Buyers asking for money post-completion

[Nenanena]

I know this is unreasonable really but I am so outraged I just wondered if anyone else had experienced this? A few weeks after completion our buyers had an issue with the heating and have asked us to foot the bill (a few hundred quid) as apparently they were told that the issue would have occurred while we still lived there (but we hadn’t had the heating on as it was summer so didn’t realise). Our solicitor told us of course we didn’t have to pay and we’ve refused but I can’t believe the cheek
of it!! Where would it end otherwise?! And why on earth did their solicitor not tell them they were being ridiculous?

I would. We paid for a survey and on reflection the asbestos should have been flagged, it was obvious to anyone with any training. It wasn’t though. We claimed, they paid.
The same survey condemned the electrics.

ROFL Some people really take their saintliness to another level!

This is the way it should go, on both sides. We requested one and the vendor refused so we made it clear to them that, in that case, we would assume the heating wasn't working and reduced our offer to reflect this (and the state of the roof, which was leaking in several places). It turned out that we were right, it wasn't working, but it was a faulty thermostatic controller, rather than the boiler itself. Husband fixed that himself with a £2 capacitor. The boiler gave us another 5 years. Other things turned out to be much more broken but we didn't ask for money to cover them.

Every survey I've ever read always states that gas/electrics aren't tested as part of the survey and to get them tested by an electrician/gas person as they are beyond the surveyors expertise.

When my mother sold her house the buyers did this. She had a BGas care plan and it was serviced every year. The solicitor said as she had taken adequate steps to keep it serviced etc it was not her responsibility.

It’s always the heating. 😆

We had a new fuse box fitted about a year before we sold the house, never had a problem with it.

People who bought our house claimed it kept tripping and was £400 to fix, we just ignored them.

I wouldn't mind but theirs wasn't even the highest offer, we liked them and they didn't seem as flakey as the highest offer, mind there was only £500 in it.

I think they might have a point if it didn't work when they moved in as you presumably sold the house as having central heating. If it is several weeks later it's tough luck.

There should be a register of people who behave like this when buying and selling houses. Things like trying to coerce someone into a late price reduction, for example.

People could apply for someone to be on the register, argue the reasons, the people alleged to have behave unreasonably have their chance to put the case. If the case is accepted and they are placed on such a register, remain on there for say ten years.

I think the solicitor should expect them to pay for his extra work.

They won't have an engineer willing to say it wasn't working long before the sale. Anyway it obviously was working when the buyers moved in or they wouldn't have taken several weeks to complain.

Where are you?

Edinburgh standard clauses allow a limited time period for defects to become apparent that the seller is liable for. When we sold our family home we all breathed a huge sigh of relief that the ancient boiler lasted the course!

Of course it’s ridiculous . Tell them to do one . Through your solicitor of course . Honestly . Not your problem.

We moved into our new home in late November a few years ago and the previous owners had left a bedroom window open. At first we thought this was to air the room. No, it was because it was broken and as it was above a conservatory it was going to cost hundreds extra to fix due to scaffolding. Looking back at the EA pics and that window was open then too so it’s possible it had been broken months. Had to suck it up sadly.

We’re in England.

I had a buyer contact the estate agent weeks and weeks later to complain bitterly that she could smell next doors weed. Not entirely sure what she wanted me to do….
I certainly never smelt it.

There was a gas leak when we moved in and the boiler broke after a week. Fuckers

When I sold my last house, after completion, my solicitor forwarded me on a letter from the buyers solicitor requesting that I met the cost of installing a gas central heating system. The property had a coal fired system as well as a gas supply and they hadn't realised the central heating was coal and somehow considered that this was our fault.

Solicitor was a bit flabbergasted at their cheek, but was obliged to forward it onto us, in case we wanted to donate a few thousand to their renovation costs. We declined the opportunity.

Every time I've moved house we've had 7 days to report issues with things like front doors, windows, central heating/boiler and electrics. Then the solicitors sort out any issues that may need looked at. After that period it's down to the buyer to deal with. I'm in Scotland so it's maybe different?

Cheeky fuckers. Tell them to bugger off.

Based on some of the responses here the best way to complete the property information form is to state “don’t know” to everything.

When we sold I said the boiler was in working order, because when I switched the heating on, it worked, and we have hot water when we turn on the tap. If I’d known I needed to know the inner workings of a gas boiler to state that, I’d have put “don’t know”.

Not your problem. It is their house now, so their responsibility

when we moved into our house there was a double storey extention which the vendor had built. We were told he was a builder.We paid for a top of the range survey which came up with some minor problems only. We only lived there 18 months as the house didn't suit us and moved on.
The people that bought from us had to move out as the extension hadn't been tied in and had moved away from the house and caused major problems and the house was in danger of collapsing. The surveyors had not picked any of this up.
If we had still been there we would have claimed from the surveyors.

You wished you had stolen family heirlooms?

If I had just moved into a new house and the boiler didn’t work I’d be bloody fuming too!
Surely you would have had to declare the boiler was in working order and have it serviced before completion?

Buyer beware