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Original poster

Water pipe burst in house we're supposed to buy

38 replies

Sobloodytired09 · 06/02/2021 23:58

We are supposed to be buying a house but have been told that a water pipe has burst and the ceiling has come down. It is an empty house and apparently had water leaking for three days. The owners are apparently speaking to the insurance. We haven't exchanged or completed yet.

Am I right in thinking this is a disaster!? I've never had a leak before, but I'm guessing with this much water that the electrics will be ruined, and the house will be at big risk of damp?

If anything like this has happened to anyone else any advice would be really appreciated!

OP posts:
cabbageking · 07/02/2021 00:13

You don't have enough info yet.
Could be a small issue without affecting any electric.
Could be a small area of the ceiling. Equally could be a big issue.
Clearly you want to review the repairs, and verify the guarantees apply after exchange with your solicitor and that the house is water tight.
Ensure all questions go through your solicitor to ensure they are legally binding. Don't panic yet.

PigletJohn · 07/02/2021 00:43

Presumably a cold area?

I've had something comparable.

The vendors insurer's will (should) sort it, PROVIDED that they had cover for an unoccupied house. They might not have done. IIRC if the house is unoccupied for 30 days cover may lapse, and/or burst pipes not covered if the water is not turned off and/or the house heated.

Depending on the amount of damage, it may take a couple of months to dry out and repair.

You need to consider the possibiliy that this sale may fall through unless you are willing to wait.

The vendors should be a lot more worried than you.

Original poster
Sobloodytired09 · 07/02/2021 01:02

Hi thank you both for your replies. I know it's a full rooms ceiling at least. I think it must have been bad as the water company were the ones who realised something was wrong.

The house has definitely been empty more than thirty days and it snowed this week.

We were wanting to be in for the stamp duty cut off which seems very unlikely now.

OP posts:
NoToast · 07/02/2021 01:29

What an awful thing to happen. House buying is stressful enough and you really don't need this on top. Hope it works out but I agree it doesn't sound good.

Pipandmum · 07/02/2021 01:40

It's not a big deal at all. It can be fixed and ceilings made good. You can even withhold money (have it put in the sales contract) until it is made good.
I exchanged on a house i was selling (an investment property). It had a flat roofed extension. I went to check on it few days before completion and the roof had leaked ruining the ceiling. I got a contractor in to fix the roof, repair, replaster and repaint the ceiling in time. Five days. You (or rather the seller) has seven weeks.
I've also had a ceiling collapse in my own house and it didn't take long to fix.

PigletJohn · 07/02/2021 02:09

A three day burst may have soaked the walls.

Wooden flooring, doors and kitchen units may be swollen and warped

Ceilings may already have fallen down.

We don't know yet.

PigletJohn · 07/02/2021 02:13

Here's one I had earlier. About 12 hours burst.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/a4153410-ceiling-damaged-by-water-leak?msgid=104248455#104248455

Original poster
Sobloodytired09 · 07/02/2021 02:56

Thank you @PigletJohn

I know there is one room where (I might use the wrong words here) the ceiling has come down and you can see I think it's the joists and the floorboards above.

OP posts:
alexdgr8 · 07/02/2021 03:02

they left a house unoccupied, or checked on, also unheated, in winter for over a month ?
is this some kind of derelict property, or auction, re-possession.
ie was it unusually cheap.
i think it does not sound good.
they the vendors sound v irresponsible. what other horrors might you discover due to lack of maintenance.
do they even have full insurance cover for unoccupied house.
i think you need to walk away. sorry.

Persipan · 07/02/2021 07:50

@alexdgr8

they left a house unoccupied, or checked on, also unheated, in winter for over a month ? is this some kind of derelict property, or auction, re-possession. ie was it unusually cheap. i think it does not sound good. they the vendors sound v irresponsible. what other horrors might you discover due to lack of maintenance. do they even have full insurance cover for unoccupied house. i think you need to walk away. sorry.
It's not inherently suspect for a house to be sold empty. Could be a probate sale, could be someone who's moved in with a partner, could be all sorts of things. We don't know that it was unheated - I agree that a frozen pipe seems likely, but it's not a given. We don't know that the vendors haven't been camping out there sufficiently frequently to maintain their insurance, or that they haven't upgraded to insurance that allows them to be away for longer. We just know a pipe burst. Sometimes shit just happens. My brother's kitchen ceiling collapsed when a pipe burst while they were on holiday - his house is perfectly well maintained, it was just one of those things. Had they not had cats, and therefore a neighbour popping in to feed them, it could easily have gone undiscovered for days.

OP, I wouldn't panic yet. Wait for more info, see how the vendors propose to remedy the problem, and take things from there.

cabbageking · 07/02/2021 17:39

Empty house insurance varies wildly.
Some required you cut off water and electrics.
Some do not.
Some require a weekly or monthly check depending on Covid.
There are also different levels to choose from.

Original poster
Sobloodytired09 · 08/02/2021 18:37

Just wanted to update to say the insurance loss adjustor is going in to see the house in the next 24 hours, should hopefully know how bad it is after that

OP posts:
TotallyUninspired · 08/02/2021 21:42

This exact thing happened to us. In our case the damage was extensive - three ceilings down, warped floorboards and woodwork, and it took months to dry out. It was all covered by the vendor's insurance but took a long time to sort out. We withheld a portion of the sale price until it was completed. Note that alternative accommodation was not covered for us (it would have been for the vendor), which was tricky as the house was uninhabitable during the works and I had a newborn baby. It was stressful and took MUCH longer than we were told it would take, but it was worth it in the end and we got a new kitchen and complete redecoration out of it. There has not been a residual problem with damp. Wait and see what the insurance company say. If it's covered, and you really love the house it may not be a dealbreaker.

Original poster
Sobloodytired09 · 20/02/2021 18:05

Just wanted to update this thread. Went to see the house today. From what we've been told from the estate agent it will only be partially covered by the insurance. The leak was from the loft. Every ceiling needs to come down, all the walls need replastering to brick. Kitchen and bathroom need replacing. All floor coverings. New roof insulation. Replumb, boiler and electrics (all off currently) need replacing. I thought I was going to cry, I didn't realise it would be that bad at all. And we'd need somewhere to live whilst it gets redone. There also looks to be damp to the ground floor. Gutted Sad

OP posts:
purplebagladylovesgin · 20/02/2021 18:19

If the water of from the pipes, the damp to the ground floor is from this and can be dried out with industrial dryers.

The final inspection must include the readings for moisture content.

This work will cost a considerable amount. Thank goodness it wasn't just after you moved in.

On a plus side you'll be getting a completely renovated property.....

If you can wait.

Madcats · 20/02/2021 18:32

Obviously you have seen it now, but heavy duty industrial dryers can make a huge difference. We had a leak through 2 floors when we were on holiday and the electrics were fine.

How much would it cost you to rent somewhere for 6 months? It MIGHT be an absolute bargain (and you would have the opportunity to reposition power sockets etc.).

I would be tempted to google furiously to find an insurance adjuster/assessor and pay them to take a look.

Newnamefor2021 · 20/02/2021 18:33

I had that happen in a house we owned. We had ceiling pulled down and floorboards replaced. It was pretty much all covered. I guess the plus side was a lovely fresh house but it was horrid for the months it took to get sorted.

Sorry this has happened op. What's the sellers saying?

LIZS · 20/02/2021 18:35

Had you exchanged? It sounds a nightmare whatever stage you are at. If you have not exchanged could you withdraw?

AntiHop · 20/02/2021 18:38

What a nightmare op. At least it's not your problem to sort though. But upsetting for you as you were financially and emotionally invested it.

TeenTitan007 · 20/02/2021 18:43

We recently sold a vacant house. Insurance were clear on what isn't covered (burst pipes!). We left the heating on and visited every week to run water from the taps. During the cold snap we asked neighbours to do this fir us every few days. I was very worried but thankfully it didn't happen.

I hope this either gets sorted to your benefit (discount?) or you walk away from this disaster. Fingers crossed for you.

Bandino · 20/02/2021 18:51

I'd back out. The drying out before they do any work can take months.

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 20/02/2021 21:28

The exact same thing happened to a friend of mine. Unoccupied house, freezing weather and a burst pipe. All the ceilings came down. Everything was covered under the owners insurance, and put right. It worked out really well in the end as a lot of work that needed to be done (the house was old) was done as part of the damage claim.

Reddottys12 · 22/02/2021 06:39

I could have written this post myself! We are in the exact same position with a house we’re buying. Not exchanged yet but we were weeks away from exchanging so very close to the finish line. We don’t know what to do now and I’m interested to know @Sobloodytired09 what did you do in the end? Did you stick with the sale or did you pull out? xx

Newnamefor2021 · 27/02/2021 18:55

How's it going OP? Any decisions made?

Original poster
Sobloodytired09 · 27/02/2021 20:46

Hi I am so sorry for the late response!

We decided to see what the insurance report said and what they would cover, but we are still waiting and apparently it still hasn't even been written. We are getting a bit worried, the leak happened in January, and the electricity has been off since they found it, so there has been no dehumidifier running etc.

We've not exchanged but were fairly far in the process. We were needing it go through before stamp duty as well, though apparently that is going to be extended. Renting where we live can be quite competitive from what I can gather and quite expensive, and the person who is buying our house needs it to go through before stamp duty so we would need to find somewhere to rent.

I feel so stressed with it all.

I'm so sorry @Reddottys12 I am no help haha. Have you made a decision yet either?

OP posts:
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