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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think when you are buying a house

38 replies

SilviaSalmon · 27/03/2019 19:12

You arrange and pay for:

Any survey, electrical test, central heating test etc.

You do not demand that the seller carry out a whole raft of expensive tests and provide you with the results?

Happy to be corrected, but would like other’s experience.

OP posts:

supersop60 · 27/03/2019 19:14

I've been in the same house for 15 years, so no recent experience. Doesn't the Homesellers pack cover that sort of thing?

Lazybonita · 27/03/2019 19:16

The buyer is expected to pay for the survey and electrical tests etc.

Seeleyboo · 27/03/2019 19:16

I thought homesellers pack didn't exist now. Personally I think the seller should pay for a survey and that's the survey that's valid for the sale. End of. My SIL paid for a survey and it came back with all sorts of issues only to be told that that's what the previous buyers survey said.

NWQM · 27/03/2019 19:17

Survey is usually the buyer but if you haven't had regular / annual checks on the others then no I'd be asking for you to do them.

Being honest though if I loved the house I'm not sure what my response would be if you said no.

Nurseornot · 27/03/2019 19:19

The buyer would pay for these, not the seller. Otherwise anyone could ask for anything, then not buy your house and leave you out of pocket. If they are a serious buyer and are worried/unable to fix potential issues then they would pay for surveys.

MeredithGrey1 · 27/03/2019 19:20

I’m currently in the process of buying a house and we’ve had a survey done. Didn’t occur to me to ask the sellers to pay.
If the system changed and surveys were made compulsory, then I think like a PP said, sellers should get one when they first list the house and then it’s valid until completion. But since surveys are voluntary, I think buyers should pay for the surveys they want.

Bringbackthestripes · 27/03/2019 19:20

Buyer pays if they want any surveys or tests carried out. Are they first time buyers?

supersop Homesellers pack was scrapped.

ivykaty44 · 27/03/2019 19:20

If I’m buying a house and want any survey done, then I need to pay for the survey myself as then the contract is between me and the person doing the survey.

If the seller pays then I have no comeback with the electric survey etc

ColeHawlins · 27/03/2019 19:21

Buyer pays, but, TBH, it's a stupid system.

lexiconmistress · 27/03/2019 19:23

I was asked to provide evidence that my boiler had been serviced in the past year when I sold in 2017. Seems reasonable to me.

Puffinhead · 27/03/2019 19:23

When we bought our house we paid for the survey but asked sellers to get the boiler serviced and provide a certificate.

lexiconmistress · 27/03/2019 19:25

I think if the seller arranges everything such as surveys there's a potential for cutting corners as it's in their interest for investigations to unearth anything. How would you know how independent the surveys were? If the buyer is responsible then at least they have control over who performs the work.

lexiconmistress · 27/03/2019 19:26

Not in their interest, I mean

SingingSands · 27/03/2019 19:27

Have you been asked to provide one? We were asked by our Buyers for an electrical survey. I responded with "we don't have one".

HighlightsandHeels · 27/03/2019 19:30

Buyer pays but it would make much more sense if, mortgage survey aside, the seller did.

blackteasplease · 27/03/2019 19:32

In England and Wales yes.

I believe it's the other way around in Scotland but happy to be corrected!

nespressowoo · 27/03/2019 19:32

Recently bought. We paid for survey. The gas, fire and electricity checks were paid for by vendors.

Spanglybangles · 27/03/2019 19:32

Unless of course it’s Scotland where the seller organised and pays for the home report which contains surveyors report, valuation, seller questionnaire and epc report , but it’s then available for every potential buyer to read, negating the need for surveys by all interested parties.

Of course if a more in depth survey was wanted, such as a full structural survey, the potential buyer should pay for that.

mirime · 27/03/2019 19:34

We're selling, we were asked when the boiler was last serviced. As it wasn't recent we were asked to get it serviced and we were happy to do so. Wouldn't have considered asking the buyers to pay and we were at fault for falling behind with the servicing anyway.

Survey is up to the buyers, and I think that is right.

CheekyChappy710 · 27/03/2019 19:49

You can insist on seeing lots of documentation for stuff and demand the sellers provide them I.e service record for boiler or certified check of the boiler by a gas safe engineer BUT the seller could just say "naah" and sell to someone else if you give them a hard time.

Purpleheadgirl · 27/03/2019 19:56

When we last moved buyers "made" us jump through so many books it was madness. Final straw was they wanted something extra to do with the fire and weren't going to buy without it- we ended up saying to the estate agents to go back to the other people who had offered a little less and to offer the house to them......estate agents agreed buyers were being unreasonable and in the end the estate agents paid for the extra test to ensure the sale went through!

Purpleheadgirl · 27/03/2019 19:57

Hoops not books!

FineFanks · 27/03/2019 21:01

the seller should pay for a survey and that's the survey that's valid for the sale.

Such a good idea. I wish that were the way! Would save so many different potential buyers throwing their money away when a survey returns a whole host of issues. Much simpler to just have 1, paid by the seller, so the buyer doesn’t have to risk their own cash.

Why isn’t this the norm? So much more logical

Yabbers · 27/03/2019 21:02

I believe it's the other way around in Scotland but happy to be corrected!

Home reports still in place in scotland. Survey, is part of it and you have to do an EPC certificate, as well as gas and electric safety certs.

Yabbers · 27/03/2019 21:04

Why isn’t this the norm? So much more logical

There used to be all sorts of rules around sharing surveys. Something to do with only providing info to the client. Not sure whether that’s the same still.

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