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Original poster

House I'm about to buy is flooded and "uninhabitable"

166 replies

TheAbsentGazelle · 28/12/2022 14:47

So as those who may recognise my username will know, I've recently separated from my abusive ex DP so we put the house on the market and I've had an offer accepted on a new place. We've found a buyer for our house too now and everything was on track to complete by the middle of January.

I've just had a phone call from my solicitors today saying the house I'm about to buy has experienced "significant flooding" and is currently "uninhabitable". No further details yet due to the Christmas break but I believe it's needing all new electrics, a new central heating system, but work has now started on doing the necessary repairs.

The solicitors say I have 2 options.. carry on with my plan of buying this house although they don't have a date yet when it may be finished.. or pull out now and look for another house.

Am I crazy for continuing with this purchase? What if the flooding has affected other parts of the house - floorboards or walls which doesn't become apparent until later? Am I better to just cut my losses and look for something else? It wasn't exactly my dream home but options are extremely limited on the housing market where I am.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do? ☹️

OP posts:
UnicornRidge · 28/12/2022 16:30

cantkeepawayforever · 28/12/2022 16:20

In your shoes I would:

  • identify a suitable contractor or competent person who can walk round and inspect the damage with you
  • ask the solicitor -iirc in Scotland there is an odd symbiosis between solicitors and estate agents to allow you both to see the property before repairs start.
  • find out from the sellers who is doing the repairs (and if via insurance) and get a project plan with dates for the work to be completed.
  • walk round again with the expert once the basic repairs are dobe but before any cosmetic finishes are applied so you can see the work done
  • get a new surveyors’ report before eg carpets are relaid
  • reduce your offer by at least the cost of your interim accommodation.

If at any stage it seems possible that full return to ‘what you offered on’ is not likely, or any of the above is not agreed, walk away.

Solid advice. Definitely view the house again with someone in the construction industry.

I would not rely solely on the RICS report. See it as a minimum standard. If RICS think it is not fine, then it is not. If it passed the RICS valuation, can still be problematic. What if they don't dry the bricks behind the plasterboard?

Can you ask to see the claims report that it was burst pipe but not other form of flooding?
Depending on the condition of the house and the price, then you can start considering pulling out.

uggmum · 28/12/2022 16:30

I had a burst pipe in the kitchen ceiling a few days before Christmas (years ago).

It caused significant damage. Had to have a new subfloor, new ceiling, new skirtings, re-decoration. Claim was approx £5k.

However, I had to wait 7 months for most of the work as it all had to dry out. I had dehumidifiers going for a long time.

So you would need to factor that in as well.

Zonder · 28/12/2022 16:30

I'd go for the new house. Take your time to renovate but live in a nicer area.

CoffeeBoy · 28/12/2022 16:32

Have you got family you can live with? Put stuff in storage? Have you got kids, pets?

Yabado · 28/12/2022 16:32

Will your mortgage be the same rate / deal as you have no

my sons solicitors fucked up on his mortgage and he had to do another application recently Barclays wouldn’t extend it or keep the offer in place

he got another mortgage with Barclays but it cost a extra £100 a month

GloomyDarkness · 28/12/2022 16:32

TheAbsentGazelle · 28/12/2022 16:20

I've seen another house which has recently come on the market. Same price. Better area. Needing some reno work though. I wonder whether to just bite the bullet ☹️

I'd arrange a viewing of this property - work out how much work - but long term sounds better.

I'd be worried about amount of work needed to the burst pipe property - if you could get someone in to assess I might think about going ahead depending on what they said -otherwise I wouldn't.

Original poster
TheAbsentGazelle · 28/12/2022 16:32

CoffeeBoy · 28/12/2022 16:32

Have you got family you can live with? Put stuff in storage? Have you got kids, pets?

No family to move in with so it'll need to be temporary accommodation. No kids but an elderly dog.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 28/12/2022 16:33

A question for your solicitor -

Can you get a copy of the insurance report detailing the damage and cost of repairs?

You need to go over the report with a reputable contractor who will tell you what knock on effect each item of damage will cause if not repaired properly.

Your mortgage lender needs to be informed as the value of the house will be impacted depending on the scale of the damage and quality of repairs. It's possible your lender will offer a far lower loan amount next time. Are the sellers willing to accept two thirds of the original offer? They can't sell as is and they will need to take the house off the market while repairs are ongoing.

CoffeeBoy · 28/12/2022 16:34

Do you know anyone with a caravan?

TheDietStartsTomorrowOrMaybeTheDayAfter · 28/12/2022 16:34

I wouldn’t be put off by a burst pipe. The papers have been warning people that this could happen if they don’t put their heating on and maybe this is exactly what has happened. Maybe you could go ahead with the sale on the condition that the sellers pay for another survey to check for unseen damage and then you can pull out if necessary.

MajorCarolDanvers · 28/12/2022 16:34

Pull out.

Floods are not one offs and insurance will be hard to get and exorbitant

Happyhappyday · 28/12/2022 16:35

Absolutely do not do not buy it. Mold sets in really quickly and if remediation work was not done promptly, it’s likely all over the house. It’s easy enough to plaster over etc in the short term, but long term you may find you have a huge problem which will involve ripping out anything the mold is near. We had a minor leak following a burst pipe and had to have whole ceiling ripped out, insulation removed etc. Proper water remediation is guys coming in with moisture meters, removing damaged materials, big industrial fans and dehumidifiers, then spraying to treat any possible mold areas, moisture meters again, then repairing damage. Our remediation took about 2 weeks and then repairs could start, 6 months later, we had a functional bathroom again.

Walk away from this house!

Wonnle · 28/12/2022 16:40

Doesn't having an offer accepted make it a done deal in Scotland ?

Making it very hard to pull out of the purchase ?

Original poster
TheAbsentGazelle · 28/12/2022 16:41

Wonnle · 28/12/2022 16:40

Doesn't having an offer accepted make it a done deal in Scotland ?

Making it very hard to pull out of the purchase ?

My offer was subject to sale of my current house. So it's not legally binding yet.

OP posts:
Togoodtobeforgotten · 28/12/2022 16:47

If it is uninhabitable then they need to make sure it's habitable for you or the sale is off.

GracieLouFreeebush · 28/12/2022 16:51

TheAbsentGazelle · 28/12/2022 16:20

I've seen another house which has recently come on the market. Same price. Better area. Needing some reno work though. I wonder whether to just bite the bullet ☹️

You know that this needs Reno and to an extent can predict the costs.

your entire house being mouldy in 6 months time and flooring going through you can’t predict

IHopeYouStepOnALegPiece · 28/12/2022 16:55

Please don’t continue with this purchase.

I lived in a rental that had a flash flood in the basement (heavy rain and it came up through the shower drain in the basement)

It flooded the basement quickly but was “cleared up” within 4 hours (industrial machines came in and removed all the water, floor was quickly fixed. Job done.

Except it wasn’t, we had dehumidifiers running 24/7 for at least 6w the floor and walls wasn’t allowed to dry out before sorting (drying out can take MONTHS), after damp coming through the walls after a couple of months, the walls and floors all had black mould under, the skirting boards rotted, floors under wardrobes were destroyed and rotted. It was awful, to the point were even though I don’t live there anymore, heavy rain like that day makes be incredibly anxious because of how awful that experience was.

WiddlinDiddlin · 28/12/2022 16:57

Mmm..

I would either:

Make a new offer on the property that takes into account damage done and cost to repair to the standard it was pre damage (which would include the time it takes to dry out and your housing costs during that time)...

Or..

Pull out, buy something else.

Option 1 would be if it were my absolute dream house. Number 2 if it isn't.

I certainly would NOT risk purchasing what will be a rush job on repairing (or rather bodging and hiding) the damage done by the burst pipe, on a property that is not my dream house.

Original poster
TheAbsentGazelle · 28/12/2022 16:58

WiddlinDiddlin · 28/12/2022 16:57

Mmm..

I would either:

Make a new offer on the property that takes into account damage done and cost to repair to the standard it was pre damage (which would include the time it takes to dry out and your housing costs during that time)...

Or..

Pull out, buy something else.

Option 1 would be if it were my absolute dream house. Number 2 if it isn't.

I certainly would NOT risk purchasing what will be a rush job on repairing (or rather bodging and hiding) the damage done by the burst pipe, on a property that is not my dream house.

Thank you.

It's definitely not my dream house so I wonder if it's better to just walk away...

OP posts:
Puzzledandpissedoff · 28/12/2022 17:10

You have no idea of the quality of the repairs being done. The seller is going to want to lowball repairs to keep their profit as high as possible

That's what would really bother me too - and if the burst pipes weren't properly lagged, that suggests someone who likes to do things on the cheap in the first place

Sorry, OP, but I'd definitely walk away from this one (and hope they tell the truth about it being flooded to their next buyer Hmm)

SpottyBalloons · 28/12/2022 17:15

I'm sorry this has happened to you. I would pull out of this purchase. I know you referred to him as abusive, but would it be in your ex partner's interest (assuming he wants/needs the sale of your current property to proceed) to help you pay for a hotel whilst you purchase a new property? Just a thought, sorry if that's a no-go (I haven't read your previous threads about your ex).

Wonnle · 28/12/2022 17:17

Personally i'd walk away from it , you know what has happened with the flooding via the burst pipe but no idea what problems this is going to cause long term with the property even with buying it for a lower price

Original poster
TheAbsentGazelle · 28/12/2022 17:19

SpottyBalloons · 28/12/2022 17:15

I'm sorry this has happened to you. I would pull out of this purchase. I know you referred to him as abusive, but would it be in your ex partner's interest (assuming he wants/needs the sale of your current property to proceed) to help you pay for a hotel whilst you purchase a new property? Just a thought, sorry if that's a no-go (I haven't read your previous threads about your ex).

The money from the equity of the house will be enough to let me stay in temporary accommodation 🙂 I'll never ask the ex for anything every again!!

OP posts:
Soothsayer1 · 28/12/2022 17:20

I think walk away, there's no way to get an accurate assessment of the damage, too risky, my guess is they'll end up selling for less than you are offering because of the damage

Original poster
TheAbsentGazelle · 28/12/2022 17:21

Thank you everyone for your opinions and advice. It's really very appreciated!

OP posts: