when you have a job, family, etc. And living in a renovation can be exhausting as you have to work around all the fixes until theyre done or at least usable. I speak from experience unfortunately.
Am self employed, single so I guess that’s going for me in this respect. Writing music would be pretty difficult though with drilling and hammering going on through the rest of the house! Thanks for your advice.