Questions to ask house vendor

[Bannister]

We're supposed to complete on a house purchase on Wednesday and are going to have a brief meeting with the vendor and estate agent beforehand at the property. Assuming everything is roughly as it's supposed to be, what questions would you have found it useful to have asked about the house you are buying? (It's Victorian and needs significant work, but it's habitable and we'll be moving in immediately and living there for a while before doing any work, so was thinking about quirks of the hot water and heating systems etc.) Any other thoughts welcome.

[CeibaTree]

If you are not completely redecorating ask them which paint colours they used in case anywhere needs touching up.

[BackforGood]

When I last moved, the vendor showed me how to set the heating system, where the stopcock is, which keys were which for various locks. Who their utilities / broadband were with.
We didn't need info about the area as were moving locally. She might have said about bin says but that is a nice ice breaker to meet your neighbour so no big deal.
She also told us they had no need for various bits of furniture and asked did we want her to leave them or clear them out.

[DespairingHomeower]

You can also ask them how to maintain anything you may be keeping (maybe don't mention what you plan to rip out!).

There is a lot of info I have been able to give about HOW work has been done, materials I used etc that would not be in this form, also how to maintain house in good condition

My buyers asked me how I knew my house was 'THE ONE' :) I found it pretty endearing. We also had people knock on door of house I grew up in who had lived there as kids wanting to look round (parents showed them round) -

[Bannister]

Yes, we are @wowfudgewow. Not in the UK, so some things may vary.

[wowfudge]

They should have filled in a property information form which covers things like where the stop tap is, etc and a form showing what they are leaving. If there's anything they haven't completed you could ask them for the info. Are you really meeting them on completion day? Have you already exchanged or will it be simultaneous exchange and completion?

[Bannister]

Thank you, @DespairingHomeower -- that sounds like an excellent idea. We have been renting somewhere this summer (old and very quirky) which had the cut-off point for the water in a distant part of the garden, which we only discovered when the bathroom sprung a violent leak and flooded a bedroom...

[Puffthemagicdragongoestobed]

We texted our vendors to ask where the stop cock was. Also find out about the heating system, internet, utilities provider, bins.

[DespairingHomeower]

in my case, there is a non-obvious place to cut off cold water to bathroom (in addition to stopcock) which I need to tell my buyers about, little things like that...

[DespairingHomeower]

any work/quotes & trades they used

maybe just ask them to walk you round the house & mention anything that springs to mind?

[Bannister]

Oh,. good points about tradespeople and boiler. @FangsForTheMemory. The vendor is leaving on the utilities for us transfer, and has told us the phone/wifi provider, which has to be cut off and reconnected. I have recycling/rubbish on my mental list.

[FangsForTheMemory]

I was asked after moving out which utility companies the gas and electricity were with. I left a note of best tradespeople, who had installed the boiler and which days for recycling and rubbish collections.