Any ideas how to ensure the house valuation is on the low side?

[Iliveinahovel]

I need a valuation to be on the low side for the house I now live in. Not out-of-this-world low, but somewhere realistic, i.e. 10% to 15% lower than an "average" similar house would be valued at. Currently the house is probably "average" with respect to the overall appeal and condition.

Have around 6 months until the valuation will be done. Any ideas? Let the garden overgrow?

@Iliveinahovel

I need a valuation to be on the low side for the house I now live in. Not out-of-this-world low, but somewhere realistic, i.e. 10% to 15% lower than an "average" similar house would be valued at. Currently the house is probably "average" with respect to the overall appeal and condition.

Have around 6 months until the valuation will be done. Any ideas? Let the garden overgrow?

messy, smelly, damp smell. Leave damp towels everywhere.

Divorce Assets valuation?

A friend of mine needed similar, she had the valuation done by somebody along the lines of a commercial property surveyor, rather than an estate agent. She was pleased with the result.

Sorry if this is a silly question but can your mortgage payments between then and now not be included? You must have paid off a fair amount in that time.

Is there a legality issue of undervaluing property? Also what happens if ex wants his own valuation. I certainly wouldn't take someone's word that the house is worth X. Had one done recently by a RICS hauler. Cost was £294.

Valuer not hauler

Are you doing this because he is chasing too? Could you see a solicitor and say you haven’t had any child support and sort of counter him? Not sure if the legalities but this just doesn’t seem fair at all.

@FiloPasty

Are you doing this because he is chasing too? Could you see a solicitor and say you haven’t had any child support and sort of counter him? Not sure if the legalities but this just doesn’t seem fair at all.

Unfortunately, it is not linked to maintenance at all. I have an official maintenance award made, it is nil (£0.00).

@Pedallleur

Is there a legality issue of undervaluing property? Also what happens if ex wants his own valuation. I certainly wouldn't take someone's word that the house is worth X. Had one done recently by a RICS hauler. Cost was £294.

The list of who can deliver the valuation is specified in the order. Either a RICS accredited surveyor, or estate agents from a pre-defined list.

@Callipygion

Put some mouse or rat traps round the place. Dig up some weeds and place in gutter. Before valuer come round splash some water under a windowsill so it looks like it leaks or is damp.

🤣 do you really think that valuers are thar stupid? What a load of nonsense!

My ex wife did this to ensure the house was cheaper so she could buy me out. I took her to court with a order to get it valued. It was legally binding. Guess what. I was right. Dirty trick to play.

@GentlemanJayFab

My ex wife did this to ensure the house was cheaper so she could buy me out. I took her to court with a order to get it valued. It was legally binding. Guess what. I was right. Dirty trick to play.

Did you read all op’s post and still think op is wrong? Why?

I haven't rtft but I've read all the OP's posts and I'm very sympathetic to you OP.

-agree with the PP who said paint wall bright, garish colours. Yes this really does work. Red especially.
-agree with PP about clutter. Particularly abandoned large plastic toys in the garden eg kids play table etc. It also works by making the whole area look more run down.

• obscure the size of rooms by having cardboard boxes stacked up in towers

-agree with pp about replacing bulbs for darker ones... this really really works

• finally, think about the agents you choose. Foxtons and Pedder gave us the lowest valuations when we sold our flat. KFH and Haart and a couple of independent ones gave us higher valuations. You can have a feel by browsing zoopla, which agents tend to valuate highly
• finally if you can bear it, create a musty laundry smell by putting some laundry on and leaving it in a basket overnight. This does the opposite of the coffee and bread.

I don't think what you're doing is immoral and if I were your neighbour I'd help you by littering our gardens for you xxx

I was in this situation once. All I did was make quite sure that the valuer noticed the genuine structural problem in the extension.

Imagine estate agents more easily swayed than surveyors.

@GentlemanJayFab

My ex wife did this to ensure the house was cheaper so she could buy me out. I took her to court with a order to get it valued. It was legally binding. Guess what. I was right. Dirty trick to play.

Dirty trick to play - wanting to not pay for a house the OP bought which her H had nothing to do with? Give over. If you can't be arsed to RTFT don't comment.

www.mirror.co.uk/money/issues-can-reduce-your-house-24783513?token=-1099820525

Nuisance neighbours OP!
Try to get some loud music playing, or get a dodgy ccar and have it parked outside on the street.

home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/repair/top-5-devalue-house.htm
forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3780007/how-to-get-a-low-valuation-for-house

Undress the house, make it unappealing, don't clean up for a week before the valuation, spray water on the insides of the windows to make it look like the double glazing has blown. Simple things like take handles off kitchen cupboard doors, adjust the hinges so doors won't close, turn circuit breakers off so some electrics don't work.

Introduce a nasty smell, let something go mouldy or make a fishy smell that would suggest that there are problems with the electrics.

One more thing! This is extreme but you could break a window and tape it up (obvs arranging to get it fixed after the valuations). No1 way to make a neighbourhood look dodgy!

I'm not sure if you've done these ideas already but I would also consider

1 - get advice from a new solicitor (ideally one recommended to you as v good at financial divorce matters). Can you get a variation of the order due to exceptional changes since date of agreement? Unknown special needs of children that only came to light after the order was made may be a possible?

2 - talk to you ex and ask him to be reasonable and accept a lesser amount and/or agree to postpone giving it to him until your children are no longer dependent / living at home (which may be older than 18 if they have SEN).

Bad, damp smells.
Clutter
Make the carpets look filthy with something you can wash off.
Peeling wall stickers.
Doors that don't hang properly.
Stains/ marks that look like stains.
Litter in the garden.
Dirty grout.

Purple Bricks is your best bet, they do low valuations. Ours was significantly lower with them than other local estate agents.

@Toanewstart22

A good solicitor will include in financial order that if the property when sold is x% higher than valuation, then proceeds are shared

Only an idiot NRP would agree to that.

@Iliveinahovel

If you act in bad faith expect it to end in court with you paying all the legal costs. It doesn't take a genius to see what a house is worth on Zoopla or Rightmove so if the valuations are well below that your ex will smell a rat.

As for your ex's conduct, the courts won't care. The matter before them will be your attempt to breach a court order. Not a position I would recommend you put yourself in.

It would be a shame if radiators looked rusty. Or leaked. Or the cistern leaked. (All happening/happened in my flat) my cistern has a box of water underneath.

My flat also has holes in the ceiling where I had to let water out of the loft.