Building surveyor damaged property

[Iamthedom]

My buyers arranged for a building survey yesterday
I’ve just gone to the property to collect any mail and he’s done the following
Tried to remove a period tile and had broken it in half
Didn’t leave the tile anywhere
Ripped up laminate flooring under the bay window - obviously to check for damp but the flooring can’t be replaced
Removed a kicker and not replaced it
Ripped wallpaper of the bedroom wall to check a crack
Removed a floorboard didn’t put it back and left nails sticking up
No idea if he has done in
I’m furious and upset .Yes the house is old and is a dooer upper but it’s being sold as such

The period tile in the entrance hall can’t be replaced its been there since 1870s so can’t exactly get it from B & Q
What do I do
Im sending a email to my estate agent with photos and I have spoken to them and they were really shocked and said this should not have done this

@Hrpuffnstuff1
The house belonged to my late parents who have sadly passed away
One of dementia and cancer and the other of copd and lung cancer and Covid
But thank you for your comments on my late parents home use it’s much appreciated and useful

The house is completely transparent it’s been sold as in need of complete refurbishment
anyone viewing can see whatever they like nothing is hidden away behind furniture or beds
I’ve been extremely helpful allowing numerous visits including 2 with a builder so that they can pruve

They bid 20k over the asking the price to get the property and to be honest I don’t care if they buy it or not as I can sell it 10 times over and probably for more money and they are aware of this

@Hrpuffnstuff1

All that flooring will need to come up anyway.

The house looks like a mess.

There's always one who hasnt bothered to read what the thread is about.

@user1471447863
I would imagine that the buyer may want to use the report to negotiate a discount
However because the surveyors lied to me and damaged the property I will not take this survey into account
I won’t be pulling out but as far as I’m concerned the survey has as much credibility as Boris Johnson 😂 so If they try to negotiate using the survey I’m not interested
I can sell the house easily so it’s not as if they are the only buyers around
And I’m in no rush for it to sale I have a home already and I’m not paying £1700 a month rent like the buyers are

@bcc89 so true 😂

[quote Iamthedom]@user1471447863
I would imagine that the buyer may want to use the report to negotiate a discount
However because the surveyors lied to me and damaged the property I will not take this survey into account
I won’t be pulling out but as far as I’m concerned the survey has as much credibility as Boris Johnson 😂 so If they try to negotiate using the survey I’m not interested
I can sell the house easily so it’s not as if they are the only buyers around
And I’m in no rush for it to sale I have a home already and I’m not paying £1700 a month rent like the buyers are[/quote]
Good for you OP. (Really hope that you get the tile back though)

OP,

You sound very reasonable.
His actions are absolutely appalling.

The difficult part of me would be very tempted to put that house back on the market if you do not receive a heartfelt grovelling apology.

Damaging those tiles is unconscionable IMO.

Your annoyance is justified and the lies are absolutely infuriating.

What a cowboy operation.

This is disgraceful- so glad that you are in a strong position OP. It's a tough thing emotionally to sell a family home, you know it will change but you want to never look back, not to have some dickhead wrecking things before it is even sold. My mother is also dead and I am sure will be happy to join with the curse.

@Iamthedom

He lifted one floorboard in the bedroom didn’t put it back

He ripped up laminate flooring in the front room under the bay window
I’ve attached a photo

Well, looking at those skirting boards it looks to me as if your house needs a lot of work and there would be every suspicion that there's rot (wet or dry) affecting the floor boards and joists in the bay.

So what's really happened, OP? Did you put down laminate to hide what was going on underneath? I suspect there's a lot more to this story than in your initial post.

I showed this to DH earlier as I was so amazed by their cheek. He used to work in relayed industry and raised a point I don't think has been mentioned.
If this is as it seems a period property there is a small concern his digging around under floors and in walls could have disturbed asbestos.

@Hrpuffnstuff1

All that flooring will need to come up anyway.

The house looks like a mess.

Why did you think this comment would be helpful? Genuinely interested as to why people feel the need to do this It's odd

@bcc89

Your experience in the house renovations industry is what?
Zero/limited at a guess.

The house is quite clearly dilapidated.
He's carried out an intensive survey. The op is emotionally attached to the house, the buyers are not. Hence the hue and cry whilst selling.

Imagine being on the other end as a buyer in this chain. Nightmare.

@Pluvia Read the thread, then get your crass comment removed.

[quote Hrpuffnstuff1]@bcc89

Your experience in the house renovations industry is what?
Zero/limited at a guess.

The house is quite clearly dilapidated.
He's carried out an intensive survey. The op is emotionally attached to the house, the buyers are not. Hence the hue and cry whilst selling.

Imagine being on the other end as a buyer in this chain. Nightmare.[/quote]
Ridiculous.

Just because a house needs work isn't automatic open season on ripping up floors etc.

Just managed to read on to the end. If the house was in good condition and wasn't due for complete refurbishment you'd have a point, but as you know the whole place is going to be stripped out I think you ABU. Presumably the purchasers told the surveyor that they were going to take up that laminate and the original tiles and they wanted to know what was going on under the floors. In these circumstances I can see how it happened.

You need to remove emotion from the situation which is hard when it's your family home. They've offered more than you wanted for the property. If they start messing you about you can put it back on the market and expect to get a similar offer because from the sound of it the location is good and, whatever its condition, the house will appeal to another buyer.

I had to sell my mother's house and it was an upsetting experience. I can see how tempting it could be to channel difficult feelings into retribution against the surveyor but it's really not worth it. Sell quickly, put this behind you, enjoy the proceeds, remember good things about you parents, get on with your lives.

[quote Hrpuffnstuff1]@bcc89

Your experience in the house renovations industry is what?
Zero/limited at a guess.

The house is quite clearly dilapidated.
He's carried out an intensive survey. The op is emotionally attached to the house, the buyers are not. Hence the hue and cry whilst selling.

Imagine being on the other end as a buyer in this chain. Nightmare.[/quote]
This is essentially a business transaction. The buyers are making an investment and they want to be sure that there's nothing going on that they can't see from the surface dilapidation. The seller is emotionally attached to the house and didn't think to mention it in the OP).

I work in the construction sector and when people discover a serious dry rot or similar issue in their homes they often put down laminate, do superficial work to disguise the problem and sell on. Hrpuffnstuff1 is right: this hue and cry is about emotions, not about business.

So @Pluvia, in this business transaction, will the buyers remedy this damage if they pull out or the sale doesn't go ahead? If one of them is made redundant and they revisit their finances and need to pull out of the sale, what happens to Op's now damaged house?

I don't think anyone is saying these investigations don't need to be done at all. But I'm so surprised anyone think it's ok for them to be done a) without the owner of the house's permission, and b) without any plan for remedy/replacement if the sale doesn't go through.

If the buyers thinks these investigations are so important, why didn't they ask for permission and get them done in a way that the property could be put back to its original state afterwards? Why has the Op now got to worry about what to do with a damaged house if the sale falls through?

It wasn't the buyers property to damage though. That's the point. It doesn't belong to them.

Did you put down laminate to hide what was going on underneath?

OP has clearly stated that this is a probate sale and the house was occupied by her elderly unwell parents previously. She knows it's not in perfect condition and has been honest with the seller about that. That does not give them the right to damage her property.

Presumably the purchasers told the surveyor that they were going to take up that laminate and the original tiles and they wanted to know what was going on under the floors

Omg. It is NOT the purchasers house (yet)!
The surveyor should have sought permission from OP. How is this difficult to understand?!

@Pluvia I didn’t put down the laminate it’s not my house it’s my late parents house
That laminate has been down for about maybe 15 years I’m not sure

There isn’t a chain I’m not buying anything I have my own house that I live in I’m in no rush for a sell .
The buyers are also chain free
So it’s just us in the chain . No one else .

I’ve allowed them as many visits as they need to check the property. I’ve not been obstructive in any way . They have had builders in giving them prices .

Honestly it’s not about emotions Im really not attached to the house I haven’t lived there for around 25 years 😂 I had no issues in clearing the house out and getting rid of my parents stuff as soon as my dad passed away . Im quite hard nosed and I don’t care if this sell goes through or not as the property will sale easily again.

It’s about the surveyor going in and doing stuff he had no permission to do and then lying to me . That lying is what is fucking annoying me more than anything. I really should let that go 😂

Have you heard from the estate agent at all, @Iamthedom?

Having just sold, I'm baffled as to how this happened... Our buyer arranged his survey through our estate agent, who basically just passed on the surveyor's available times and asked us to confirm which one we wanted. Our buyer then cancelled the day before; they didn't want a survey anymore.

For the house we bought, the surveyors contacted the estate agent for the seller directly and then told us what time had been booked, and when the report would be due. The seller was home for it - we came round to measure up just afterwards, and the seller was chatting to us about the surveyor being very short, and constantly running up and downstairs to ask for permission to look at things (it's a four-storey house).

I'm not sure if that's the norm; or if you should have been asked in advance... Have you contracted the estate agent to do viewings? Were you expecting them to accompany the surveyor?

It seems a colossal error from a surveyor to not have tried getting permission, so I wonder who he thought he had it from.

So many people missing the point of this and shrugging with views that the house needs work.

As a helpful PP pointed out, the surveyor has breached several codes of conduct and damaged property he did not have permission to interfere with. Several knowledgable posters have pointed out that nothing needed lifting or removing to identify things such as damp-an experienced surveyor would use instruments of the trade to do this without damage.

And the Op has stated several times that the property was priced considerably below market value due to the condition of it and the fact that significant work needed doing.

So Op is now left with a property in worse condition than before his visit and has not sold it yet. If the buyers pull out, who will pay for this damage or any impact on future saleability?

Op it's not you.

Hi I've read the full thread and am appalled at what the Surveyor has done. I work for a firm of Structural Engineers and we do full structural surveys and we always make sure to tell the clients that we do not lift any floors, tiles etc. We don't even move furniture we note in our reports that there were items obscuring our visibility. I would be making the managing director of his company aware of what he has done and also that he lied, and ask them what they are going to do to sort the situation.

I hope you manage to simmer down slightly (I would be as angry as you were/are) so I do understand.

The estate agents should be dealing with this! They are meant to be coordinating the sale, not you. I’d put that complaint in but also your earlier idea of the buyers paying some money in now in case they pull out is a good, fair solution. If they then complete it’ll be their problem.

I’d also double check the rest of the house thoroughly because you can’t trust that surveyor!

@Pluvia

Just managed to read on to the end. If the house was in good condition and wasn't due for complete refurbishment you'd have a point, but as you know the whole place is going to be stripped out I think you ABU. Presumably the purchasers told the surveyor that they were going to take up that laminate and the original tiles and they wanted to know what was going on under the floors. In these circumstances I can see how it happened.

You need to remove emotion from the situation which is hard when it's your family home. They've offered more than you wanted for the property. If they start messing you about you can put it back on the market and expect to get a similar offer because from the sound of it the location is good and, whatever its condition, the house will appeal to another buyer.

I had to sell my mother's house and it was an upsetting experience. I can see how tempting it could be to channel difficult feelings into retribution against the surveyor but it's really not worth it. Sell quickly, put this behind you, enjoy the proceeds, remember good things about you parents, get on with your lives.

Pluvia, Im not sure where you are coming from. Nobody has the right to damage property THAT ISNT OWNED BY THEM (without permission). What if they decide not to purchase? Who is going to pay for the damage?