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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:

pollymere · 01/05/2018 18:57

I bought a house that WAS extremely dirty when we moved in, including rust in the bath, and the washing machine no longer worked. It's one of those things and nothing to do with the sale of the house. The valuation survey even mentioned how dirty it was! I'm surprised their solicitor has let it get this far. I suspect writing and explaining that these faults (whether they've imagined them or not) were reflected in the price, so therefore you will not be giving anymore time to the matter.

Twodogsandahooch · 01/05/2018 18:59

They are trying it on. My buyer threatened to take me to the small claims court as apparently the boiler wasn’t working. My tenants had only moved out 6 weeks before the sale and no issues reported. My solicitor told them I would not be entering into any further correspondence on the matter. ( They had the last laugh though - they renovated and sold the flat for 90k more 10 months later grrrr).

Middleoftheroad · 01/05/2018 19:02

When we moved in last year
DH went to have a shower and all the water came down into kitchen and they woukd have known the pipe was disconnected
Back garden full of tyres!! (Hard to get rid of by us believe it or not)
The alarm broken
Boiler tempremental
Other shower leaking

The sellers had made our lives hell but we accepted the shit sandwich we got and overcame it.

londonrach · 01/05/2018 19:06

Laughing....laughing......our boiler failed the day we moved in. I was pregnant. Seller tried to mend it and left us no heating in feburary. It was freezing. Op..your sellers been laughed out of court if it went that far. We had to find 2k quickly for new boiler hence why 2 years later we still struggling financially. Be worth it in the end...to escape the rent trap. Worry mot op.

londonrach · 01/05/2018 19:08

Our house was very clean though but freezing!!!

Maelstrop · 01/05/2018 19:10

They are clearly trying it on, OP. Ignore, definitely don’t run up any solicitor charges sending letters back and forth.

Ginburee · 01/05/2018 19:12

They are chancing it, ignore and please don't worry about it.
When we moved house last we had no end of issues and just had to suck it up (and pay a small fortune to sort). Luckily for us one of the major issues had bit been spotted by the surveyer and they paid for it to be fixed (it was big and structural).
Next time we buy I am going to pay for a plumber, builder and electrician to check the property out first as we spent so much money fixing things.
Please don't worry OP, people try it on. Xx

WaxOnFeckOff · 01/05/2018 19:16

We've been on the other end of this OP, we moved into our house and it was truly filthy and although reasonably new, they hadn't done all the snagging as we'd requested and took all the curtain poles and replaced them with cheap ones leaving the walls in a mess. We specifically told them not to do that and were happy to give a bit extra for the poles/light fittings and blinds. they also left stuff behind that we had to clear out.

Our solicitors view was that we'd be on a hiding to nothing as everyone's view of cleanliness is different and it really wasn't worth pursuing the rest. Soo, looking from the opposite end that you are in. I'd robustly push back and i'm sure it wont go any further especially as you have photos.

Jaxhog · 01/05/2018 19:16

There's a reason people quote 'caveat emptor' - buyer beware. It's up to the buyer to check for defects before they exchange contracts. Unless you've blatantly lied about something big e.g. you don't own the house or they can prove that you knew the house was falling down (literally) they can't do anything now.

Some people are total CFs when it comes to house sales. We bought a house many years ago from a couple who imported lights. The house was lovely, especially the light fittings. We naively assumed they would leave them. They didn't. They removed every single fitting and left bare wires everywhere. They also removed the tiles from around the cloakroom basin and the dustbin!

WeirdyMcBeardy · 01/05/2018 19:27

Blimey, every job we've done on our house has cost extra because the previous owners had everything done on the cheap and it's all been bodged, would never have occured to me to seek compensation. Our house, our problem now! Cheeky fuckers! (Wish I could have seen the photos).

Adnerb95 · 01/05/2018 19:28

It's horrible when people aren't honourable. As so many others have said, they do not have a cat's chance in hell of getting a result from pursuing this.

However, it leaves a nasty taste, doesn't it?

So - and try and see the funny side. It's their issue not yours so don't let them spoil your arrival in your new home!

Pepperypig · 01/05/2018 19:32

Don''t know about England but in Scotland you only have 5 working days following settlement to make any claim. I would tell them to stuff it - they have no grounds and are never going to take you to court on the basis of what you have told us.

Bunnyfuller · 01/05/2018 19:35

We bought a 400 yr old cottage in Nov, had a full structural survey done. Since then found dodgy electrics (turn on the little waterfall for the pond, house power fuses!) downstairs loo looking like clay pipe collapsed somewhere under house and painted shut windows are painted shut to hide the rotting bits from mad condensation.

We have no comeback.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 01/05/2018 19:53

Ok but they can pay their solicitor to write as many letters as please their hearts

This ^

It's their fault - they should have inspected the property thoroughly and negotiated with you prior to completion. They chose not to.

Tell them to stuff it. You hid nothing from them - they just chose not to address the problems before buying. I imagine your house was advertised as being "realistically priced", but even if not, the onus is on them.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 01/05/2018 19:57

BTW - as far as I am aware, no-one is under any obligation to clean a property when they move out.

I did when we moved, just because, Like you, I couldn't bear the thought of anyone (even a total stranger I would never meet again) thinking I was a mucky mare!/

LuluJakey1 · 01/05/2018 20:11

When we moved i to our last house we arrived to it having been stripped of very nice light fittings, all the bathroom matching fittings- towel rail, loo roll holder, mirror etc with holes left in the wall, the fridge freezer had gone - all on the list you get when you are buying, as remaining. We had left a spotless house with a bottle of win and a card for our buyers and everything as we had agreed and arrived to this. But still, not the end of the world we thought.
The next morning the woman of the couple we had bought from appeared at the front door with all the stuff- mortified and really angry with her husband who 'couldn't bear to leave them and wishes we hadn't moved'. She had the fridge freezer in the van and DH and her brother had to unload it all. She handed us a bottle of champagne to apologise.
Our neighbours bumped into them occasionally and the bloke ws still going on about how he regretted selling 3 years later. 😀

Slightlyperturbedowlagain · 01/05/2018 20:14

One memorable house I moved into had some dodgy DIY which meant it tripped the fuse whenever the dishwasher and immersion heater were on at the same time. There was a gas pipe that had been folded over when the appliance was removed instead of properly stoppered/turned off and one of the little taps from the washing machine fittings turned out to leak badly when they removed their washing machine, resulting in a flooded kitchen. (Separate issue from the electrics which I only discovered a few weeks later). Bought as seen....

SchadenfreudePersonified · 01/05/2018 20:16

Can't believe their solicitor didn't refuse to send letter cos they are wasting his time too

No they aren't - they are paying for that.

cherish123 · 01/05/2018 20:52

They are being cheeky. Sometimes when you buy a house a boiler breaks -you can't ask the previous owner to pay for it 🤔🙄. As for saying it was dirty, which it obviously wasn't, that's rude but also subjective. Even if it was, they are not entitled to compensation.

cherish123 · 01/05/2018 20:54

Oven not boiler

NeedAGoodBook · 01/05/2018 20:57

When I moved in to my house, the boiler instantly broke. Is that a thing that often happens.

I agree with schadenfreude, if you pay a solicitor to type up and send a letter they'll do it. They don't care if you're an arse. An arse's money is good.

wowfudge · 01/05/2018 20:59

You are contractually obliged to leave the place clean. It's in the property forms and as a seller you agree to it.

browneyes77 · 01/05/2018 21:00

They sound deranged!

They are clearly trying it on and as many have said, the house is sold as seen and if they didn’t compete a survey or further viewings they can’t then complain about random shit they’ve just made up after.

Are they first time buyers or have they sold their house to buy yours? If they’ve sold a house it makes me wonder what the poor buggars who’ve bought it have also had to put up with from them! Also god knows what mess they’ve left behind in their old property if they had such a laxy daisy attitude towards things they needed to complete during this process with you!

greendale17 · 01/05/2018 21:04

Their claims would be laughed out of court. Do nothing

user1487194234 · 01/05/2018 21:08

I don't know about English Law but I'm Scotland you are obliged to leave the house clean
And if the boiler and other systems and appliances are not in working order there is a valid claim

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