Vendor wont let me back into property until exchange of contracts, need some advice

[Charlhewittt]

Hello,

I'm in the process of buying my first property with my boyfriend and need some advice on whether we should proceed or just general thoughts.

The vendor is refusing any visits until exchange of contracts because I wanted an electrician to price up some jobs for me and to make sure the house doesn't need a rewire as the electrics appear to be fairly dated.

We have had our survey but all they come back to say the electrics appear to me in working condition but will require an rcd.

I feel as long as I know about the electrics and if it is going to cost me some money then I'm totally fine with that. But im worried it may need a full rewire and cost me thousands in which I would want to negotiate that with the vendor.

Theres been a few hiccups along the way as there are no building regs on the garage and extension. The main bedroom has a dip in the floor but the ceiling downstairs doesnt appear to bow.

The vendor has agreed to get an electrical test certifcate but I fear his builder son may do this and we know he cuts corners as he built the extension with no regulations.

Would you proceed with the sale based on this information?

Sorry its long but im in two minds and just need some advice.

* Walk away. Building regs. Dip in floor. Vendor refusing access. Say no more*

^So many red flags here OP. You would be stupid to buy this house. Walk away.

@Badbadbunny

You should have sorted the electrician before offers were made/accepted. The vendor will be wary of you wanting to reduce the agreed asking price.

That isn’t how it works.

You make offer and have it accepted.
Then send in the surveyor.
Depending on the survey report you then decide (and / or your mortgage lender demand) that you have other reports commissioned. Typically damp / structural / drains / electrics but also maybe knotweed etc.

Meanwhile your solicitor is asking for things like building regs certificate.

If not available this might be a reason to send in a structural engineer, for example.

I have bought and sold 6 / 5 properties respectively. All have involved further inspections or surveys one way or another.

Only a couple of times has it resulted in a price re-negotiation.

How would it work to get all these checks done before offering? LOL the vendor would have loads of teams going in, and you would have to spend a lot of money before even knowing if you could buy the house!

@Aprilx

You have had the opportunity to get a survey done, that was your chance. You have agreed a price, I would not let a vendor back in to price up some jobs so they could renegotiate the agreed price either. I don’t agree with posters that this is a normal thing to do and to be honest, if you tried to drop your price on me after we have agreed it I would not waste any more of my time on you.

It’s your house, isn’t it?

Hi OP

I’m assuming there’s no Part P electrician’s certificate for the electrics in the extension as well as a lack of Building Regs and sign off for it? I’d request an independent electrician (not the son) inspects and tests the wiring. If they don’t allow that then you’re best to walk away.

They’re trying to hide something. Just the fact that there’s no building regs would make me instantly walk away. I know you’ll lose money but there will be another house for you, trust your gut. If they had nothing to hide then they’d let you in.

Walk away. There is a reason they are refusing you access. Its not like you are asking to turn up twenty times to measure for curtains. Wanting to check the electrics is pretty major

Wow, I appreciate all your comments.

Its nice to see an outsiders perspective. Sometimes you just get caught up with excitement of it being your first property, but not the reason I should proceed.

I have viewed it 3 times. My partner once. Each viewing around 15 minutes.

He has offered an indemnity policy however we havent seen any documents yet and have no clue what it covers apart from what I have read online.

We have had the mortgage survey and our own home buyers report and survey.

She said she wasnt in a position to rip up the floor and check what was causing the dip.

Also he refused her to check the wardrobe and when she asked why he said he had firearms in there. Which was odd as they are meant to be locked up.

Also in regards to the house price , it was a good price for the size of plot. But not a steal, I would likely find something of a similar size for a similar price, however they don't come up often.

I think everyone has been a massive help. You have all definitely helped me with my decision and I think I will pull out of the sale.

If they won't let professional tradesmen in to price up jobs and survey the place, then they're hiding something.

Please walk away.

You may think you can afford this house, but this sounds like a money pit that will drain you dry - physically, financially and emotionally.

Sorry, I worded that badly, I mean there will be no Part P of Building Regulations which is the electrical element - the electrics in the extension could be completely unsafe.

No building regs!!!! Run!

My husband recommends that as the vendor is prepared to produce an electrical test certificate what he needs is to get an approved electrician to carry out an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) which will provide a full list of the house wiring which shows what needs upgrading or replacing to meet the current IET standards. and provide you with a copy. The addition of an RCD in our experience would involve the installation of a new consumer unit which costs on average to supply fit and test about £1,000 to £1200 but obviously could be more depending upon amount of upgrade work involved. Good luck.

I’d leave it based off the extension and garage alone

Unless the house would be fine if th council told you to pull both down?

I’d also check your mortgage lender will still lend once they find out that fact.

Forget the electrics.

Without building regs being signed off walk away.

There is no way to say if there are small or large issues.

Look on the council planning portal for info about the extension.

Your solicitor's job is to pose the questions you need answering.

Questions via this route are legally binding whilst anything said to you by the seller is not.

What is stopping building regs from being granted?
What has been signed off already?
Foundations need signing off along the way and hence you might be looking at a foundation issue, drainage issue or just the downpipe is the wrong colour. Find out the info and then ask that they purchase an indemnity policy to cover any issues that may occur.
If not walk away.

No building regs.
Firearms without a licence
All they need is a sign on their head saying 'Shonky as all get out' and they'd have the hat trick.

Pleased you are pulling out.

You have made the correct decision OP.

Good call.

The indemnity policy is against the possibility of the council requiring that you pull down the illegal extension. It does not indemnify you against the effects of poor design or workmanship.

Good choice OP.

So many things sound iffy (especially them not letting you get an impartial assessment of the wiring) that I like to think I definitely wouldn't go through with it.

Just read more of the thread. The more you say, the worse it sounds.

You're right not to go through with it.

So dodgy, pull out

Surveys pretty much always flag that a further electrical report is required, this is simply due to regular changes in regulations.

Not saying you fall into this category but first time buyers can often get spooked by things established home owners take in their stride. It sounds to me like the vendors are twitchy that you may pull out over something minimal.

@Charlhewittt it's heartbreaking to pull out of your first purchase - been there done that. But follow your head, not your heart.

We put in an offer for our first house. We had small reservations from viewing - there were small cracks in the plastering, and the bathroom window didn't close properly. We just thought it was a small thing, and we could get it fixed. We put an offer in, it got accepted. We paid (£400 I think it was) for a survey, and that flagged even more issues.

We ummed and ahhed about it, and decided to take the hit, lose the £400 and pull out. A house is a massive purchase, you want to get it right.

Best of luck too you. Your house is out there....

I think YABU. You either want the property or you don't.

@notawittyname1954

My husband recommends that as the vendor is prepared to produce an electrical test certificate what he needs is to get an approved electrician to carry out an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) which will provide a full list of the house wiring which shows what needs upgrading or replacing to meet the current IET standards. and provide you with a copy. The addition of an RCD in our experience would involve the installation of a new consumer unit which costs on average to supply fit and test about £1,000 to £1200 but obviously could be more depending upon amount of upgrade work involved. Good luck.

£1200 for a new domestic consumer unit 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

You had your pants pulled down

You've

I'm actually a little surprised that the mortgage company is happy to go ahead with lending you the money on this property.

When I bought my last house in the UK, the survey threw up a damp issue and a structural support issue and the mortgage company withheld about £5k, I think it was (it was a long time ago now!) until I had proof that both had been sorted out. It wasn't a massive issue in either case, so I still went ahead with the sale, but our vendors were very reasonable and allowed me back in to check on what had taken place.

The caginess, the lack of building regs and the curious dip etc. would all put me RIGHT off - I'm glad you're thinking of pulling out and I hope you do.
You'll find the right place - this isn't it.