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Original poster

To be fuming - house sale fallen through due to lying tradesman

56 replies

MetaWhat · 06/03/2020 11:19

Is it possible to get the buyer back on board?

Oh god I'm so angry and upset. I agreed to sell my house to a young woman before Xmas who was desperate to buy it, for a bit less than we wanted (even tho the busiest period for house selling is just after xmas).

We agreed a sale in the area we are moving to. Delighted that we would be moved and settled and DS would be in right location to start school in Sept. Its been a long, hard process getting this far.

A couple of issues were highlighted on the surveyors report for the house we're selling, nothing major. Seller gets a builder out for one issue (all fine) and a roofer out who doesn't know his arse from his elbow. Completely incompetent and clueless, talking a load of rubbish. At this point we hadn't seen the surveyors report so he asked us what the problem is and we say we didn't know. So he saw an opportunity to make some cash. He said there was a job they could do for around £600. Or he could do a big job for £3500. By the time he spoke to the buyer this has turned into 'defo needs a whole new roof for £4000'.

We got a highly recommended (but previously unknown to us) roofer out for a second opinion who really knows his stuff, really professional. Said there's nothing major wrong with it but could do a few jobs for minor issues for £750. If we wanted to make it tip top again it would cost £1500. Defo doesn't need a new roof. Other guy blatantly lying and is a cowboy. If we were to get a new roof it would cost well over £4k anyway so he's clearly on the make.

But despite me providing the second roofers details the buyer hasn't rung him and has pulled out of the sale!! My whole world is turned upside because one lying cheating bloke who probably isn't even qualified has tried to make a few quid.

I've texted her to ask can we discuss before she makes up her mind but shes not responding!

What do I do?

OP posts:
Pipandmum · 06/03/2020 12:11

@ShayAndBlueSeeker have to say my solicitor never gets involved in this sort of thing. I buy and sell houses for a living and I've always dealt with tradesmen myself and negotiations through the estate agent. Only time solicitor gets involved is when it's to do with paperwork/mortgage or conveyancing and the usual questions to do with permissions and deeds. I don't see what they can do other than act as a go between (adding to ones bill).
I do agree that dealing directly with the buyer is a bad idea.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 06/03/2020 12:13

Seller gets a builder out for one issue (all fine) and a roofer out who doesn't know his arse from his elbow.

Aren’t you the seller? I’m confused about who did what here...

But I think if I was your buyer, I’d feel that I couldn’t confidently trust either roofer, and I’d be concerned about the quote for a new roof. If I wasn’t 100% sold on the house anyway, that’d make me reconsider.

I think it’s time to start remarketing. She’ll get in touch fast if she changes her mind, but right now she’s not interested.

MimiLaRue · 06/03/2020 12:15

best of luck with your house sale. It's so bloody stressful isn't it

Thank you! yes- its awful. Its frustrating because there's so little you can do about it (apart from the obvious - repairs, keep it looking nice for photos etc).
This website here will tell you how "hot" your market is and if its a buyers or sellers market:www.theadvisory.co.uk/propcast/
You put in your post code and it will give you an idea of your market currently

f0stercarer · 06/03/2020 12:18

this isnt the reason they have pulled out. If it was then you would be negotiating about price or getting work done. Move on.

DontCallMeShitley · 06/03/2020 12:19

Buyer might come back with a lower offer, be aware. It might be a con to reduce the price.

Fuss · 06/03/2020 12:22

I think she's making excuses. In the scheme of a house purchase a £4k roof isn't the be all and end all. If this was the reason there would at least be negotiation. i.e will you pay to fix it? Will you reduce asking price by repair costs?
To simply pull out smells suspiciously like a time waster.

VettiyaIruken · 06/03/2020 12:28

Who found the roofer? If her then what if this is to get you to accept a lower offer?

Pentium85 · 06/03/2020 12:31

If the buyer pulled out over something like this, it’s highly likely they would have pulled out further down the line. Count yourself lucky.

johnstonfont · 06/03/2020 12:34

I pulled out of a sale about 10yrs a go because of an adverse roofing report.

Part of it was the cost but some was simply the hassle factor.

DogInATent · 06/03/2020 12:39

Spend the £600, get it back on the market, and next time don't take it off the market until you've exchanged contracts.

The buyer messed up here - picking a dodgy builder and not giving them the details of the survey to know what they were looking at getting done. There is always an expensive option when you don't know what you want and leave it up to someone else to guess.

I have no issue with buyer and seller talking to each other directly, it avoids Chinese whispers. Going through the estate agent creates a very big risk of delay and miscommunication in my experience. I negotiated and agreed the offer with the buyer at the end of their second viewing on the last house I sold - we phoned up the estate agent and let them know the details the following morning.

Hingeandbracket · 06/03/2020 12:46

It's just that he's convinced her that a repair isn't good enough and it needs a whole new one...
Which isn't true. It just seems to ridiculous for this to happen because of one man lying
The world has gone mad. Every single time I've consulted anyone on stuff of this kind I've found they have (often wildly) differing views of what a job entails.
Calling people a liar because they have a different view on what should be done to repair something isn't appropriate.

Every single thing is so binary at the moment - life's not really like that.

ChicCroissant · 06/03/2020 12:46

It is very stressful and I'm sorry the sale has fallen through. Don't hassle her to change her mind though - it's fine if she is happy with the roofer's report that she ordered, just as you are happy with the one that you ordered!

Get the work done otherwise it will show up on the next survey, and I hope you get some more viewings for yours very soon.

GinAndNightnurse · 06/03/2020 12:50

I've texted her to ask can we discuss before she makes up her mind but shes not responding!

Understandably, she will be mulling this over and wondering whether your roofer is any more or less qualified to give accurate advice than her roofer. Obviously, it is in your interests to insist that he is, but she needs to feel confident about this for herself.

Put the house back on the market ASAP. Show any future buyers your roofer's quote. Tell her what you are doing. If she was ever serious about the place she will come back to you rather than risk someone else snapping it up. She might want to bring a third roofer in for an independent opinion to confirm what your chap said. Tell her that's fine, but the house stays on the market until exchange now, because you don't want to be messed around any more.

If she's serious about it, she'll push things through quickly.

ellanwood · 06/03/2020 12:55

Put it straight back on the market. Get the remedial work done by the roofer you trust. Put pretty spring flower window boxes outside the front. And don't give the buyer the impression you will negotiate with her again. Our buyer got cold feet and then changed his mind and ended up paying full asking price not to lose the house.

londonrach · 06/03/2020 12:55

Op...dont contact her directly again. Contact via third party only but tbh i wouldnt now. That ship has sailed..

Get roof fixed yourself
Put back on market

BorneFeet · 06/03/2020 13:03

Put it back on the market.

I might pull out of buying somewhere, but more for economic and virus reasons.

TimeForPlentyIn2020 · 06/03/2020 13:06

Perfectly normal for tradesmen to offer wildly differing assessments of a job. You sound a little unreasonable with your talk of lying shysters. She’s using the roof as an excuse.

Original poster
MetaWhat · 06/03/2020 13:11

Thanks everyone, the house is already back on the market. Getting a second quote for the roof this afternoon in order to get the work done.

I think I made a typo in the original post (I meant to say the buyer had arranged the roofer to come out.)

Getting it off my chest and reading your responses has helped me to come to terms with the inevitable, so thank you.

@MimiLaRue according to that website we are in a "very hot" sellers market so fingers crossed!!

@Hingeandbracket I get what you're saying I don't usually call people names but this guy was really a dodgy character, kept contradicting himself and asking the same questions repeatedly. Didn't know what he was talking about. Im convinced he was on the make.

OP posts:
BlueJava · 06/03/2020 13:13

Fix the roof. Put it back on the market at the amount you wanted. Don't get in touch with her again - she's flakey and not 100% about your house so don't drag it out any longer. If she got involved again she'd probably pull out again.

Jonoula · 06/03/2020 13:19

Use the estate agent rather than a solicitor to help. They want the sale more.

JustInCaseCakeHappens · 06/03/2020 13:21

next time don't take it off the market until you've exchanged contracts.

no buyer would accept that!

Why should anyone spend money on survey if the seller is clearly not committed... Terrible advice.

Justaboy · 06/03/2020 13:26

Problem is that most all of the public know little or nothing about the roof apart from is it tiles or slates and its up there where you don't go unless you have ladders, inc a roodf ladder, and know what your doing etc.

So yes a man on the make can quote a lot of money for work that isnt necessary and a lot, sad to say do.

We were quoted £3000 and £4000 thousand and we want "cash in hand mate"! for a 6 by 6 metre flat roof! told them to sod off and did it myself with a bit of hired in help around 750 quid and very good it is too:)

Potkettlexx · 06/03/2020 13:32

@Curiosity101

**I'd put the house back on the market. I can understand why you're upset but...

The reason we have each other's numbers is that she wanted to speak to me quite a bit before deciding on the sale and she's been in touch with me a few times since

Is reasonably unusual buyer behaviour so would be a bit of a warning flag for me. Especially combined with an offer of just below asking (if you have put the house on for the right price).

If it's priced well then there's no reason you shouldn't have a new offer pretty quickly.**

Why would the buyer offering a just below the asking price, be a red flag?

ittakes2 · 06/03/2020 13:36

She might not have pulled out because of the roof could just be an excuse.

Spodge · 06/03/2020 13:50

I was part of a transaction some years ago where the entire chain was privately in touch behind the scenes. It turned out very handy when one solicitor tried to blame another for delays. We'd just pass the info along the chain and the relevant client would kick the arse of their solicitor.

That said, I'd probably pull out of a purchase if roofing work was needed, mainly due to the hassle factor.