Renegoatiating the price - what's reasonable?

[MyAngels]

Hi

We are in the process of selling our house (for 269k - was marketed at 280k) and buyers have come back after the survey asking for £5k off as the survey said that the exterior paintwork would need doing to avoid rotting, but was not urgent, and that no evidence of boiler or gas fire servicing was seen, so their operation couldn't be verified.
The buyers now want £5k to cover a new boiler, new gas fire and full exterior decoration including scaffolding.
The exterior paintwork is far from rotting its fine (yes a lick of paint would make it look better, but its not embarrassingly bad in my view), and the boiler and fire work just fine (although the fire hasn't been serviced - we rarely used it. The boiler is serviced annually).

Are these reasonable requests in anyone's experience? Our feeling is to say No way Jose...although am happy to service the fire.

Ta

Provide an up to date boiler and fire certificate and say No. If it doesn't need a new boiler then they don't need that reduction.

They're chancing their arm as even if you did need a new boiler it'd be very unusual for you to knock off the full price of replacing it as its only them whose going to benefit.

Say no and then expect a stunt at exchange time. I've just exchanged and on the exchange day their lawyer rang and said they were out of the country but we needed to buy them an indemnity policy and they wouldn't exchange if we didn't. We said no and hey we exchanged anyway.

Chancers!

I always thought that renegotiating after survey was for things that the survey revealed. The state of the exterior paintwork ought to have been pretty obvious when they viewed.

I quite agree, service the fire and say no.

Agree with Tunip - the survey didn't reveal anything that wasn't evident when they first offered. Provide boiler certificate and say no to the 5K. In my experience, (and I was and estate agent for a while), if they want the house 5K is neither here nor there and they'll go with the initial offer. If they don't really want it they'll find lots of thiings to haggle over.

Surveys don't cover the operation of the heating and hotwater system or whether the electrics actually work - it's just not within the remit or scope of the survey.

So, it doesn't imply that the boiler or fire don't work - as with all surveys - it means that the appliances haven't been tested.

To show goodwill, you could, as others have said, offer a service/safety certificate.

You could get a service with a receipt, burner and flue test results and a gas certificate like the ones that landlords have to get for a tenanted house.

The paintwork should have been evident on viewing and at best the surveyor is just covering their back. Of course the house will need painting to stop rot in the woodwork. All houses do. You could just say that and point to the fact that the surveyor said it was not urgent and therefore part of the general maintaining that any householder would do in due course.

Some people really try and take the mickey..... If your boiler is serviced annually you should have an invoice/receipt for it, otherwise perhaps you could ask whoever did it to write one restrospectivly. Otherwise, tell them to get lost (nicely of course!). I'm amazed at what house buying does to some people's characters sometimes!

Start saying no right now or they'll be taking the piss until completion.

Get your boiler serviced and don't give in to the 5K. If anything, the 11K that they "saved" on the asking price should cover the painting costs?
Did you have other interest on your house? If they really want the house they will get quite nervous if they feel you might put it back on the market...