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Original poster

The couple who bought our house are lying and asking for compensation?

200 replies

KitKat1985 · 30/04/2018 09:44

Hello.

Moved house a couple of weeks ago. Our buyers had been quite hard work all along (being very slow to do everything, holding the whole chain up, and just being a bit 'odd' generally), and we were pleased to have the whole thing over with. They were also quite 'odd' in the fact that they did an initial viewing with me back in August (agent not available) and were only in the house about 10 mins and had a quick look around only. I thought this was fairly standard for an initial viewing and assumed they would come back at some point to do a more detailed viewing when the agent was available, get a survey done etc. However they never in the entire conveyancing process (which was over 6 months) asked to come back for a second viewing or asked for a survey to be completed (bar their mortgage company which did a valuation survey, which came back with no issues). The property was priced to reflect the fact that some bits in the house needed replacing (a couple of tears in the lounge carpet, some cosmetic water damage to the shower, some paintwork a bit flaky etc, and the fitted oven was 10 years old and had seen better days, etc). We then got a letter through last week, forwarded on from their solicitor, to say the property was dirty when they moved in (it wasn't, and I have photos that prove it) and they want compensation for the fact that they've had to replace the oven and that the house needs some work doing to it. ALL the issues that they have mentioned were there when they viewed the house in August (although they looked around so briefly they probably didn't even notice) and was reflected in the asking price.

I've replied to my solicitor strongly disputing the fact that the house was left dirty (with photos I took of the vacated property), and explaining that all the work that needed doing to the house was there when they viewed the house, and was reflected in the asking price, and I'm therefore not prepared to offer any compensation.

They can't pursue this surely? Where do we stand on this?

OP posts:
Cacofonix · 30/04/2018 09:46

Surely they are just taking the piss. It is sold as seen right? What did your solicitor say?

Afterthestorm · 30/04/2018 09:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

UmSrsly · 30/04/2018 09:50

I'm not a lawyer so can only speak from my own experience...but when we bought our house the boiler turned out to be broken beyond repair. I rang our solicitor who told me there was no point even trying to pursue any sort of claim from our vendors. It comes down to "caveat emptor", ie buyer beware (translation: too bad!). So it sounds to me as though they are trying it on and don't have a leg to stand on.

BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 30/04/2018 09:50

Send them details of a local bike hire place and tell them to get on and pedal...

fuzzyfozzy · 30/04/2018 09:50

My mum got solicitors letters after she moved out
To say there was asbestos under the concrete floor and that she'd put it there!!
They didn't have a survey done and even if they did it wouldn't have involved digging up a floor.
Bat crap crazy
She paid for one solicitors letter saying basically buyer beware
They sent quite a few more that she ignored

UnimaginativeUsername · 30/04/2018 09:51

Houses are sold as seen. It’s up to the buyer to check these things, and to have surveys done. They’re just fools or chancers or both.

lottiegarbanzo · 30/04/2018 09:51

Ignore. They're idiots.

You're quite right that they had a chance to look more closely and they should have had a survey done, for their own peace of mind, especially as the inexperienced house-buyers they clearly are.

So long as you didn't lie on the conveyancing forms, you're fine.

It is notable that the letter was from them, only forwarded via the solicitor. It was not from their solicitor. There was really no need to respond. Any response is only from you to them. It is certainly not something to take up your solicitor's time with - especially if that might add to your bill.

Original poster
KitKat1985 · 30/04/2018 09:52

My solicitor didn't say very much in the letter he sent me. He literally just enclosed the letter from their solicitor with a covering letter along the lines of 'please find enclosed forwarded letter from couple x's solicitor, I would be grateful if you could read it and give me your comments'. After I explained basically what I had written above he just replied with a 'thank you for your replying, I'll forward your reply over to couple x's solicitor'.

My understanding was that the onus was on the buyer to check the condition of the property before purchasing (the house we have bought we viewed 3 times before buying and had a home-buying survey done on for example).

OP posts:
lottiegarbanzo · 30/04/2018 09:54

You're right. Do nothing further.

Original poster
KitKat1985 · 30/04/2018 09:54

Sorry I should clarify. The letter was from their solicitor to my solicitor, reporting on issues that had been told to them by the buyers.

OP posts:
ShinyShooney · 30/04/2018 09:55

Don't even bother responding. It's not worth paying a solicitor to write the letter.

zzzzz · 30/04/2018 09:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lottiegarbanzo · 30/04/2018 09:57

Ok but they can pay their solicitor to write as many letters as please their hearts. You can still ignore them. You've responded, it's dealt with. Don't expend any more mental energy on such fools.

UnimaginativeUsername · 30/04/2018 09:57

There is no need to worry. They’ll not get anywhere and will just have to learn that hard way that buying a house is not like buying clothes in a shop with a 28 day returns policy. In the future they’ll (presumably) be more sensible when buying houses.

ItsNachoCheese · 30/04/2018 09:58

They are cheeky trying to pull a fast one

BlackBat · 30/04/2018 10:03

I think the only thing they can claim on is if the property they bought is not as it was when they viewed it and put in an offer. I agree with others that they sound like they are trying it on and I would ignore.

SoyDora · 30/04/2018 10:07

We bought a house in September. Since moving in we’ve found that there’s a leak in the roof, the en suite shower doesn’t work, the cold water tank is leaking, the guttering needs replacing and various other issues.
Wouldn’t occur to me to ask for compensation, it was sold as seen.

TheVanguardSix · 30/04/2018 10:08

They chose not to have a survey done.
Too late now.
I would not engage at all after this. They really don't have a leg to stand on.
They can wallow in their buyers' remorse. They've only brought it upon themselves.

GU24Mum · 30/04/2018 10:11

You have to sell the property in the same condition as it was at exchange so (with some exceptions for if you were asked to update replies and didn't) the only time buyers really have a leg to stand on is if there is material damage between exchange and completion - boiler breaks down/leak develops etc.

PalePinkSwan · 30/04/2018 10:12

The house is sold in the condition it’s in at exchange, which is why buyers should always do another viewing just before exchange.

Ignore them, and tell your lawyer not to incur any further costs responding to their letters.

Original poster
KitKat1985 · 30/04/2018 10:12

Okay thank you for all of your replies. I know it sounds stupid but their letter has really upset / worried me. The letter they got their solicitor to write says the house was 'extremely dirty throughout' which is just ridiculous (our packers / removals men who were there when I was cleaning the house pre-move were actually joking with me that they hoped the house I was buying had made as much effort to clean it before we moved in as we had done for our buyers). The place was hovered, bathrooms / kitchens all bleached clean, cupboards cleaned out etc etc. I am so, so pleased I took photos of the house before we left which prove it was left clean and that they are lying. But frankly I'm embarrassed that my solicitor would have got a letter saying it was left 'extremely dirty' as that just sounds awful and reflects terribly on us.

As for the DIY work, it was honestly as though they expected the house to be like a new build when they moved in. Hmm The house we have moved into has got some niggly issues that we need to sort too, but we just accepted that as part of the buying process, and we were aware of most of the issues anyway having viewed it 3 times and having had a survey done on it.

OP posts:
Olympiathequeen · 30/04/2018 10:15

Tell your so,icitor you will correspond with their solicitor and avoid further fees.

Tell them to take a running jump.

FizzyGreenWater · 30/04/2018 10:17

You could always send copies of the photos with a suitably outraged letter - 'as you can see from the enclosed photographs, your assertions that the property was left 'extremely dirty' are nothing but a pack of lies. I am horrified at your attempt to extort money from us in this way, and am sure you can see why, from looking at these photographs, I will treat this and every other statement in your letter with the contempt it deserves. I am embarrassed for you. Please do not contact me again, any further letters will be ognored, repeated future communications will be treated as harrassment. You should be ashamed of yourselves.'

eurochick · 30/04/2018 10:18

They don't have a leg to stand on.

Bettiedraper · 30/04/2018 10:18

I would like to see the photos of your clean house...