Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not list all of the houses faults when we come to sell it?

105 replies

NC223344 · 09/01/2022 18:37

It’s wonky, damp, some radiators don’t work, taps are linked up wrong way hot/cold, windows are shit, oven not actually screwed into the unit, it’s built on a brook.. you get the picture the list goes on.

Anyway, if I want to sell it do I have to tell people this crap or do they just figure it out themselves sold as seen type thing.
If I have to say then nobody will ever buy it, surely.

OP posts:
NeverForgetYourDreams · 09/01/2022 22:24

It's Buyers Beware in England. No obligation to tell anyone. That's what surveys are for

Hankunamatata · 09/01/2022 22:25

Dont let the agent put flawless or any of that crap. Juts details of the property. Personally I'd include in the selling price to fix the radiators.

Gingernaut · 09/01/2022 22:27

Could you not fit new taps with the hot and cold reversed?

CaroleFuckingBaskin · 09/01/2022 22:35

I've never pointed out faults. The agent priced it and it was marketed at his price. Sold as seen imo. Saying that, if it was all done up properly it would have been marketed at much mire. So o don't feel guilty in the slightest

EatDrinkEatDrink · 09/01/2022 22:46

The things you list aren't structural problems that would come up on a survey, so I wouldn't personally. We bought our house and the list of things we found wrong is huge, think issues with electrics, shower not working (well not hot), leaking shower into the ceiling below (it'd been replastered and painted to sell but the leak not fixed), radiators not working, boiler on it's last legs, windows gone but hidden with blinds etc. We've pretty much fixed or replaced everything now so there isn't really anything for the next people to find, I still wouldn't tell the buyers if there was anything wrong though, people are cheeky trying to get money off anyway, if you tell people things don't work it just invites the cheeky fuckers to knock money off their offer usually once you are past the point where you can realistically back out. We got a good price for our house anyway, I really haggled, I guess the seller knew they weren't realistically going to get more, it'd had 40 viewings before us and on for more ££. My sister moved not long ago and her doors and windows at the back are leaking, the house wasn't cheap, pretty sure the previous owners were well aware!

Xfox · 09/01/2022 23:19

@NC223344

Sort it before you move OP

Hmmmmm, one rad will cost approx: removal of flooring, removal of floor boards, removal of pipes that have been chased into the walls.. then once kink is found repair and replace everything. What a fucking palaver when a £30 electric radiator has done the job sufficiently well.

We’ve had people out.. lots of people.
As I’ve said before the cost of fix to irritation ratio doesn’t make sense.

My standard TA6 property form explicitly asked if the heating system was in good working order, so you might need to declare the radiators.
AlbertBridge · 09/01/2022 23:23

Ha, a mixer. That's a bugger! But honestly not a big issue. I wouldn't care.

as some have said on this very thread old houses are damp and wonky

This. And that's why buyers will probably get a full structural survey done before they buy. I would, with an old house. And I'd expect a few things to come up.

Xfox · 09/01/2022 23:24

Also I'd be amazed if the brook didn't come up on a standard flood report/search.

Taps - meh. Not a big issue. Windows should be obvious to anyone looking (think there is also something on the TA6 about if the windows have certificates or something). Oven also not a big issue.

Kite22 · 09/01/2022 23:38

@HardbackWriter

I am curious about whether the people who say they would declare every single flaw of the house to prospective buyers have ever actually sold a house?

I've never seen a property advert that lists anything along these lines - if it's an absolute wreck then it's 'in need of modernisation', if it has literally started to fall down then it's 'a possible renovation project'. Otherwise every house on the market is described as if it's flawless. I have also never seen a house that didn't have at least a few issues.

This. I've viewed about 20 properties in the last 6 months. None of them had any "flaws" pointed out in the on-line information. None of them had the owners present when we viewed, and the EAs employed a person to show you round the house who had only stepped in the house that morning. They had a little paragraph of information that the buyer wanted to highlight, in some cases (eg "vendor tells us they had a new boiler fitted 18months ago"). The EA made appointments for viewer to follow viewer throughout the day. You had your 15mins and the next people arrived. You put your offer in that night or chose not to. At no point did anyone point out any "faults" - it is up to the buyer to look at the things that are important to them...... opening and closing doors to see if they fit......peering up at soffits and gutters....bouncing on floorboards......looking for the fuse board and at the sockets ....etc etc. then up to the buyers to decide which level of survey to buy.

Aside from the brook running under the house - which would also have been highlighted when you bought the property - which is a completely different thing, none of the other things are deal breakers, nor things that I would expect to be told about.

wtaf37 · 10/01/2022 08:05

@lightand

I have often wondered this too. Someone I know has now discovered quite a list of problems. As far as I know, beucase surveyors dont have to look into every nook and cranny, some or all of the faults were not found by the surveyors?
Depends on the level of survey you want to pay for. As I remember, you can get 'once over' type structural survery, or more in-depth which would highlight stuff such as OP is considering trying to hide
Original poster
NC223344 · 10/01/2022 08:48

Depends on the level of survey you want to pay for.

We paid for a survey and it didn’t highlight many things, like I said, surveyors don’t touch every single patch of wall to establish if it’s damp they just wack their meter in the walls at likely places.

OP posts:
user1471538283 · 10/01/2022 08:52

I think it would be listed as needing work and priced accordingly. Not everything comes up at survey.

My last house needed work that didnt come up on survey.

If you want to realise a good price you will need to do the work.

I would list it as soon as you can because the market will slow/fall soon

PicaK · 10/01/2022 09:07

None of those need declaring in advance. Caveat emptor.
But you may be asked about them on the sellers survey. Our buyer ripped out all our perfectly good working radiators for more aesthetically pleasing ones anyway - so it may not bother them.
I'd mention the Brook to your EA to get a feel for how it may affect the price and be prepared to offer a discount if their survey brings it up.

Newnamefor2022 · 10/01/2022 13:36

Answer all legal documentation truthfully. Hat is all you need to do. You could tell the estate agent the faults of the house. They can take those into account in the valuation. Then it is caveat emptor. It is for the buyer to do their due diligence.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 10/01/2022 13:44

@NC223344 - what will you say if a viewer asks you directly if there are any issues with the house?

As previous posters have said, you must answer the questions in the legal documentation honestly, and I would say you definitely have a moral obligation to answer any direct questions honestly - I don't know if you have a legal obligation to answer them honestly.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 10/01/2022 13:48

Posted too soon.

@NC223344 - when asked whether you'd like to be told about issues like the ones you found with your house, you replied "I wasn't told" - but that didn't answer the question. If you had been told about the issues with your current house, would you still have bought it? Do you think the sellers did the right thing, letting you buy a house with all these problems?

HoardingSamphireSaurus · 10/01/2022 13:48

@NC223344

That’s annoying, how frequently does this happen since it’s happened to a few on here (including me). Does everyone just not say then? New to this
No. People don't you buy a house as seen. That's why you pay for a survery. And even that doesn't cover everything.

If there is something REALLY bad/dangerous that the previous owners MUST have known about you can try taking them to court over it.

You get paperwork to fill in and it has all the mandatory questions in it. Fill that out honestly and that's all you need do.

prettyteapotsplease · 10/01/2022 13:54

I thought the buyer (or solicitor/building society/bank - to make it's mortgageable) pays a surveyor to look for faults, rather than have the seller point them out, at least in Britain.

I believe that in France the seller is expected to point out problems.

Squills · 10/01/2022 13:55

Unless they're cash buyers they'll have to have a survey for mortgage purposes. This will flag up any serious defects. I'd just leave it to the surveyor to assess.

In every house I've bought there are things which, whilst not dangerous, are a total bodge.

ihavespoken · 10/01/2022 13:58

I haven't RTFT but - definitely don't tell them.
It's "buyer beware" and that's why people get surveys done.

Battybonkers · 10/01/2022 14:03

@NC223344 we paid for a full structural survey and he checked all the rads and taps - even managed to flood their bathroom as he was checking the toilet flush and it was blocked 🤢 He managed to find things that the seller wasn’t even aware of (she’d neglected it a bit). We then asked the seller about issues he’d raised via the solicitor which was legally binding, i.e. if you lie about them at that point it can come back to bite you.
There are also certain things legally you have to declare on the contract of sale and if you are asked about things via the solicitors that is legally binding - every thing else is down to the buyer appointing a decent surveyor.

stingofthebutterfly · 10/01/2022 14:09

You should mention the brook, and anything that it specifically asks about on the property information forms, but I think that most people realise that part and parcel of moving is finding things that need fixing when you move in.

We moved in to a house with a broken freezer, broken jacuzzi bath, leaking radiator, crappy electrics, light switches in weird places, mouldy water dispenser on the fridge and leaking guttering, to name but a few. Nothing was picked up on the survey. The vendors also left all their shit here, including a washing machine full of wet washing and a trampoline.

I just grit my teeth and got a skip.

TheCatterall · 10/01/2022 14:11

Taps wrong way round wouldn’t bother me. My dad has a tendency to do that on our homes so we get used to it. Grin

Radiators - I’d try bleeding them etc. At least that way you may have a warmer home whilst trying to sell it?

Windows - folks should be able to see if panes are blown or need replacing etc.

I wouldn't lie to potential buyers - but most of these issues are things I would be allowing for in my budget if I bought a house, or I’d see on visit or it would come up on a surveyors report.

AgathaMystery · 10/01/2022 14:22

Someone asked if people saying ‘yes’ to mentioning faults have ever bought/sold a house. I said yes I’d mention them & I have bought & sold a few houses in the past 20 years.

I feels like it’s the right thing to do. Hmm

When we sold our last house I left it absolutely immaculate & there were no hidden ‘surprises’ except a bottle of fizz in the fridge. Now I see the family 5 days a week as their DC moved to the same school as our DC. Imagine if I’d sold them a turkey?!

C152 · 10/01/2022 14:38

Well, I think it's shit not to mention things you know are wrong. If I were you I would fix what I could and list any remaining faults and have the house priced accordingly for sale. If it's in a desirable area or has other benefits (e.g. near good schools, big garden, gets lots of natural light, has original features etc., etc) then you will get interest anyway.

If you're in the UK, you're required to list faults as part of the sale documentation. If you get a buyer who has means, they could sue you after the sale for failing to disclose issues.