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Original poster

Can't sleep... Vendors changing things on day of exchange, what would you do??

137 replies

Halfwayoranges · 21/06/2016 04:07

Hi all.

I feel like I'm having a breakdown!! Meant to exchange yesterday with completion this Friday, and the vendors have suddenly said they want to leave their shed until their next purchase goes through, and collect at a later date! Their reason for this is apparently that they are waiting for probate on their next purchase. They agreed to move by end of June as our tenancy runs out then. We don't want to be stick with their shed until God knows when! And how would it be removed? How would we communicate this?

We said no and have heard nothing from the vendors. We need to find a new tenancy within 7 days if they don't exchange.

What do you think we should do? We feel totally drained with it all!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
Halfwayoranges · 21/06/2016 10:41

What did your vendors do?

I can't believe how stressful it all is... When the process started I was sure I would find it so easy! How wrong I was...

OP posts:
Original poster
Halfwayoranges · 21/06/2016 10:42

Posted twice! Waiting on the agents now...

OP posts:
BiddyPop · 21/06/2016 10:44

We had a vendor offering to sell the manky cooker and fridge to us. We said no, and also said it needed to be out of the house on completion as we already had our own (she was moving to Spain and didn't need them).

We arrived on completion, and found the fridge and cooker, both stinking and covered in grease, sitting in kitchen, along with a couple of cupboards of glasses and crockery but huge holes in the bathroom wall where she'd removed (by agreement but my GOD the botch job she made of it!) the fittings (toilet roll holder, toothbrush holder etc...). We couldn't do anything, and it was pouring rain and the boiler wasn't working, house was filthy, we were exhausted, so we just sat in the sitting room and I cried.

The following day, they were chucked into the back garden, and we had to bring them to the dump ourselves a few weeks later (when we had the means to do so).

If you don't accept their generous offer to let you buy it, then make sure it's written into the contract that you want it removed and that if it is not, you will be coming back to them (make sure solicitor is clear about it!).

schbittery · 21/06/2016 10:46

they tried to get us to "buy" aka pay for the curtains, poles, light fittings and shed about a week before exchnage having put all that on the agreed fixtures and fittings list (apart from th ecurtains i think). We said no thanks we dont want them (all hideous). They left them anyway apart from the curtains which saved me taking them to th edump.

MadameCholetsDirtySecret · 21/06/2016 10:46

I would agree to anything. If you let them leave it and 'something' happens to it. Who is responsible? What if you don't agree to its condition being the same as on the date of sale as it is when they pick it up. Listen to your solicitor. You can't accept any responsibility for this shed for them.

MadameCholetsDirtySecret · 21/06/2016 10:46

Wouldn't agree ffs

Original poster
Halfwayoranges · 21/06/2016 10:47

These stories sound horrible!

Why are people so awful!! Even if we exchange I'm going to be dreading going in. Got no faith in the vendors now

OP posts:
NCGone · 21/06/2016 10:48

If you want the shed great, if not don't pay for storage. Sounds like with the offer to sell you were going to be stuck with it anyway. After they had kept their freezer running for 6 weeks and all their stuff stored with you for free.
Do you want the shed if they are selling it to you?

schbittery · 21/06/2016 10:49

i dont think they actualy want the shed, theyre trying it on to get you to pay extra for the shed. Just say no you dont want it. They can take or leav eit as they see fit but you're not paying extra for it.

All this stuff is quite normal (though annoying) - nothing compared to the years you'll enjoy living there hopefully, don't stress - let the agent and solicitors deal with it - that's what they are being paid for!

Thingvellir · 21/06/2016 10:51

OP, I strongly suggest you should be talking to your solicitor about this and what your options are, don't leave it to the agent. At this stage all the agent wants is completion, they don't necessarily have all your best interests at heart. Only your solicitor does at this point

When I got the retention letter drawn up, my agent was trying to persuade me not to do it! I was very nearly in the same situation as Biddy

schbittery · 21/06/2016 10:51

and would they really risk losing a good sale for the shake of a 100 quid shed?! i dont think so - call their bluff.

schbittery · 21/06/2016 10:52

sake!

Original poster
Halfwayoranges · 21/06/2016 10:54

Thanks everyone.

They asked if I wanted to buy it months ago but wanted 2.5 grand for it!!! I didn't have the money and said so.

Now offered 150 to help them get it removed and the agent has said would I pay 150 to keep it?!!

I just want it gone to be honest. Once again another day is going by and I'm hearing nothing back

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schbittery · 21/06/2016 10:57

your vendors are starting to annoy me now! tell the agent to subtract £150 from their commission to have it dismantled and removed!

seriously, get onto your solicitors and dont offer any money. Thell them to tell their solicitors an dtheir agent you dont want the shed and aren't paying anything for it. They will probably just leave it which i prsonally think is ok - you can then use it and then dismantle it and dispose of it yourself if you need to when you start your garden work - it is noraml to have some costs when doing up a house/garden.

MyMurphy · 21/06/2016 10:59

Im sure somebody on ebay would snap it up!

schbittery · 21/06/2016 11:03

we did this too by the way - same stupid vendor discoverd a few days before exchnage that a small strip of land at the bottom of the garden wasnt included on the deeds (from when her ex husband built the house) and expected us to pay the £300 it would take to get the tiny strip included so the sale could proceed. We said no and she said no. Agent paid it to get the sale to proceed.

Oh and then on day of exchange in September she said she had realsied that she had early redemption clauses on her mortgage so wanted to delay until the next April. Again, we said no.

People are stupid, ignorant and rude. 4 years down the line it really doesnt matter, stressful as those few weeks were.

schbittery · 21/06/2016 11:04

yes they would - and come and dismantle it and take it away - builders do this all the time.

whois · 21/06/2016 11:08

Oh and then on day of exchange in September she said she had realsied that she had early redemption clauses on her mortgage so wanted to delay until the next April. Again, we said no.

That's redic! Some people eh?

BeYourselfUnlessUCanBeAUnicorn · 21/06/2016 11:12

You are really over reacting to something that isn't a huge deal. You don't want the shed, tell them this, end of. Don't pay for them to store it fgs. It's their problem not yours. Clearly they don't really want it else they wouldn't be offering to sell it to you. They just can't be bothered with the faff. They aren't going to pull out of a sale because you wouldn't buy a shed from them.

We had a large metal shed left at our old house. I sold it for £50 within days of moving in, man turned up, dismantled and took it away. It really wasn't a big deal.

Tell them you don't want it. If they leave it behind, it's yours for free and advertise it, buyer dismantles. Someone would take that.

WhatchaMaCalllit · 21/06/2016 11:14

Stop dealing with the agent and start getting your solicitor to deal with them.

Original poster
Halfwayoranges · 21/06/2016 11:16

The problem is they are saying they want to collect it after completion.

So we are in a position where we exchange and have to accept someone else's property in out garden, or we say no and wait God knows how long to complete (after making it explicitly clear from the start that we needed to complete in June)

OP posts:
schbittery · 21/06/2016 11:18

JUST SAY NO!!

Original poster
Halfwayoranges · 21/06/2016 11:19

I did and they said they would need to delay completion...

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origamiwarrior · 21/06/2016 11:21

Go to your solicitor and say "We don't want the shed. The offer of £150 stands only if they remove the shed before we own the property. If they leave the shed, no money exchanges hands (since it will cost us £150 to have it skipped)"

schbittery · 21/06/2016 11:21

Say no again - you'll only exchange if completeion is within 2 weeks.

Seriously - this is what you're paying your solicitor for.