Vendor being awkward about us getting electrics etc tested

[brokenshoes]

Our Homebuyer Report recommended that we get the gas and electrics tested on the house we're buying. I know that this is probably a standard line, but DH and I are risk adverse and we'd rather pay for a specialist to check everything is OK before we exchange contracts on the property.

However, our vendor is being very obstructive. We managed to get the gas check done (which is good as that is what we were most concerned about), but she never got back to the electrician despite him leaving several messages. Eventually he managed to talk to her and arranged a date to check the electrical circuit (which would take half a day).

However, she wasn't at home when he turned up, so he was left hanging around. When she eventually got home about 20 minutes later she said that he could only have about 30 minutes to check the electrics.

The electrician phoned me and said that he could do a visual check in that time, but it wouldn't be a full check. Unfortunately as he'd given up other work he'd have to charge us the full amount (which I completely understand).

Anyone else been in the position where the vendor has been rather awkward when it comes to having the pre-purchase checks done? Not sure what we can do now really, other than hope everything is OK and have the full electric test done when we move in.

Yes - we had a vendor who was difficult about us getting electric checks done & we just said that we'd pull out of the sale if she didn't let it happen. Electric check got done!

Have always insisted on electrical check pre purchase with each of the 6 houses we've bought (over the last 25 years - don't won 6 houses )

The problem is that our vendor isn't buying another property at the moment and we've had vague inklings that she might not really want to sell (she has pulled out of a sale before). We're to exchange of contracts so don't want to give any excuses for her to say "ok then, pull out of the sale". We really want the house, so guess we'll have to suck it up.

Ok you need to word a strong letter to the agents explaining what has happened, backed up by an equally strong phone call. It's in the agents financial interest for the house to sell. If the vendor can't be in maybe one of the agents reps can. No sale is no fee to the agents so it really is in their interest to facilitate the sale. Make them work for their money, its their job!

Either the vendor is an awkward codger who can't see the point of all that safety regulation nonsense, or they have something to hide. Allow for a couple of thou more on rectification either way.

If they don't want to sell, a hour of electricianing won't change their mind. If they do want to sell, the same.

Unfortunately for us, this is a private purchase, so there isn't an estate agent to act as middleman. Otherwise we wouldn't hesitate to tell the ea exactly what has gone on.

I don't really understand why the vendor is being such a pain about this; immediately after having our survey done we told her that we wanted the gas and electrics checked and she was all "oh yes, that's fine, no problem" etc.

Anyway, the electrician has sent the report from the visual check - he says there is nothing major to worry about, but there are some minor rectifications to be made.

Are you going to get the electrician back to do the full test brokenshoes? Just wondering as we've had a visual inspection done on a house we are buying, but not a full test. I'm just wondering whether its worth it or not.

Yes we had this. The vendor was selling her mother's house as a deceased estate and was just horribly obstructive.

The electrics were eventually tested and found to be dangerous. We were willing to get it rewired before completion (our own financial risk) but she refused and so we had to move in with our two small children.

Some people are just a total pain in the arse, you might have to suck it up or risk the sale. Our vendor made it clear she would take the house off the market if we didn't tow the line. We wanted the house.

Hello, I've only just seen the other messages.

Not sure about whether to get the electrician back to do the full test. We're going to discuss the visual test report with DH's dad (who knows a bit about electrics) and perhaps he can advise us once we've moved in.

Prices have risen a fair bit since we first offered on the house, so even if we did need to do work we wouldn't be out of pocket as such.