To think the vendor and/or estate agent are taking the piss?

[wejustwanttomovegoddamnit]

DH and I had an offer accepted on a property in mid-February. Since then things have been very slow going (we’re the middle link in a 3-part chain and our buyer isn’t exactly pro-active either).

Our issue currently is with the vendor of the place we’re trying to buy. He seems to want to pass all of his costs on to us- first he refused to pay anything towards the lease extension (which wasn’t mentioned to us when the place was being advertised or when we made the offer) which meant adding £10k to the agreed sale price. Then he refused to pay for an electrician to inspect the boiler, and the latest thing is the leaseholder pack- we’ve had to provide one for our buyer which we paid for, but the estate agent told us that because our vendor has had buyers pull out previously he wants us to pay for the leaseholder pack on this property as a sign of good faith, which he would then give us the money back for upon completion. DH refused as this isn’t a cost we are liable for and we’re already having to pay for these things to sell our own property.

This was a couple of weeks ago- since then, as far as we’re aware the vendor still hasn’t requested a leaseholder pack and the sale cannot proceed until we have it; DH has been trying to get hold of the estate agent all week for an update and keeps getting “he’s on the phone, he’ll call you back” or “he had to go straight out to a viewing, he’ll call when he gets back to the office”. Needless to say, he never actually calls back.

It’s getting to the point now where we suspect that the vendor is just holding us to ransom and trying to force us to pay, and if we pay for this then the next expense that he is liable for he’ll expect us to pay for as well. But we’re not made of money.

AIBU to think that either the vendor or the Estate Agent or both are acting in bad faith? DH wants to pull out altogether but there aren’t really any other properties in the area that suit our needs or that we like as much as this one.

I think you need to put a clear time limit on it, this is what we want, and this is when it needs to happen by

How much money have you paid out already?

Honestly, I wouldn't continue. It comes to a point where you have to send a clear message.

If it genuinely is the only house, at the very minimum I would say if x and y aren't done by z date, I will pull out and be very clear tjat you mean it and follow through if necessary.

I believe it's a buyers market at the minute... thought i could be wrong there.

Remember estate agents make commission on these sales and it's not a small amount. If they want their money they can call you back when they say they will.

Another house could come on the market tomorrow.

Time to tell the estate agent that the confirmation that the leaseholder pack has been requested and paid for is in hand by close of business tomorrow or you will walk. Don’t give them an inch, because they will take ten miles and mess you about as long as they can - does your vendor actually want to sell?

I'm not entirely sure what we've already paid for- I'm not legally part of the transaction as I'm currently unemployed and have poor credit history, so my poor DH is having to sort it all out himself.

The owner wants to sell but has rented out the property previously and it is currently unoccupied; if we pull out he always has the option of just renting it out again, so there isn't the same pressure on him.

It doesn't help that I'm pregnant so DH is getting really stressed about having somewhere to live by the time baby gets here.

We can't even have a conversation with the bloody EA because he isn't taking or returning any of DH's calls!

Having been driven to breaking point by a vendor who was incredibly flaky and their EA who was quite frankly incompetent, my advice would be to pull out.

As soon as you troubleshoot one problem, another one will pop up - and if he isn't willing to work with you to get the sale across the line, then the entire experience will be a miserable, stressful nightmare. I hung in with ours for 4 months before the chain eventually collapsed, which was solely as a result of their behaviour. It cost us thousands in wasted fees and surveys.

If you can't find anything you like at the moment is going into rented an option? Get yours sold and keep looking - with the bonus that you will be a chain free buyer.

Oh and if the EA is currently dodging your DH's calls then an emailed complaint to the office manager needs to go in.

Give them an ultimatum - we are fed up, if we don't hear back by day X we will decline to continue the sale.

If you're at a loose end because you're not working, why can't you go into the estate agent's office and wait there for him to be available to talk to you? Your DH can brief you first so you know what to say/ask. Otherwise write an email containing the ultimatum you want to give, i.e. we need to hear about X by Y date and cc it to everyone (including the brand manager) at the office. I bet someone will be in touch then!

The town the EA and property are in aren't really local enough for me to go and stage a sit-in, we're moving to a satellite town from a city. I've offered to ring every 5 minutes but DH wants me to stay out of it.

Can't complain to the manager as the senior branch manager is our crappy EA!

If it's a franchise then complain to head office.

I know your DH is probably hoping it will all resolve itself, but based on my experience piss-taking vendors will just find other things to take the piss on.

I would be seriously thinking about whether to continue with the purchase or not... I say this having experienced a similar situation myself and it becoming painful.

The vendor sounds like a giant pain. In your position, unless you totally and utterly love the house and are unlikely ever to find anything like it again, I would pull out and commit to rent for a year so you know you have stability for the time the baby arrives.

Advertising the house without mentioning the need for a lease extension is very dodgy. I’d be unimpressed with him AND the agents for that alone. They are meant to know the length of the leasehold from the outset.

Seriously, knowing what I know now I would pull out.

There's no way on earth I would ever fall in love with a house again and try to look past flaky vendors in the hope it would all come right. When we bought our current house, I was extremely clear with their EA that I was looking for a vendor who wanted to sell and was willing to roll their sleeves up (if needed) to get things done. They were an older couple who were downsizing and were absolute gems and so helpful in getting things done quickly. We have kept in touch with them and they bob round every so often for a cup of tea and an update on our decorating

I can't imagine why other buyers have pulled out … I used to work in an EA and the main reason agents avoided speaking with buyers or sellers was when they believed the sale was going nowhere. They only get paid once the sale is done: if one is stalling/looking dodgy, they will concentrate on the other ones they have. The EA probably knows your seller is a PITA and being unreasonable - BUT he is the one who would pay their fee, they work for him. They are probably just hoping that you will go along with his demands and maybe this time it will go through to completion. Their lack of interest makes me think they've been here before with this vendor and so are reluctant to bother with it. At the place I worked, there would be certain buyers and certain sellers who were known to be unreasonable and so the agents would be reluctant to bother with them - a whole lot of work and hassle for nothing at the end of the day. I think you do need to give them an ultimatum - but you need to be prepared to follow it through … I don't think you are going to get the result you want with this one.

Tbh I think the vendor is fine in his position on the leasehold extension and the boiler (unless it was advertised as having the extension and a boiler certification). But you have a good point on the leasehold pack.

I think advertising a property that requires a leasehold extension to be mortgageable (as I assume happened here if it needed extending) without mentioning it at all isn’t on actually. The asking price is meaningless if thousands more will then need to be spent to proceed.

We certainly won’t find anywhere as nice as that within our budget any time soon. It ticks all our boxes- good distance from the train station, spacious, nice garden. Even the rental market in that town is pretty stagnant.