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

[KitKat1985]

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?

There’s a website where you can anonymously send genuine animal poop to people through the post....perhaps you could compensate them with a massive cow turd!

Hilarious, they can jog on. Have they never bought a house?

Haahaahaa! They're hilarious!

I’d be changing my solicitor. I’d expect when she/he received the letter initially he/she would have just phoned them and said sod off
Are your solicitors trying to find extra work

😂😂😂 this is the best thing I’ve heard s day. Their solicitor fleeced them. Even if your oven was broken and house was dirty, so what. This isn’t a rental property, they bought it as is. Including a surveyor. Thank you for making my day!

When I sold my last flat the buyers didn't even come to view it - just made an offer. I was very suspicious about it right up to the last minute. They then tried to claim that certain things in the flat weren't right but when I reminded my solicitor that they hadn't even viewed she told them exactly where to go!

Somebody might have advised them that a letter would rattle you enough to offer them back some money?

Sounds like she dashed around the house, half saw it, then when they moved in they felt cheated!?

I’m a property lawyer, this happens very often. It has occurred twice in the last fortnight alone! You have responded advising you dispute their version of events. The next step would be to take you to small claims court. They will not do this as they will be strongly advised by their solicitor that they do not have a case and it will cost them far more to take you to court then they could possibly ever win. Chalk it up to experience and knowing that some people are out to try their luck.

So the letter wasn't from their solicitor as such, just forwarded from them? Ignore it! They are probably just trying it on. If they persist then get your own solicitor on to it but if they didn't have a survey done and they hardly looked at it themselves I'd say they don't have a leg to stand on! Can you verify some of your facts with EA photos, if you look closely?

Even if the house was filthy I don’t think they have a leg to stand on.

The whole idea of buying a house is that you check it out yourself and negotiate the price downwards if you think stuff needs doing. You then get a survey done and if it flags issues up you can try and negotiate the price again.

I’ve never heard of anyone trying to change the price after they’ve moved in. If you had lied about something that might have been different. But I’m guessing you didn’t tell them the oven was six months old?

Oh Kitkat what a 'mare! I was on the in chain thread going through our own epically shitty conveyancing process, alongside you (have NC since then). I remember your buyers being absolute cockwombles. Really do ignore them, as they are being ridiculously cheeky.

Wish our place had been as clean! It was so crammed with furniture, clothing and leftovers that we couldn't actually move our own stuff in. We had to get a house clearance firm to come in and sort it out. And as for the cleanliness - well that's another story...

Caveat Emptor. They are trying it on.

I believe that it should be a clause in every property contract that the house should be professionally cleaned as a condition of completion. That professional clean should be evidenced with invoices and photographs. It is the absolute living end to finally move into a new home after what is often months of unnecessary hassle and stress to then have to set about cleaning from tip to bottom. When we moved 18 months ago, I spent a whole hour on the kitchen window trying to clear enough grease from the frame to get the bloody thing open .

We moved into a house and major appliances broke within the first week. We asked the estate agent if there was anything we could do just in case but they said pretty much that it was tough luck. We set just chancing it to be fair so were not really surprised.

Buyer beware is a basic legal principle aka buyer should make sure that they make themselves fully aware of what they are purchasing and any problems brought up before purchase. Give them two fingers. They haven’t got a leg to stand on. It would be a different matter if you had gone round with a sledge hammer and significantly altered the property.

We bought a house which had grease stains on the carpet, furniture, stuff in cupboards etc. Never even thought of chasing the previous owner for compensation.

The problem is the move-out/move-in process often. Anyone with any sense cleans as much as possible before moving day so that only the hard to get at places are left, but there are a lot of people who just wing it on moving day. Every time I’ve moved the removers have expressed surprised that everything was boxed ready to go when they got there (as not paying for packing service) they all said that was usually not the case

Seriously like everyone says it's ridiculous it was bought as seen. Can't believe their solicitor didn't refuse to send letter cos they are wasting his time too. Do you have a copy of the original house sales advert cos that would be the ultimate stick it in your pipe and smoke it. Because if there are pictures of property as you describe it then that will show they clearly knew what they were going to get. It will also describe thinga from a sales point of view and as far as I'm aware fitted ovens and appliances aren't a part of the house its a bonus if you get left with one not a right. As for cleanliness are they serious, even if you swept out roughly it would be enough they are paying for a house and would need to sort it out before moving in anyway. You don't move into a house and expect it to be immaculate even if it was a new build there would be evidence of building work etc, dust and stuff. Tell them you have photos of the cleanliness of the property and the rest isn't even worth mentioning and say your actually considering asking for compensation for their slander

I have never, ever moved into a clean house and the day after we moved into this one both toilet handles broke. It's never occurred to me to write a solicitor's letter to bleat.

Tell 'em to swivel hard, OP. The house and all that's in it ceased to be your responsibility two weeks ago.

What the f is wrong with people these days? I hate to generalise but as a landlord I also have similar issues with people expectjng something brand new and pristine and complaining to high heaven if there's a chip on the paintwork.

Then, they leave the house in a state, it's totally one rule for one.

Sounds like your buyers are the proverbial snow flakes who expect a perfect house for their perfect little arses to sit in. Tell the to fuck right off and enjoy your new place

I left the flat I was selling in perfect condition, a list of useful local info like recycling timing and a stack of high quality letterheads. We knew we would have to do a lot to the house we then bought but were still surprised when we discovered it filthy, every light bulb gone, lots of other fittings disappeared , yet two huge ruffled peach Austrian blinds of eye searing hideousness were left in the bathroom, broken bunk beds in one bedroom - and a note left saying please to forward his post to the vendor’s MIL. I thought this might be an occasional mistaken piece getting through, but no, he meant everything. I sent a couple of pieces on but when I realised it was a deluge I contacted her to say I would hold whatever came for her to collect at a suitable time as a one off but that she should tell her son to fork out for a Post Office redirection like everyone else . Her son the Vicar , CF 🙄

Tell them to jog on. They are idiots for not having a full survey carried out and not testing the appliances.

We moved into a previous house where the seller didn't clean a thing, the shower screens were covered in soap scum, kitchen sink covered in lime scale, oven (all appliances were in working order though) hadn't been cleaned since it was installed etc. We gutted the property before we moved in so it wasnt a major issue. It's common courtesy to clean the property when vacating but what they are claiming is just petty and obviously proves their failures.

You should be fine. We had pain in the arse buyers who tried to claim £1000 off us because the fridge accidentally got thrown away during the move when it had been specified that it would be left there (20 year old v manky fridge the movers obviously thought was junk) - they claimed they lost hundreds of pounds worth of food - er.. who does a house move with that much perishable food? Fridge was tiny. This was after getting us to drop the asking price by £10k a couple of weeks before exchanging. We sent them a strongly worded email via solicitors and settled on the price of a second hand fridge. They were such chancers.

They are trying it on. So just say go through my solicitors and sit tight. I don't think they'd have a claim. Unless you told down rights lies on the description or took stuff you said you were leaving. Even if the house was dirty that's not anything they can complain about. They're buying the house not renting it. They just sound 'those type of people' causing trouble where they can. Certainly don't take it personally.