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

[TheAbsentGazelle]

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? ☹️

Any chance you could see the house in the damaged state to see how bad the damage is? If possible, I would make the decision then. Would be a bit worried of floorboards etc being affected long term. Would it be possible to take a builder with you for a second opinion?
There was a lovely house on our street and it had dampness under floorboards (it was worded differently but it's something that stood out in the home report). Now this house was reasonably priced and while all other houses sold, this one just ended up being taken off the market a year later. I was wondering if it was this dampness that put people off from buying.

First of all, I've bought and sold many times in Scotland and there is no fixed rule that forbids access during missives, between an offer and completion. In my experience such quick visits are nothing unusual (measure for curtains; discuss any furniture that could be for sale).

Its perfectly reasonable for you to say you need good look at the damage in order to decide whether to proceed or pull out. If they refuse to let you view the full extent of the damage, that would suggest they've lied about how bad it is (or, the cause).
Even more reason to walk away.

this is what I suggested but then I double take in that how do you really assess this and make a decision if you're not an expert or seasoned homeowner, particularly after the event when some of it's been cleaned up?

I think if it's possible to bring someone who works in construction and maybe has come across similar things during their career, they might be able to offer some good insights and advice 🤔I would try to do that.

Pull out! Now

Sorry, I thought you meant flooded as in a flood. A burst pipe is normal. Will the insurance of the current owner cover repairs.

I don't have much to add, but I'm impressed that your solicitor is working. Ours finished on the 23rd December and doesn't return until 3rd January despite our chain being ready and wanting to complete ASAP and one person's mortgage offer expiring at the beginning of January.

Uninhabitable can mean different things...it may not have power as electrics have not been checked yet, but that is an easy fix, or a bathroom ceiling could be down, easy fix, or it could mean all ceilings are down and the damage is extensive, you really need more information..

Can you separate sale and purchase? I would go ahead with the sale of yours & get a rental sorted for end of jan. That buys you time to see what's happening with the flooded house and look for alternatives if needed. You're going to need at least 6 months in rented in either case, but in current market I would take that to secure your sale.

They were out of the country so yes can only assume the heating was off during the cold spell and subsequent thaw

Good luck to them expecting the insurers to pay for the damage if they left it unoccupied and unheated for any length of time - sounds to me like an ideal get-out for the company

Also another possible reason for them to do the repairs on the cheap

^this. If the property was empty for 30 days it's unlikely to be covered by any buildings insurer....
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If it was an environmental factor you would need to pull out.

A burst pipe is a different matter. I would ask:

• will the seller cover the damage and repair everything?
• did the pipe burst because of the cold weather or was there an issue with long term lack of maintenance?
• how long will it take to fix everything?

It is a tricky one.

Have you had a survey done yet?

I would also reduce the price of your offer accordingly if needed if there is a general maintenance issue.

Ask the seller to cover the cost of a new survey after the works have been completed to make sure everything was repaired and redecorated correctly. They will also need to check all the electrics.

If you are in a hurry to buy and move though I would walk away as all of this will delay your purchase of this house.

Yes, I'm definitely still going ahead with the sale of my house. We've had a good offer on it and I don't want to lose that.

When my neighbour’s pipes froze (cold snap, they were living overseas, tenants had moved out and CH had been turned off) there were something like 15 separate pipe bursts, and the entire house had been running with water for days. Don’t assume it’s just a single burst pipe.

@TheAbsentGazelle it isn’t in a city beginning with P is it? oddest conversation I had with a friend today about one of their properties flooding which was being sold.

@PeonyRose80 Nope, not me

@TheAbsentGazelle Am glad but also wanted to say they are working super hard to get it back to original state. But matters not 😂