Can anything be done legally about time wasting arsehole buyers?

[catfeets]

We thought we had the buyers from hell until they pulled out and we got even worse ones. We're completely at a loss for what we can do now they've pulled out after 5mths waiting for them to complete.

They've cost us thousands, plus they demanded we empty the property months ago so we've been paying storage costs too. We've found them trespassing on the property, found tradesmen up on the roof, they've pretty much forced access to the property too and refused to leave as they 'have the right to do anything they want to their property' . They're absolute arseholes and waited until the day of completion to drop their offer by £7k. We accepted and set a new date - they then sent word on that date they wanted another £15k off as the house is completely uninhabitable (there's nothing wrong with it and the builders confirmed that to them). We told them to fuck off, put it back on the market and within a day had 25 viewings lined up.
They saw it was relisted, panicked and reverted to their previous offer which we accepted provided they complete within 3 days. They accepted and started transferring money to their solicitor ready for tomorrow - now we've had word from their solicitor they've pulled out.
We're now stuck with legal fees and a house we cannot afford to run. We should have known they were cunts when they asked to be left to view the property alone and we found them dragging furniture across the expensive flooring and ripping up carpets to look underneath.
The amount of CF behaviour we've put up with is far too long to list here but I'm guessing they just get away with what they've done?
Does anyone know any way we can get back any of the legal costs etc?
Or has anyone any ways to take revenge on them (only half joking).

Obviously all the viewings for this week were cancelled and as my DP is working long shifts and I've slipped a disc, we can't do work to the property (it's not fit for viewings now it's been left for 5mths as the garden is a jungle and it looked lovely on the marketing photos). We're going to end up stuck in a chain selling it this time around which we can't afford to do. The knobheads were in rental and didn't need a mortgage so seemed ideal at first.

Sorry about the long post, just needed to vent about them. They really have ruined so much for us as we will now lose the property we wanted to buy.

Surely if you have exchanged you get to keep their deposit?

Did you ever even exchange contracts? If you did and then they failed to complete then your solicitor may be able to take action to recover your additional costs.

If you never even exchanged contracts then you were a bit premature in moving furniture to suit them as the sale was not assured

It was set for exchange and completion on the same day as far as I know.

They refused to speak with either the solicitor or estate agent as apparently asking them to complete a sale is harrsssment .

@Lunde the furniture has to come out anyway as my DP moved into my property but could have stayed months longer in the house without being stuck in storage at great expense.

The house was supposed to complete before lockdown but they were 'too scared' to move into an empty property. We then found out they trespassed when the surveyor was doing the valuation and they forced their way into the property, intimidating an old lady in the process. They brought round contractors and builders with them so the Covid excuse was utter bullshit. They also refused to wear PPE and refused to wash their hands. It took over 2hrs for our elderly relative to get them out of the house and we were going to call the police. We were talked out of it by the solicitor and estate agent who wanted us to press the sale forward.

Bloody hell what were they playing at, what timewasters. Sorry OP x

I have nothing useful to add but just want to say you have been a saint to put up with them for so long. If you had 25 viewings lined up I would get it back online and get them lined up again - it’s positive that you have already managed to generate interest. Is there any relatives or friends nearby who can help you get it ready for viewings?

Oh no! That truly is a horrific house selling story and I've heard some terrible ones in my time. I really feel for you op .

It sounds very extreme.

Maybe you have to take this as a lesson learned. Do not make any special allowances until exchange of contract when your position is more secure. Give an inch and they may just take a mile.

It may have seemed to them that you were a bit desperate to sell. Especially if they viewed it as you allowing them to get away with so much that others simply would not tolerate.

Comments like they 'have the right to do anything they want to their property' is a bit silly - you can easily highlight that they are prospective buyers and land registry can prove that it is not "their property". Like I said - sounds very extreme.

Get it back on the market and refuse to deal with them again, I would push the agents and solicitors to ensure the message is passed on that you will not tolerate any of these things again, who has a key, if the agent does get it back asap only agree to viewings you or your partner can do and make sure that you will not let them in if they refuse to wash hands/ppe etc. If there are 25 other potential buyers you should be sold soon, I don't know though if you would be able to get any expenses back.

I think this is a common tactic and one that is much more likely to happen if your buyer doesn’t have a chain. I can totally see why you’d try your luck and get a load of money off the purchase price knowing that you’d fucked over the seller completely if they say no.

@Simonsaysitschristmas no we don't have anyone who can help as all family working full time. It's unfortunate that my DP's job has been busier during lockdown so we haven't had a minute to do anything to the property to improve it.

We had huge interest when it originally went on the market but came to very little in the way of actual offers so it will likely be the same this time. We had some ridiculously cheeky offers too.

@justanotherneighinparadise unsurprisingly we are the second house they've done this to, we've since found out.

Karma.

Just leave it to do its work. x

@Ducklingfarm no they don't have a key. We will do the viewings ourselves but we can't do many due to the long shifts we have to work. We don't trust the agent to do the viewings anyway as they seem close to incompetent (Hunters). We will probably change agent once we can get some sprucing up done.

I would be tempted to start again with a new estate agent making sure they know the name of the person in question. In the meantime you could also employ a gardener to give it a trim. Good luck.

Just to add, surely it's your estate agent's job to filter out time wasters before they even get to viewing or at least second viewing stage?

Sorry, you've had such an appalling experience!

Same thing happened to us on Friday. Gazundered. We're now waiting for them to make up their minds about whether they want to accept our offer. Some people are dicks

I'm so very sorry to read of your experience.

Doesn't it also cost them in mortgage survey fees??

Surely they've lost money too? However just ignore them, relist with someone else. If you've had lots of interest it should sell fairly quickly?

Absolutely nothing is set in stone until exchange of contracts. You should not have moved the furniture out and until then. They do sound awful though and perhaps to have been expected. I know how horrible it is and this has previously happened to me at 12 noon on the day of exchanage and it messes everything up and costs a lot of wasted money. Just change the Agent and get it back onto the market. Let the Agent do the viewings.

Unfortunately it's the system in this country. You should never do anything (like move furniture out) until you exchange. It's far more normal to have at least a week between exchange and completion unless they are cash buyers. Was the delay due to the lockdown? That is unfortunate, but I would have told them to exchange by X date or that you would remarket it.
In the US offers are a legal commitment and a good will payment is often made. Then dates for inspection, mortgage offers etc are laid out, with completion negotiated from the start. Sales still collapse, but it's not nearly as nail biting and uncertain as it is here.
If you do not trust your agents replace them.

@Cookay ironically they idiot supposedly buying the property is a gardener!
We can't afford to employ one as would cost a fortune due to the size and work needed.

@User56781234 we'd already had words with the estate agent about the time wasters we had viewing the house the first time. They don't seem to have weeded anyone out as we asked them to so can't see they'll do any better this time around. I think we'll leave it up with them for now and if we can do some redecoration and the garden, we'll remarket. It won't look as nice on the photos though with it now being empty.

@Pipandmum the US system sounds so much better.
They were delaying before lockdown and then used lockdown as an excuse even though they could move into an empty property without breaking any rules.
We did give them a date or we'd remarket - that was last Friday when they dropped their offer a third time. They saw it was back on the market and immediately raised their offer. We gave another ultimatum and they chose a date to exchange and complete tomorrow, before the date we chose ourselves.

We had to empty it when we had the chance around work and when we could rent a van. I think they thought we were an easy target as I've just had a horrible birth and our baby has been ill since. They knew we needed to move into one of the two properties so expected we'd cave in to letting them have a bargain. We're already making a loss as it is. I'm more gutted that it means time stuck with my awful neighbour as I daren't market both properties at the same time and my DP's property is unsuitable for us to move into with the baby.