To ignore house buyer complaints a month after completion

[Sandals12]

My buyer has complained through our conveyancing solicitors about a crack in oil tank. Surely they are BU and completely deluded. They've sent a picture and quotes for new oil tank, removal of oil and old one etc amounting to £2500.

My solicitor has responded more or less saying about 'buyer beware', a decent survey would've shown this etc.

Btw The crack was definitely not there when we sold..its v noticeable!

The crack was definitely not there when we sold..its v noticeable!

In that case "they should have got a survey" would have made no difference - after all they can't spot what isn't there, and anyway your solicitor's done what they can so I'd just ignore now

It's just likely that solicitor will request that boiler is serviced as someone else mentioned.

Are there any pictures of that side prior to selling?

It's only your problem if you gave them misleading information at any stage. If you didn't, it's down to them now.

Golly, some people! I wonder how the tank got cracked. Removal lorry reversed into it?
After one house move a few years ago, our first visitors were whoever is now Cadent to turn the gas off! The boiler was leaking. I hadn't smelled it when we looked round the house - it was a teeny tiny leak, so presumably the smell had dissipated when the doors were open for visitors etc (open house, loads of people there). I think we tentatively asked our solicitor if there was anything doing, out of curiosity, but he said nah. And we agreed - we'd noted that the boiler was very elderly, and had budgeted for replacement soon-ish. It was obviously caveat emptor territory!

When we left a previous house we were accused of climbing three storeys up and pulling off the guttering.

Further back than that we were asked to return a door (faux bookcase made for my wedding by my mother) it had been specifically excluded in the brochure and the solicitors paperwork. The buggers moved in as the EA gave them the keys even though they hadn't completed. We did call the police.

Ha the boiler when we moved in didn’t work and we had not been told. We filed it under shit happens and got a new boiler.

It depends how you answer the questions.

For example, on the Property Information Form question 23.3 relates to Japanese knotweed and the answers are "Yes" ,"No" or "Not known".

If you say "No" there is not any knotweed present on the property and it turns out that there is then the buyers can come after you afterwards.

The Guidance Notes say that those who respond “No” must be certain there is no knotweed present, including rhizome hidden beneath the ground or within three metres of the property.

There was a case in London where this happened. The seller said "No" but it turned out that there was. The buyer didn't get a survey at the time but went to court and the seller had to pay £32k in damages plus costs of £95k and his own legal bill.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/japanese-knotweed-selling-property-raynes-park-garden-b1055581.html

So, unless you are absolutely certain, then the best response to this question may be "Not known"

I am not a lawyer but it's "sold as seen" as far as I'm aware unless you failed to disclose things that you are legally required to disclose, such as neighbour disputes etc.

Treat their missives with the contempt they deserve. They are trying it on.

Buyers can go after sellers if sellers have lied/wilfully misled and this can be proven...

For example, stating things will be left, then taking them - leaving things that shouldn't have been left.

But not for things the buyer should have noticed or spotted on a survey etc.

Su casa no mi casa

I had this. My buyer bought my old, needing work flat. It was priced to reflect the work needed and I was honest when asked, didn’t hide anything etc. it was advertised as needing work. I was honest in the questions solicitor asked.

They were cash buyers, but didn’t get any survey as they said they trusted I had looked after the place for 15 years. Superficially it was decorated and looked after. But roof needed work, boiler old and damp issues. I was honest and they knew this. They wanted to rent it out.

turns out they didn’t pay attention to anything that was written down or I said. 4 weeks after completion they asked for a refund as it would cost too much to do the repairs needed to meet rental standards. . My solicitor was great and told them no buyers remorse, no survey so sold as seen

drove past recently and new roof needed,plus other things. They haven’t rented it out after a year!

Wow who are all these loons that purchase property without getting a survey? It’s insanity.

it's THEIR oil tank. so how is it your problem to fix.

For anyone with an oil tank, if you have a split or a hole, use wet soap on it whilst you are waiting for your new tank. It blocks the hole temporarily.

My husband had just died and I went out to check the level with our 'stick' and saw the hole, I was absolutely gutted. I hadn't used the aga or heating for months because I was having to wait such a long time for probate, and all that time it had been leaking into the ground :( I had a disused railway station and think a train had shot a stone into it, it wasn't covered and protected from the line.

The nearest company that could help charged me £200 travel time to transfer to a temporary tank, then a whopping £4K to install a double bunded 1000 L - which needed more supports underneath. They didn't secure it so I had to buy the straps you see on lorries and secure it to the ground. Horrible memory!

I don't think you do need your boiler servicing before selling. We do ours because it's relatively new and the 10 year warranty requires it (and it's sensible to anyway) but I certainly wouldn't do it for the benefit of the buyers!

I've lived in my current house for 20 years. When did all this stuff start about having to do things for the buyers' benefit? If they want the house and they want it done, they do it!

Ha ha ha h…..we had the buyer from Lala land once😵‍💫

We received a solicitor’s letter demanding that we reinstate the fireplace surround ( it was there in the picture he sent, it was stone and must have weighed a ton, impossible to remove), that we replace doors in the arch between the dining and sitting room ( about twelve foot across as could be seen in the EA photos showing without doors ) and best of all, that we had had a bonfire at the bottom of the acre and half garden some weeks before we left ….

Just ignore any communications, don’t feed the 😵‍💫

I don’t think it’s due to be in court until around Christmas time, but the OP said she would update then. I’ve ‘watched’ the thread as I’m also curious!

generally if stuff that was agreed as part of the contract and hasn't been fulfilled.

Our seller was meant to complete the bathroom (master en-suite) remodel before we moved it.. we moved in and they'd just left everything piled in the middle of the room, tiling half done, no toilet, sink or shower, and claimed their contractor had let them down.

Our solicitor docked them £2000 off the asking price.

Instruct your solicitor to ignore further letters from them as otherwise they will be charging you for responding and matters could drag on.

We sold a house that had been empty for a few years and we hadn't had the boiler serviced in that time. We were asked to get it serviced before the sale went through and provide evidence that we had done so.

We recently sold a house and no-one seemed interested in the boiler service record. We had had it done and left the previous three years' service records for the buyers but it hadn't been asked for.

Ha ha ha.

If I had done that I'd still be pursuing the previous owners of my house for the price of rewiring their dodgy and highly illegal power points (off a shower circuit).

For the illegally installed gas fire.

For the repointing they had done with bathroom sealant. For the DIY back to front hot/cold water supply to the bath.

Ignore your purchasers. They are being ridiculous. It is very much a case of buyer beware.