Cannot view house again until after exchange, normal?

[Greenybluetowel]

Offer accepted in May, chain was complete 2 weeks ago. I was waiting on my buyer getting a buyer before asking for another viewing. Called EA yesterday to arrange (same EA as ours) as we would like to measure up and daughter missed viewing as she was working. EA said we cannot view again until after exchange and that there are 2 visits written into the contract between exchange and completion to facilitate this. Is this normal? Having spent hundreds of thousands on a purchase that I made after a 20 minute visit, I didn't think I was being unreasonable?

It is recommended that you view immediate before exchange
Not everyone does by any means
But
If they say no, run

Sorry but I will be saying same thing to my buyers and my seller has said the same to me. Until it’s legally happening I am not measuring up or even showing kids! Too many chains falling apart currently

Unacceptable
Are they using covid as an excuse?

Buyers are advised to view just prior to exchange as it's the state then not the state in viewing that Is committed

I'd think it was an absolute cheek and massive red flag. Insist or pull out.

We've moved several times in the last 10 years, including during covid and that's never been a thing during any of our moves. When we were selling most recently our buyers came for 2 normal viewings pre-offer, then came and viewed twice more post offer to measure up and to get some quotes for work they wanted doing. That was pre-exchange.

We faced the issue of sellers not accepting in person viewings at all, but never anyone who wouldn't allow another viewing post offer, pre-exchange. That seems quite strange and would be a red flag for me.

The fact the EA didn’t even ask the vendor would indicate it’s covid related and pre agreed that this is the process

I would be stamping my fight though

No, that is weird for them to say no!

We viewed twice before putting an offer in both and we'll hopefully view again just before exchange as there will have been a 3+ month gap by that point and I've already forgotten what it looked like beyond the EA photos! Plus to check all is as it should be (the property is now empty so I want to make sure there haven't been any leaks/issues etc).

I think they are being unreasonable. You should view before exchanging.

How can they expect you to sign a contract for something you've viewed to briefly. They are being unreasonable.

They didn't mention covid, I would have understood that. They only talked about exchange.

I think I may ask my solicitor, get his take on it as he seems quite approachable.

@Greenybluetowel

I think I may ask my solicitor, get his take on it as he seems quite approachable.

Don’t jump to that You’ll be charged

Go back to the EA and do a bit more digging first.

I've been letting my buyer in. So far he's been in to measure up, then came with a person from Wren kitchens to plan the kitchen, then came with his electrician. I had no issues doing that, shows commitment to the purchase before exchange (as our exchange was a nightmare)

That's very unreasonable and would make me suspicious.

I understand refusing excessive visits but one or two plus your surveyor is totally normal.

How do you know they won't make detrimental changes in the interim?

I would demand to be allowed a visit and pull out if they don't agree. If you don't want to be that drastic then perhaps go and see it from the outside as a first step to make sure there isn't something going on that you could spot.

Pre-exchange visits- that is, immediately pre-exchange- are pretty normal. If they are refusing one, I would be suspicious.
We only asked for one on one house, where one of the vendors was unwilling to sell and had been very difficult- in those circs, that type has been known to damage a property, and your insurance will only start from exchange, so you need to be sure of the condition as close to exchange as possible.

@Iamsodonewith2020

Sorry but I will be saying same thing to my buyers and my seller has said the same to me. Until it’s legally happening I am not measuring up or even showing kids! Too many chains falling apart currently

That would be the best possible way to behave if you wanted a chain with me in it to collapse. Repeated visits would be unreasonable at any time, but having had a pre-exchange check can be essential if there are insurance problems later on. Visits between exchange and completion are not a substitute. Makes me wonder what is being hidden. What on earth is your problem with it?

Everyone that is saying it’s a red flag? Have you actually sold very recently? This is the norm here at the moment.

i viewed my house once in sept and again in Oct before exchanging last year. so i would insist on another viewing before exchange or you pull out !

Visit at point of exchange totally normal - friends of mine recently saw damage that vendors would not have addressed without this (a leak)

My vendors were arses about this (using covid as an excuse), but I got my solicitor to insist on my behalf and that solved that. They sat in the car & waited.

Blue mongoose no problem with it. Have absolutely nothing to hide. Happy for them to measure up but don’t want multiple visits for next 6-8 months. Average time to exchange currently is 22 weeks if you have sold in the past 4 weeks and with covid still a concern of mine until we are close to exchange I don’t want lots of people in my house?? I completely respect my 83 year old sellers refusal of a visit until just before exchange too

It certainly is not the norm. The current conditions have made people offer after only viewing once, in normal times I'd visit at LEAST twice- it is a huge financial commitment! This time to try and make it convenient for seller I've gone in right after the survey for an on site report and then used the time to measure up things. If a seller refused I'd have to wonder why.
I did have a buyer about ten years ago who came four times before exchange and wanted to come a fifth time, but I was moving out that day and said no. She really was pushing her luck.

Walk away OP. This is a massive red flag. You should never buy a house or exchange on a house if you can’t view prior to exchange.

@ Iamsodonewith2020 yes I have sold recently. And no it is not the norm whatsoever.

@Iamsodonewith2020

Blue mongoose no problem with it. Have absolutely nothing to hide. Happy for them to measure up but don’t want multiple visits for next 6-8 months. Average time to exchange currently is 22 weeks if you have sold in the past 4 weeks and with covid still a concern of mine until we are close to exchange I don’t want lots of people in my house?? I completely respect my 83 year old sellers refusal of a visit until just before exchange too

I agree 100% that multiple visits are out of order. I'd say, once to see it initially, maybe once more if there were things the buyer needed to check (once we needed to check if twin beds would fit in one room, that was before the days of plans and where the door was was crucial). The definitely a pre-exchange check if buyer wanted it, to check if things were as they should be. So at least one, two if a pre-exchange was asked for. Three, maybe, depends on the reason for the third one. More, I think is not necessary.