House selling woes

[CatPerson99]

So, it’s another one of those threads! We are trying to sell a house which we aren’t currently living in (living in military SFA). We had accepted an offer back in December, then the sale got caught up in the lockdown and our buyer lost their buyer. Having had a previous sale fall through we were really good and didn’t find another property until we were on the brink of exchanging. Anyway we found another buyer quickly, they knew we were keen to move with speed so we didn’t lose the house we found. Then they had a survey which found that the septic tank needs replacing And reduced their offer by £12K. Ok we thought, we’ll accept if they can complete by end-August. You know where this is going? So their local searches are stuck, we were told they would be back this week, now it is the end of the month. They have had three septic tank companies out and are asking questions about the soakaway which we just can’t answer because we don’t know more than is in a report we had done which we shared with them. They also keep asking if we will have it emptied. We’ve said no, on the basis that we have knocked the cost of replacement off the price. I’m now at my wits end - I can’t sleep, I’m suffering what I think are panic attacks when any emails come in about it. Because of where it is I think they have assumed we are rich second homeowners, but we aren’t! Is there a point where you can just say either buy it or don’t? I don’t think I can deal with any more of this at all.

you can only tell them what you can and no more, a price reduction is one thing but expecting for to be done and probably paid for by you is a bit cheeky.
i'm goingon the market soon and it would be a case of buyers commit as is it or don't waste my time anymore.

this seems an excessive amount, have you got evidence of these quotes /estimates / could you get your own estimates /quotes? could they be pulling a fast one ?
i'm not an authority on septic tanks so happy learn something new

I feel for you. It’s a nightmare isn’t it. We also accepted an offer in December. I got so fed up with lack of action I phoned our buyer’s solicitor last week ( which I know I shouldn’t have done). This prompted an investigation by the practice, the solicitor was binned and apparently we should complete today.

sorry i'm over invested in this looking at several websites they are suggesting about £2000 to buy and install if ground is prepared and labour can be around £150 / £200 per day. sorry if i've got this tail about face.

I don’t understand why you want have it emptied? When’s the last time it was done?

And is this due to the new legislation coming in in jan? Does it discharge into a waterway? Is so you need to change it for sale from then on anyway. I don’t think you can lumber a buyer with it.

Sorry just reread, you’ve knocked the price of replacement off, so why jot just have it emptied? Mine is done every six months and costs about 140 quid. I get if it’s not been done for a long time and is compacted it could be expensive though, is this the case?

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I think I would have stood my ground more on the replacement cost than the tank emptying. We have a shared septic tank with a neighbour and it doesn’t cost much to empty. The replacement cost of £12k seems too much.

I think it’s fair enough to expect the septic tank to be emptied even if it needs replacing. If they want to put it in the same place it will need removing (which needs it to be emptied). If they want to put it somewhere else it is reasonable not to want your muck sitting around in their garden.

I have a septic tank and wouldn’t dream of leaving it full if I sell my house.

It’s not a huge expense to have it emptied but I understand why you don’t want to. £12k is enough for a very very expensive new septic tank
Ive has two sales on my house fall through in the last year due to the chain collapsing and it’s now on for the third time. I’ve dropped the price so I’m crossing my fingers.
I hope your sale goes through.

We’d thought that it would have to be checked/re-emptied when it is replaced, so it felt like paying twice! We haven't been over much so it has very little in it. We’ve acknowledged it needs to be done, and agreed the lower price, I just don’t know what more they want from us. We’ve tried to be accommodating (hence the 3 companies coming out to look!) and answer everything. The situation has really worn me down and I’m just not seeing a way out of it.

@CatPerson99

We’d thought that it would have to be checked/re-emptied when it is replaced, so it felt like paying twice! We haven't been over much so it has very little in it. We’ve acknowledged it needs to be done, and agreed the lower price, I just don’t know what more they want from us. We’ve tried to be accommodating (hence the 3 companies coming out to look!) and answer everything. The situation has really worn me down and I’m just not seeing a way out of it.

Well you wouldn’t be paying twice, you are paying once when you leave.

They will pay for it to be emptied when they come to replace it.

I'd call their bluff because they're being CFs imo. Wanting (more than) the cost of replacement with a very expensive septic tank system AND expecting you to have it emptied is taking the piss.

Not sure whereabouts your house is OP, but in my part of the SE, it's a seller's market and prices have risen since lockdown. I'd take a chance on them not pulling out if the same has happened where you are.

Thanks everyone, I suppose I have hit the point where I’m wondering if we should pull out of the sale and get the work done. It would mean I’d be there by myself whilst my partner stays close to work, and he’s been overseas for 7 months already this year.
Reading that back it is really whiny, should probably just make plans to move there and make the best of things! I suppose it is just coming to terms with the loss of the property I really loved!, which is rather harder than I’d have thought it would be.

I had a similar problem which involved my extension not being signed off after building work. Knocked £10k off the price.
The problem wasn't the buyers they were quite happy with the reduced price and ready to move in but the lenders wouldn't give them the mortgage until it was all sorted so we had to sort it because it would have been the same problem whoever bought the house unless it was cash in hand.
That left me paying rent and mortgage or months while planning and the council fannied about.

I agree with LakieLady on all the points she made.
12k is extremely expensive. We had a huge replacement septic tank and soakaway installed last year and it was less than half that price.
Why does the current septic tank need replacing? What are the issues with it?
As LakieLady says, it's a sellers market right now. I'd dump them and get the house back on the market asap.

It appears you can claim for replacement of a septic tank through your buildings insurance. Is it worth giving that a go and pocketing your £12k? Obviously that’s not a route open to your buyer.

I thought you weren't allowed to sell now without emptying septic tanks. Also not sure about shared tanks, but I think a tank not on your land isn't allowed now.

Your estate agent and conveyancing solicitor should know.

I think youll end up paying for a replacement private tank. You could remarket when done, or just tell your current buyer you will do the work and the price goes back to the pre discounted one.

@gnomeisland, my builder BIL spent a few grand on a new tank setup when he redeveloped his house, but it's a state of the art digesting system that produces water so clean you can use it for everything bar drinking and cooking.

£12k is very generous.

I’ll certainly look at our insurance, I’d never have thought if that! Ordinarily I’d not dream of not having the blasted thing emptied, I just feel like they are making the most of knowing we’d hoped for a quick sale to get even more money off. I might be doing them a disservice, but that is how it feels. I’d never dream of being so difficult, maybe I should take note and amend my behaviour too!

It’s normal to have it emptied though and it will need to be emptied to replace, depending on when it was last done, will depend on the cost. So a few weeks worth v a few years worth is very different costs.

And even if you pull out you’ve the same issue on your hands. It needs replacing and normally this is on the seller, and having it emptied will still be required.

@CatPerson99

I’ll certainly look at our insurance, I’d never have thought if that! Ordinarily I’d not dream of not having the blasted thing emptied, I just feel like they are making the most of knowing we’d hoped for a quick sale to get even more money off. I might be doing them a disservice, but that is how it feels. I’d never dream of being so difficult, maybe I should take note and amend my behaviour too!

I don’t understand this, you are the one being difficult. The responsibility to replace and empty is yours, not theirs. They are not being difficult, in fact if they’re agreeing to have the work done they are being extremely flexible.

Not sure what you mean here - they told us the tank needed replacing, reduced their offer to cover the costs, and we accepted the reduced offer, So we have effectively covered the costs. I think we have been as flexible as anyone could be?

My inclication would be to look into replacing it yourself, and if it really is much cheaper than £12k, to pull out, get it done and find new buyers. But that depends on what the market is like where you are selling.

But it's about really putting a value on hassle and peace of mind. A relative accepted a second £10k reduction on a house she was selling, just to get rid of it. Having the property sat there, costing money she didn't feel she could afford was causing her tremendous stress, and that was more important than the money to her.

I'd put the house back on the market.