To confront sellers who pulled out last minute

[Lemonyslice]

We were meant to exchange tomorrow, completing next Friday 6th, but the sellers pulled out last minute. "Changed their minds" apparently. The full story of this purchase is long and pretty wild, the sellers have been chaos from the day we put in our offer.

We need to leave our rented flat at the end of December as our tenancy is ending and our landlord wants to sell in the New Year. So we now have nowhere to live, and have wasted a ton of money on surveys and a solicitor.

Can I go round to theirs and ask for some contribution towards the costs of their "changed minds?"

This^ We've done that in the past. Agreed with the tenants that they facilitate viewings and in exchange we've reduced their monthly rent.

Just might give you a bit extra time to find a new home to purchase.

Given its out of season, perhaps consider the renting a mobile home/holiday caravan for a couple of months to give you breathing space.

Might be substantially cheaper and allow you to recoup some of the outlay you've had.

America as well. There are specific conditions that can be attached to the offer, such as conditional on passing inspection as well as the usual conditional on mortgage & appraisal (this is why some people want cash offers). You can waive the inspection if you want to live dangerously. It took 45 days between offer and closing (completion) on our last house. No chain. You sell before your house is sold? Your job to get a bridge loan. You sell before you find a new house? Go find a short term rental or ask if you can rent it back from the new owners. It can take longer if there are legal issues, or if you're buying a foreclosure from the bank. My current state requires an attorney for all real estate transactions, but my previous one didn't (it was optional depending on the complexity of the transaction).

I will never for the life of me understand the English system despite having done it, and who is profiting from doing it this way. I'm told it's partly the Land Registry.

Nothing you can do about it except lobby your MP to fix the system.

No, of course you can’t confront them or demand compensation for costs.

Nothing is guaranteed until exchange in England, regardless of how aggressive / serious the sellers were, they could always change their minds. You should have a backup plan for someone where to live if you can’t stay in current place after end of December. I’d never end a tenancy until after completion unless I had a backup.

8 weeks isn’t even that long to be in process, lots of people end up having purchases / sales collapse after months of solicitors and paperwork fees cos someone changes their mind / circumstances change.

Chalk it up to experience and be prepared for it to go we wrong next time.

It’s an awful, awful system. Emotionally draining and financially punishing.

but while morally what they have done is shit, they haven’t breached any contract.

These people are strangers, best to move on. They won’t give you any compensation.

No good can come of this.

I wouldnt do this. You won’t change their mind and they don’t need to tell you their personal business.

It happened to me many years ago - found out later it was a divorcing couple and the wife’s parents were able to help her stay in the house at the last minute. Kids then didn’t have to move schools. I only found out through a friend of a friend. Took the sting out of it a little.

As frustrating at it is, I really don’t think you are owed anything more than they changed their mind. Sure it would be nice to know the exact reasons, but you are now owed that. Hopefully your landlord will allow you to extend the tenancy, offer to show prospective buyers around if you can stay until the sale. Hopefully you’ll have something else before too long. Really frustrating when this happens.

No, of course you can't. Unless you want them to take legal action against you, which they potentially could.

Speak to your landlord, ask if they'll let you rent on a month by month basis if you'll let potential buyers view x days a month.It is a faff for sure, but its less of one than finding a new short term rental.

I agree.

Op, I am so sorry, this is awful for you. Unfortunately you can do nothing about it.

In The Netherlands you have to actually transfer the 10%. Also very few reasons why you can pull out and same for the seller. It's not a perfect system but the English/Welsh one is pure unnecessary insanity.

OP the situation you were in before they pulled out sounded incredibly stressful. I feel sick for you at them pulling out.

YANBU, it’s not ok. English home buying is appalling and needs updates and completely revised. Those that think this is ok are just ignorant of the better ways of selling/buying that exist. Scotland has a really good system. Not to say that stuff like this doesn’t exist but it’s much less and there are costs for the person that withdraws and the amount can vary depending on where you are in the process. A week before moving would be full costs as missives would ups have been signed already. I’m so sorry this has happened to you. May karma kick them in the ass.

Of course you can’t. It’s frustrating, but it’s never done until it’s done. They haven’t actually done anything wrong.

Curious to know what happens if the survey reveals problems? Is the price renegotiated?

Sounds awful but unfortunately that's the system.

Is there any faint hope they will change their minds again and would you still proceed if so?
I would be asking the estate agents to ask them just in case their flakiness has caused a wobble that can be reasoned with. Some people are just not resilient and it might all have suddenly seemed too much for them (no excuse but worth asking).
Otherwise absolutely shame them via Facebook!

Unless you have an unusual tenancy agreement, it won't end until you give notice or a court ends it. It automatically becomes rolling, month to month.

It would have been foolish for you to give notice before Exchange, so it shouldn't end in December. Just keep your landlord in the loop on your intentions.

Sorry this happened to you.

Not unreasonable to want to, but unless it’s a polite letter as per a previous suggestion, resist the temptation. Let your estate agent pass on your feedback (and probably EAs will tell each other about this vendor so they’ll struggle to get favourable terms if they try and sell again).

This recently happened to a friend - in the end it went through, after the sellers extracted a further £20,000 from her.

Terrible behaviour.

If your landlord wants to sell can you not buy where you live?

First contact your landlord and explain what happened. Ask to rent on a month by month basis while the place is on the market. They should be glad of income as sales these days take forever! I know two first time cash buyers, both buying with no chain at all, and the sales still took four months for one and seven months for the other. Our system is ridiculous and needs to be overhauled.

We had the same but our buyers pulled out.

It was utterly shit but you can't do anything other than manifest all sorts of nasty shit for them (I still do this, two years on)

That's really awful. Horrible people. Maybe when they do eventually decide they want yo sell thay will be let diwn last minute too.

I hope you find an alternative place to live soon.

To be fair, you don't know why they have done this. They might have just changed their mind, on the other hand it could be one of any number of reasons. They might not want to give the actual reason so are being vague. I agree that the system in England is bonkers but that's the only one we have at present. Buy /selling houses is one of the most stressful life events, probably for this reason. It can go wrong until the last moment.
Sorry it's happened to you.

It makes no difference at all to your situation even if you situation even if you do find out why...you are still without a sale. Save your energy and put that back into selling. No good will come of stewing on this...you'll make yourselves ill 😢

It's shit...but you'll get through it. And take out sellers insurance. Today!

Sorry...buyers insurance.