Viewing a property today. What important questions to ask EA?

[SweetMelody7]

Hi all, first time buyer here and a bit clueless. Not much support in real life so I've done some research and tried to educate myself as much as possible. I'm viewing a 2 bed flat today which looks lovely, in a nice enough area (not far from where I currently live) and is within budget. From the pictures it looks like they have recently redecorated - new carpets/flooring, a new bathroom and kitchen, all painted etc. It saids on Rightmove that they had it rewired last year. The estate agent did give some information on the phone. It's vacant as the vendors moved out a couple of months ago, they lived there since 2001. There is a small front garden which I queried about (wasn't sure if I had to pay a maintenance charge but she said no, it's my responsibility to maintain it). I've also looked into the council tax, water rates etc. It looks to be all electric, no gas so I will need to ask if it is on a pay as you go meter or a bill.

Is there anything else that I should be asking them today? Any important questions that I'm missing? I would really appreciate your advice as I'm sure you're all much more experienced in this department than me

Thanks

I would ask about lease costs (free hold etc.) There was a LOT of discussion recently about escalator costs on this sort of thing. Depends on how old/news it is (if it has just been rewired, odds are it is older, and will not have this problem).

Also - check the neighbours, and have a look when the EA is not around. Make sure you see it on the weekend and at rush hour etc.

Good luck

You’ll want to know about service charges and ground rent, plus the lease length and if they are aware of the cost to extend it.

Ask how long is on the lease, Is there a service charge & is it share of freehold.

How big is the building the flat is in? Any cladding? If there is cladding do they have an EWS1?
Take a close look at the windows/ age of lift (if there is one), how recently decorated communal areas are, condition of roof etc - as these are things that are costly to replace and will be a cost to you when it comes to replacement time.

Is the garden included in your lease?
Has the rewrite been certified?
Check fire doors /fire alarm etc.
How long is the lease?

@WhatdoImean oh that's great, thank you! The property was built in 1995 I believe, but I will definitely still ask the question.

@TakeYourFinalPosition I asked about service charges the other day on the phone but there are none apparently. I will double check though. I am buying outright if that makes a difference. Thank you

Off the top of my head as my daughter has just bought her first flat:
Leasehold or share of freehold? Any charges? How much?
Is the property in good nick? Who is responsible for painting £ maintaining communal parts? Painting the front?
Neighbours - what are they like - you can ask the estate agent direct, sussing out any problems?
Why are the vendors moving?
Area - is it safe? Good transport? Shops or whatever you need? I made my daughter walk the area daytime and evening if you don't know it well.
Is your mortgage/ finances sorted? Have you a solicitor/conveyancer? A good one should talk you through the legal things.
It sounds like the first flat you've seen? You should try and see as many as you can to get an idea of what you need/want/like.

Just to add - it is not a large block of flats. 2 flats per building (I would be on the top floor) with someone underneath me. We would have our own separate front doors (mine on the front of the building, theirs on the side).

Is it sole use garden? If not you shouldn't be expected to maintain it

[quote SweetMelody7]@WhatdoImean oh that's great, thank you! The property was built in 1995 I believe, but I will definitely still ask the question.

@TakeYourFinalPosition I asked about service charges the other day on the phone but there are none apparently. I will double check though. I am buying outright if that makes a difference. Thank you [/quote]
If there are no service charges investigate further - that sounds like it might then be fine to you and the other flat to come to an agreement for any work that needs doing. Could be tricky and I would want clear guidelines as to who was responsible fir what.

Write all your quesyions down and email them. None of my EAs could have answered questions🙄
One topped it when he couldn't tell me if the commercial property had gas or not. "Nonidea, yeah. No. Hmmmm"
Private ones had no idea about approximate age of wiring, boiler etc. You would think that's normal questions so they would have asked in advance.

So write it all down so you can email it later. Ask on spot as well, but have written info. Cladding and lease/service charge costs are absolute must. I would personally ask about restrictove covenants in advance. I wouldn't want to invest money to find it has some ridiculous ones. And check if you can sublet. If anythinhlg quickly changes in your life, it can be handy to be abpe to do it. I hear of some freeholdwrs prohibiting that.

Bear in mind that the estate agent is acting for the vendor, and wants their commission.
Any important questions if you want to proceed should be asked again by your solicitor in writing.
Good luck with your property purchase.

Any neighbour issues?noise,drugs,antisocial behaviour like late night parties.
Cladding safety

-Service charge and ground rent costs
-when was the boiler installed

This is great! Thank you all so much, I will have my little notebook with me 😆

Estate agents are sales people and will possibly twist the truth on things like reason for moving out

.

Do your own research

Visit the property at night. Even if you can’t get inside, check for things like loud music or signs of anti social behaviour

If no private parking, visit at evenings when most people home & check out the parking situation

Cladding - Grenfell has meant that even a tiny bit of decorative cladding on a low-rise building makes it very hard to get a mortgage on a flat without the correct documentation to show that it is non-combustible. Many flats built in the 1990s do have cladding - it was considered more modern than brick.

Agree with @Gilbot about the visist. We stalked ours on a night when there would often be parties, on friday night and random week evenings for couple of weeks. We just wanted quiet area🙈 And we got it

Test the water pressure in the shower while you are there.

Don't do what I did when I was an inexperienced 20 year old with an intense spider phobia, and asked the agents if I would be get loads of spiders in the flat

[quote SweetMelody7]@WhatdoImean oh that's great, thank you! The property was built in 1995 I believe, but I will definitely still ask the question.

@TakeYourFinalPosition I asked about service charges the other day on the phone but there are none apparently. I will double check though. I am buying outright if that makes a difference. Thank you [/quote]
I personally wouldn't buy it if there is no service charge. It would be fine if you owned all the flats and controlled the whole building but what would you do if the flats needed a new roof but the other owners all refused to pay their share?

Why did a 1995 flat need rewiring? That would worry me.....it shouldn't.

Ask how long the lease is , under 70 years you will not get a mortgage, above 70 years but not much you may have trouble selling on .
Leases can be extended but will cost

@SweetMelody7 I'd be cautious of the service charge...

That means you'll have to privately agree costs for any repairs, plus insurance, etc.

Also, without service charges, make sure that it's clear whether you are responsible for the roof...

Definitely:

Ground rent and are there increases? For instance, ours doubled every 10 years, which became an issue when selling.
Service charges
Length of lease
Boiler- how old?
If no service charges, how are repairs dealt with in communal areas?

If there’s two flats per house it’s likely a Tyneside lease wont necessarily have a service charge - this is not unusual.