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Original poster

Vendor not allowing viewing before we exchange contracts

142 replies

notanotherlockdownsurely · 10/12/2020 06:26

I first viewed in September with an estate agent and again the week later after my offer had been accepted. At the second viewing I met the vendors who sat outside while I looked around.
We're now coming up to exchange with completion shortly after Christmas and I need to measure up for where my furniture will fit ( or not)
The vendors are stating that they are not allowing any visitors due to covid restrictions. ( they are elderly and, of course, high risk)
So what would people advise me to do please?
I want the house but I want to know it's in the same condition as I last saw it before completion.

OP posts:
GiraffeNecked · 10/12/2020 08:17

We looked before exchange, house was empty though and had been for 6 months. We just wanted to check there hadn’t been a leak or anything.

In your circumstances I wouldn’t, they may not want to get it ‘viewing ready’ again.

HosannainExcelSheets · 10/12/2020 08:32

Honestly - you are most likely spending the biggest amount of money you ever have in your life. They should let you view again or you should pull out.

Either that, or the extra viewing isn't actually that essential to you.

Original poster
notanotherlockdownsurely · 10/12/2020 08:55

they may not want to get it ‘viewing ready’ again
I've made it very clear that there's absolutely no need. I don't care if the place is untidy, dirty, covered with boxes. They're in the middle of packing up it's what would be expected

OP posts:
Jobsharenightmare · 10/12/2020 09:03

I can see where they are coming from. Assuming they haven't let their home go to shit since September they will see no need to let someone come into their home putting them at risk.

CeibaTree · 10/12/2020 09:06

@notanotherlockdownsurely

they may not want to get it ‘viewing ready’ again I've made it very clear that there's absolutely no need. I don't care if the place is untidy, dirty, covered with boxes. They're in the middle of packing up it's what would be expected
You might have said there is no need, but they may feel obliged and can't be bothered. I've never heard of viewing again before exchange although from pp replies it seems like it is done sometimes. But if they have never heard of people doing it either, the might assume you are going to come over and reduce your offer over something small. I can see why they are wary, but that's not to say either of you is being unreasonable.
RJnomore1 · 10/12/2020 09:08

OP just checking you aren’t in Scotland? Here you can’t view between the offer being accepted and exchange, or at least it’s very strongly discouraged (in case you have buyers remorse I think) it’s certainly not recommended

movingonup20 · 10/12/2020 09:10

I've never heard of people checking the property prior to exchange. We have recently completed and didn't view after the survey (I accompanied the surveyor)

sorenipples · 10/12/2020 09:12

I viewed a house two days before simultaneous exchange/completion. They trashed it in those two days. Admittedly there were big red flags about the people i was buying from (top tip Google vendor and look for negative news articles early in the process).

Haventbeenthere · 10/12/2020 09:15

Could you ask if they'd allow it if you got a hazmat suit, plastic gloves, etc so that your hair, hands, shoes were covered - and mask obviously? I think you can get all that stuff on ebay for £15.

crimsonlake · 10/12/2020 09:19

Another one who has never heard of this and I have moved multiple times over the years.
I have also never felt the need to go back for a final visit to see if my furniture would fit. That is the sort of thing that should have been thought about and done on the second viewing.
If I was the sellers I would be worrying that you were now coming back with a view to reduce your initial offer price.

MoirasRoses · 10/12/2020 09:26

It wouldn’t have crossed my mind to view our new house before exchange. Confused what exactly do you think they are going to do to it?! Our vendors were a pain in the arse but at no point did I think they were going to trash the house. And sure enough, the house was spotless. The shower leaked through the ceiling the first time we used it 😩 but we could never have checked that!

Our buyers asked us to do measurements because of covid. None of us are vulnerable but they said they didn’t want to put us at risk or vice versa. Not so much from covid but the risk of being a close contact & having to isolate with young kids for 2 weeks! Your vendors are elderly, they are probably clinging onto the vaccine being so close now, why take any more risks!

If you’d genuinely walk away at this point because you can’t view again, you’d be a knob quite frankly. You’d lose your whole chain, presumably you love the house, presumably you are very keen & have good reason to move plus thousands you’ve spent?! But if it literally would make you walk, then ask for photos maybe? And to measure for you.

NaturalStudy · 10/12/2020 09:31

Why don't you just ask the sellers to warrant that nothing material has changed in the house? Saves you going round again.

steppemum · 10/12/2020 09:35

never heard of viewing directly before exchange, and my family have moved A LOT.
It is useless anyway, as there is plenty of time between exchange and completion for people to remove things.

You have viewed twice, that is as much as most people do. Measuring for furniture is a luxury that you can let go of in the middle of a pandemic

ramblingsonthego · 10/12/2020 09:49

The people saying their is plenty of time to remove things between exchange and completion. You are right, there is, but, you have a legal recourse after exchange if things are removed that were there on exchange. If they have moved before exchange you have no legal recourse as it was in that condition on exchange.

So for example. You viewed the property in June. Exchanged in October and hadn't viewed since June. Early October your vendor strips all the copper pipes, the boiler and all the lead off the roof. Mid October you exchange. You complete a week later and on moving in you find all the stuff stripped out of the house. You contact your solicitor and they say did you view on exchange and you say well no as people don't tend to do that. You have no legal recourse so you have to suck up the £££'s to rectify it all. A hassle you didn't need.

You viewed the property in June. Exchanged in October and just before exchange you book a viewing. You complete a week later and on moving in you find all the stuff stripped out of the house. You contact your solicitor and they say did you view on exchange and you say yes and it was all there then. Your solicitor will start legal proceedings as the property was not in the same condition it was on exchange. Its still a lot of hassle but at least you won't have to spend out the £££ putting it all right as this will be claimed back from the vendor.

Houses are mainly "sold as seen" and if the last time you saw it was 3-6 months ago then you would be a fool to part with hundreds of thousands of pounds of your money not knowing what state it is now.

shallbe · 10/12/2020 09:54

@ramblingsonthego surely you still have a legal leg to stand on even if those things are removed before exchange? Otherwise what is the point in filling out a fixtures and fittings form etc? I don't believe for a second a vendor could remove all pipe work and a boiler and couldn't be successfully sued because the house wasn't viewed the moment before exchange?

Plastichearts · 10/12/2020 09:58

Those saying they’ve never heard of it (I have and thought it was an accepted part of the process) it does make sense. Who wants to sue for damage/removal of fittings after they have moved in?

It would be unlikely for most people that they would encounter a problem if they didn’t view again before exchange but there are horror stories where it does occasionally go badly wrong.

shallbe · 10/12/2020 10:04

@Plastichearts no one wants to, but damage to a property can happy at any time, I just don't think it's the "sensible must do" some people are making it out to be, it doesn't guarantee a perfect house or no legal action being required, and I don't think vendors should be pressured into it because they too are at risk of being messed around in the 11th hour, I've heard that happening a lot more than I have a boiler being removed and there's more you can do legally in that situation than you can in the former.

Yoanna · 10/12/2020 10:10

I'm clearly in the minority here but don't think what you're asking for is at all unreasonable OP, for the reasons already given by PPs.

When we bought our current house we viewed 3 times and the vendor was fine with it. They didn't live there and had to come round specially to let us in each time. 3rd time was shortly before exchange, we hadn't seen it for nearly 4 months at that point. Anything could have happened in the meantime.

Snog · 10/12/2020 10:57

If it's good practice to view immediately before exchange then why do solicitors not advise you to do this?

I would back off OP and respect their request unless you want to risk your purchase falling through.

Mildura · 10/12/2020 11:34

@BefuddledPerson

The advice is to view directly before exchange. Anything could have changed. I wouldn't buy a house without this final check myself.
It might be the advice, although I'm not entirely sure who from, but it almost never happens.
Puffthemagicdragongoestobed · 10/12/2020 11:49

OP I don't think you are unreasonable! We did a third viewing just before exchange as it had been nearly four months since the previous viewing. Maybe just try to keep it very short.
Our buyers came after exchange a week before completion to measure up for shutters and sent carpet people around. Whilst we let them in they spent over an hour in the house and I did feel it was a bit intrusive.

Original poster
notanotherlockdownsurely · 10/12/2020 12:17

Thanks to you all
I've dropped the measuring up and the vendors have agreed to me visiting next week with the EA a few days before exchange. Obviously I'll wear mask and gloves and have assured everyone I'm not looking for any faults
Their EA was in agreement that, as I hadn't seen the house for almost three months it would be sensible to view before exchanging contracts, he did say this would be advised by my conveyancer anyway.
I love the house, I want to live there, I have no ulterior motives and so glad it's sorted

OP posts:
HerFlowersToLove · 10/12/2020 12:21

@BefuddledPerson

The advice is to view directly before exchange. Anything could have changed. I wouldn't buy a house without this final check myself.
Can I ask when that advice started? I've never heard of it and have sold three house in the last three years. When our most recent buyers wanted to measure up, we just did it for them and sent them via the estate agent.
VinylDetective · 10/12/2020 12:40

Do you need to measure? Surely the room dimensions are on the floor plan? I’ve never measured.

NoSleepInTheHeat · 10/12/2020 13:24

I would insist, it seems odd that they would refuse especially if you are this far into the process.