Do I inform the buyers?

[Buglife]

Annoyingly just after we’ve sold our house local water company just dug up outside our house to find a leak and have decided that the leak is on our land and we need to sort it. Our drain has our two neighbours drains leading into it so it could be a leak from them also. All very well and we are seeing the two neighbours on Sat and we are all going to arrange to investigate and get fixed within 30 days (as water company request). We are obviously going to sort it and pay for it if is our leak. Sale is at the getting mortgage offers finalised and survey point so if all goes well this work will be done and sorted by the time we exchange, but in case it isn’t should we be informing the buyers now (say we are paying and sorting it and the leak isn’t apparent in the house etc) or should we only inform them if the issue turns out to go on longer? If we do inform them do we just get our solicitor to tell theirs/write them a letter?

I worry that while it’s a minor issue really (must be a tiny leak as water bills aren’t weird) they’ll freak out. We’d be happy to pay for sorting it completely and the only issue might be a plumber needing access to the drain in the back garden should it go on after they move in. They want to complete in June as do we (baby due early July!)

If the drove or walked past, would it be obvious something was going on? If yes, tell the EA. If not, just get it fixed.

I don’t know, probably not. We won’t know where this leak is until they’ve looked into it. Water company aren’t very helpful they just said there was water running continuesly so someone has a leak somewhere.

Just before we exchanged on a property we found out about a water leak that the water company were investigating (astrinomical meter readings!). Both us and the vendors agreed to keep £5k of purchase price till leak was fixed and fault was placed. Turned out it was water companies place to fix as was from a leak on the main road. Purchase all went through, water leak fixed and the £5k held by us till problem fixed was paid to vendor 2 weeks after exchange.