WIBU to pull out if they don't agree?

[NeedANewNameBriefly]

Reposting for traffic

Short version - are these issues bad enough to withdraw from property purchase and collapse the chain. Or should this be expected when buying a house.

YABU - Even without a reduction, these issues are not that bad

YANBU - They definitely need to reduce the price a bit

Full version

We are trying to purchase our "forever home", have gone madly over budget on something that isn't perfect, but we are happy enough with. Survey has come back and the work that needs doing seems to be quite a lot. We want to renegotiate the price and based on repair costs for the most significant things, so not just decorate issues for example we want to go lower by about 12% (that's what I've worked it out as being) - estate agent (of course) is saying they won't agree but she doesn't have their actual answer yet. To complicate matters, they are overseas and we cannot reach vendors directly (currently trying via the solicitors instead though)

Basically, we are not quite sure the best way to approach this and how much of this the vendor thinks should have been priced in to our offer, bearing in mind we were unaware of 99% of the issues prior to the survey. The 1% is an issue we believe they should and could still deal with through their buildings insurance.

For context here are some of the issues:

•Repointing of brickwork to two chimney stacks
•Replace a number of missing, slipped and damaged roof tiles (particularly to the front and rear slopes). However, given their age it may be more economic to recover the whole roof rather than continuing to repair. This is our main issue - we want to replace not further patch up the roof. Lots of patchy repairs previously done apparently.
•Carry out crack repair to the front elevation.
•Replace some of the double-glazed units to the conservatory - showing damage
• Porch – replace several roof tiles, and carry out longer-term repair to the far right post which is damaged
•Install additional air bricks and replace damaged air bricks to the right side - doesn't have anywhere near enough. Those it has are damaged
•Reduce the height of the external ground level at the front (or install a French drain) - drain is right in front of doorstep and cut back the timber decking at the rear- to mitigate damp penetration
•Adjust five of the internal doors - almost all doors do not close at all within the house
•Rectify leak from the shower hose/replace shower in the family bathroom
•Hot water cylinder appears undersized/replacement needed
•Replace the waste pipe from the dishwasher and rectify leak from gulley surround
•Secure boarding to the timber decking and carry out timber repairs where required

If I was the seller, I think I'd tell you take a running jump with your idea of reducing the price by 12%. A survey often lists everything that might possibly be wrong with a property or could go wrong in the future, but that property is perfectly fine to live in and such items can be fixes as and when suits. Its presumably not a new build and I'm guessing a period property and some of the suggestions appear to be going towards almost rebuilding parts of it.

Ask a different surveyor on a different day and you could get a completely different opinion. The comment about the seller's buildings insurance is really getting quite personal and sounds a bit impractical as well.

I think maybe you should buy a new build from a developer?

If I were the vendor I'd take no notice of your list of demands.
Most of your list come under a vague umbrella of 'sold as seen.'
Unless the property is brand spanking new then there are going to a whole host of things that need patching up, replacing or fixing.

You sound like you want some money back, as it were, as you seem to have overspent and are struggling to find more money to do maintenance.

Maybe pull out and find a house that's more within your means.

Just because you're madly over budget doesn't mean the house is overpriced.

Have you gone over budget but chosen something affordable in the best area. Could you get similar at that price that is immaculate. You need to consider the whole market not just your purchase to know what's reasonable.

It depends how long it had been on the market and how likely they are to be able to sell it at the price they want. If it had been on the market for a year and they had already reduced the price they might accept a small reduction. If it had lots of views/offers they probably won't.

I would have thought that you could only complain about hidden defects and I don't think much of that qualifies

Agree with PPs, I’d tell you to jog on. Especially if you list nonsense like internal doors (which you presumably saw on viewing), pointing and roof (it’s always a roof) as the survey isn’t a cue to get an immaculate house. If it isn’t a new build you must expect to do repairs, and if you’re so over budget you can’t afford them, you should withdraw.

However - my DH bought a house a few years ago and the survey revealed so many HIDDEN issues he negotiated £30k off a £200k house. He wrote a very polite and detailed email running through the survey issues and explaining estimated repair costs.

Can’t hurt to try, but you have ti accept the property was likely priced accordingly for those issues. If they repair them they may just relist at a higher price. Depends how much you like the house.

Hope it works out!

So basically you would like the house done up to your liking and the vendors to pay for it.
Nice idea I am sure we would all like the vendors to pay for any work done on our houses but don't think they will.
Replace internal doors?????
Come on op you know you are being unreasonable

YABVU. Buy a new build if you want perfection, all surveys come back like this!

The repairs you want to do are basic not their problem
I would put it back on the market if you came to me with that

Internal doors and a leaky shower hose 😂 honestly they'll laugh and fell you to fuck off.
I'd try for a small percentage towards the roof and the crack perhaps. But your list is ridiculous.

This.

*basically

None of those are the sort of thing you should adjust your price by 12% for. You probably won't even get round to doing all of those before you sell (even if it's your forever home), they're not exactly urgent structural issues. You "want" to re-roof the house, fine, up to you but why should the seller foot the bill for renovation work you choose to do that doesn't directly affect them or the structure of the house? Someone else might be waiting to buy it who is happy with popping a couple of tiles on the current roof.
How much does it cost to adjust a door? And lmao about the shower hose, the EA will not take this seriously.
On a side note, why is the dishwasher drain pipe even mentioned? I thought surveyors weren't allowed to move anything or interfere with things, what was he doing messing around pulling out the dishwasher or kitchen cupboards?!
You need to be clear in your mind about which jobs actually need doing, which jobs are your choice to do, and which of those "issues" are utterly trivial (e.g. the shower hose or "adjusting the doors").

YABU

I think you could look for a reduction for these things:

• repointing on chimney stacks


• repair to roof tiles (not replacing the roof though as that could be done at a point when you've moved in)


• depending on the depth of the crack in the front elevation perhaps this


• Replace some of the double-glazed units to the conservatory - showing damage (you might want to demolish the entire conservatory so replacing bits might not be the best option here)
  


• Porch – replace several roof tiles, and carry out longer-term repair to the far right post which is damaged (again, this would be a personal choice and not something that should impact the overall cost of the house IMO)
  


• Install additional air bricks and replace damaged air bricks to the right side - doesn't have anywhere near enough. Those it has are damaged (you could arrange for this at any point once you've moved in so not dependant on the sale IMO)
  


• Reduce the height of the external ground level at the front (or install a French drain) - drain is right in front of doorstep and cut back the timber decking at the rear- to mitigate damp penetration (I don't think this would impact the sale price of the property)
  


• Adjust five of the internal doors - almost all doors do not close at all within the house (cosmetic choice here. Do the doors get stuck or why don't they stay closed? Could they require new locks)
  


• Rectify leak from the shower hose/replace shower in the family bathroom (Purely cosmetic. You could live with the shower in its current state for a while)
  


• Hot water cylinder appears undersized/replacement needed (key word here - "appears".)
  


• Replace the waste pipe from the dishwasher and rectify leak from gulley surround (not every house has a dishwasher so this wouldn't affect the sale price IMO)
  


• Secure boarding to the timber decking and carry out timber repairs where required (I wouldn't think this should affect the overall sale price of the property).
  

Things need fixing when you move into a house and you say that the house isn't perfect but you're happy with it. So be happy with it. Understand that you'll have to do home improvements to put your stamp on the place.

I would think that this sounds like an executor sale based on how many things you've outlined and how they haven't been done by the current or previous occupants and that you've mentioned that the people selling the property are overseas.

Your list is ridiculous and a 12% reduction is even more ridiculous.

Christ. You say it’s your “forever home” but is it also the first home you’ve bought, because you sound woefully naive.

So outrageously naive that I call reverse?!

Discounts are for material structural issues which you couldn't have noticed on viewed, no slightly old decking and the like.

The fact that you want to put a new roof on rather than repair is your choice!

Sorry OP, but it sounds like you don't love love love the house anyway - pull out and start again.

Replacing roof tiles and repoint of brick work on a chimney stack are not expensive - I know as a close family member is in this line of work.

The remaining issue are all 'nice to have' things. I certainly wouldn't reduce my house price and if someone buying mine tried to then I would refuse, if there was more dithering about I'd relist it.

Those are mostly really cheap jobs.
Cylinder is matter of preference

Have you never owned a house before?

Only here for the comments. Bless you OP. Good luck.

Internal doors and leaky shower hose?! You can't ask for a reduction for things like that!

It sounds as if it’s a bit of a dooer upper, but you can’t afford to do it up.

OP as other PP have said if this is not a reverse, I would honestly tell you to take a running jump. Most of what you have posted are general maintenance and are not big issues, I honestly think you are being very precious and ridiculous.

You need to pull out and buy a new build and still have some minor fixes you could claim from the builder as the house settles.