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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to cry re new house?

197 replies

meow1989 · 30/09/2021 12:53

Or more like, wibu to expect seller to be a decent human being?

Completed on our dream forever home end of August. We left our house spotless, left flowers and advice re local area plus my number in case new people needed anything. Our seller however left us with the following issues:

  • tonnes of rubbish including a double garage door, building materials and granite slabs behind outbuilding. His response was (not true) that most of it had been there when he moved in so it wasn't his problem to sort.
  • missing plants dug up and taken
  • rubbish in house - so far I'm up to 7 different types of tiles in boxes plus skirting boards, flooring, insulation etc
  • Windows that don't lock from the outside and don't close properly (costing 4k to replace, we did know they were misted and would need doing equally but not straight away)
  • bodge job building bits (he is a builder!) Like fist sized holes where blinds had been installed, a broken TV bracket installed into the wall rather than on to, paint on floor and windows
  • broken blinds, broken bathroom cabinets
  • a boiler that I've just found out has been leaking for quite some time (noted by plumber who is fixing leak in ceiling which also seems to have been bodged and covered up from previous leaks)

Aibu or is this par for the course? We hadn't budgeted for a fixer Upper!

OP posts:
PinkFootstool · 30/09/2021 12:57

Have you been back to your solicitor to discuss sueing him?

everythingcrossed · 30/09/2021 12:58

It's horrible but I don't think there is much you can do. Try not to let it colour your view of your home.

Findahouse21 · 30/09/2021 12:58

The rubbish situation I would go back to your solicitor and raise. The others are down to you to check before you buy either yourself or through checks/surveys etc

Brefugee · 30/09/2021 13:00

didn't you do any kind of survey?

TheVolturi · 30/09/2021 13:01

Yanbu, but this seems to happen a lot! Get onto the estate agent and your solicitor!

lastqueenofscotland · 30/09/2021 13:02

Some of this is with the surveyor but the rubbish should have been reported to your solicitors the moment you noticed it

idontlikealdi · 30/09/2021 13:03

Did you see the rubbish when you viewed?

ThreeLittleDots · 30/09/2021 13:03

He is legally obliged to pay for the removal of rubbish. Doesn't matter if it was there when he moved in.

Unless plants were specified in the property information form, they're not included in the sale.

Discovering bodges and faulty boiler - all normal I'm afraid unless you go over the place with a fine-toothed comb / builder / plumber before exchange of contracts. Even surveys miss a great deal and are worded defensively so there's no come-backs.

ThreeLittleDots · 30/09/2021 13:03

But seller sounds like a right shit, yanbu.

Freddiefox · 30/09/2021 13:05

The rubbish and building materials are his problem not yours and you need to get your solicitor involved. Don’t speak to the vendor directly.

The boiler and windows is down to your surveyor . The rest I think is a bit of a grey area.

Poptart4 · 30/09/2021 13:05

Did you not check out the house before you bought it? Leaking boiler/ceiling, holes in the walls should have been seen on inspection.

It's shit the way he left the place but try not let it get you down. This is your dream forever home. Hire a skip and get rid of all the rubbish. I'm sure once all of that is cleared the place will look and feel better.

There's nothing in your list that can't be fixed.

monarchoftheglen · 30/09/2021 13:06

A surveyor should have checked things like the windows opening/closing/locking etc, and May have noticed the damage re the leaking boiler (depending on how obvious it was at the time),

Re the the rubbish left, I would get in touch with your solicitor.

Lazypuppy · 30/09/2021 13:06

The rubbish he should of cleared so go back to your solicitor, the rest i'm confused why it wasn't picked up in the survey, especially the boiler and the windows not locking

Johnnypiratesfriend · 30/09/2021 13:09

Yes this happened to us too. We left them with a clean house I even replaced some floor tiles that were cracked as I found spare when I was packing up. We moved with 3 children under the age of 5. We moved in one day. I packed everything downstairs and the kids slept on mattresses on the floor so I could properly clean.
We move in house was fithy, chewing gum under window ledges, used tampons on top of radiator, to name a few plus lots of repairs to be done, garage door didn't open or lock, shower leaked, bath plug not connected to drain. Then there were doggy diy like plug sockets in sink, I kid you not, (strangely it was not something I thought of checking when we looked round). I can remember thinking why don't I open my purse and just pour it out the window. I spoke to previous owners who said they'd done nothing maintanance wize for 8 years and stopped cleaning in lock down. However, I scrubbed the house clean, I made a list headed dangerous, ASAP and would be nice. Then worked through the list. I've been here a year and we are getting there. I've started to enjoy it now and some how this work made me feel like the house was more mine less theirs.

Navian · 30/09/2021 13:15

He's allowed to dig up his own plants and take them.

GitsandShigggles · 30/09/2021 13:15

Did you have a survey and did you check any of these things when viewing the house?
Windows should have FENSA certificates for the installation and covered under guarantee if less than 10 years old but sometimes guarantee doesn't transfer with change of ownership.
Boiler should have installation documentation and certificate but doesn't need to be serviced for the sale to go through.
The completion contract should state that the property needs to be cleared of rubbish - doesn't matter whether it was there when previous owner bought it or not so if your contract states it would be cleared you'll have grounds to seek costs for clearance.
Most people leave spare tiles / flooring for new owners, plus paint so it's easier to match for repairs.
Removal of plants isn't uncommon but wouldn't expect all plants to have been removed.

As for buying from a builder - depends how good they are. Bad builders will mean bodge jobs, sounds like yours might be one of those.

Check your contract about rubbish removal, not much else you can do though.

LucyGrey · 30/09/2021 13:15

What a shit, YANBU. Try to move past it though, I doubt there is much you can do.

Our sellers were lovely like you luckily and left us a bottle of champagne and flowers. We kept in touch with them actually. Yours sounds like a dick. I'm angry on your behalf.

user1487194234 · 30/09/2021 13:18

It is probably too late to raise a claim re the rubbish

Newkitchen123 · 30/09/2021 13:21

You should do a final viewing before completion. We had asked for the attic to be cleared. Went round to check the week before completion. It was still full of crap. Told them to shift it and booked another viewing the day before completion. He shifted it

user1471538283 · 30/09/2021 13:23

I had this with our last house. I left ours absolutely spotless and moved into a superficially clean house. But, the toilet leaked and had never been secured, the boiler was broken, the gas and electricity did not work, the garage, yard and shed were full of rubbish, numerous holes in the ceiling where he had tried his hand at wiring, nails covering most walls, the lounge floor had fallen because instead of him fixing the damp issue he had just put plastic sheeting down to cover the smell. The list went on and on. My solicitor said all she could do was to ask him to pay for removal of rubbish and he would not pay. Apparently the 3 skips full of rubbish did not exist!

It is so upsetting but some people just do not have any pride.

JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 30/09/2021 13:25

I would speak to your solicitor about this but why have you left it so long to deal with? I think you have a set number of days after completing to raise issues. It was 5 days for us

CuriousaboutSamphire · 30/09/2021 13:26

If your solicitor can't help your only hope/revenge is Facebook shaming - you said he is a builder?!

We have had 6 years of finding the weird and often dangerous bodges left ny the 'expert' that owned this house previously. He uses some pictures of his work here in his promotional blurb and people ask us about it. I am always scrupulously honest, I wouldn't let him near my house with a Christmas card let alone any tools.

It's shit. Hopefully your solicitor can help wring some decency out of him!

Chloemol · 30/09/2021 13:28

It is upsetting

He should remove all rubbish

Bodge jobs, where they reviewed in the survey? Was the boiler reviewed? You may have some recourse there if they did not do their job

The rest sorry you are go8ngbto have to deal with

Original poster
meow1989 · 30/09/2021 13:34

So to answer some questions:

  • re the windows, they're too old for fensa etc and we knew they would need doing in the next year or so, but in relation relation blown seals rather than security/placement issues
  • we raised the rubbish the day we moved in but solicitors weren't any help, they just said we would have to take to small claims court and prob not worth the hassle- I'm not too fussed ultimately we can clear it next summer.
  • we did view twice and bodge jobs were well concealed - the holes in the wall were covered by the blin bracket, the cupboard doors in the bathroom were placed on ever so carefully and it didn't o cur to us to open every cupboard (our bad on that one). Paint on the floor etc covered by furniture.
  • we did have a homebuyers survey and I have no idea why some aspects weren't picked up. Im going to follow this up. The boiler I had glanced at but haven't had the heating on so not paid it much attention, but quick shine of a tourch revealed a receptacle covering mould and slime from the leak.
  • the plants in the garden were included in the fixtures and fittings form as being left in place. Again, solicitor metaphorically shrugged at us.
  • the leak in the ceiling appears to have been stain blocked so not noticeable (by us or surveyor). It was only when the plummer made a hole and pointed our some wood that should have gone all the way across has been cut out and a new washer (poorly) fitted.

Ultimately, I love the house and I dony think in 3 years time for example our enjoyment will have been ruined by all this, but it has certainly taken the shine off. I suppose iwbu and a bit naive but I still think they could have been far better people (and run a duster round first, forgot to mention it was dirty too!)

OP posts:
Original poster
meow1989 · 30/09/2021 13:36

@gitsandshiggles true re tiles, but some are fetching 70-80's variety Wink

I am thankful for the flooring that was left that matches the rest of the house,no so much the off cuts of others

OP posts: