Who pays for additional surveys?

[Summerbubbles]

Hi, we are in the process of selling a property (I have never sold a property before).
We have had an email from our solicitor this morning following the buyers survey, before exchange of contracts they want us to complete a full damp inspection on the property, full drains survey including CCTV inspection and for us to complete any/all work that comes to light as a result of these surveys.

Is this a reasonable expectation? Should we be doing these surveys and paying for them or should that be the buyers responsibility?

It's a house built in the 1950's and there are no obvious signs of damp or drainage problems, the cost of the surveys alone will be somewhere approaching a thousand pounds according to quotes we have had today.

Remarket! Or at least threaten to by Wednesday if they've not taken the next step. Such a lot of time wasting when if it's a FTB house people would bite your hand off for it. And it's probably increased in value over the last few months pf faffing.

Tell them to sod off and put the house back on the market tomorrow. Some people don't appear to have realised that we're in a sellers market right now and that you're the ones with the power.

They've messed you around too much.

They pay for any surveys. There is no even expectations that you will agree to let the surveyor in. You are entitled to think that it’s too much.

I would be a bit harder. Get your solicitor to state again that they are responsible for any additional surveys and to stop the repeated requests.

Set a date to exchange. A month is a long time to waste going back over the same issues.

I think I'd definitely start making noises with the EA about setting deadlines and remarketing OP- this will hopefully make them get their act together.

You are selling in a hot market and you don't sound like you have an onward chain- that's pretty much as strong a position as it gets as a seller so don't be tempted to accept any messing about.

Give them until midday Wednesday to either book the surveys (to take place within 2 weeks) or house goes back on the market THAT DAY so you still have a few days to get some weekend viewings booked. I would also make it clear that whilst you may consider sharing the cost of any remedial works, you will not be handing over money left, right & centre for every recommendation flagged up by a damp or drainage company whose business is selling damp/drainage works!

I would also remarket. Of course they pay and they should have done so by now. Don’t give them much more time OP, they are being ridiculous.

I would walk away. You have them the answer once and they are asking the same question as if the answer would be difference. Very childish and I agree that this is likely because they are looking for ways to reduce their offer.

They will end up getting a free damp survey done by a company who will benefit from claiming there is damp and that they need to charge ££££ to rectify it. The buyer will demand that money off the purchase price as they kept getting outbid so they have clearly gone above what they can comfortably afford.

All of these things are red flags and I would chalk it up to experience then say thanks but no thanks and go back on the market tomorrow. Reason- buyer no longer in a financial position to complete

If they want those extra surveys they pay for it themselves. They sound like they haven't a clue.Buyers pay for surveys not sellers.

** Tell them to sod off and put the house back on the market tomorrow. Some people don't appear to have realised that we're in a sellers market right now and that you're the ones with the power.

They've messed you around too much.**

^This. Also I guarantee you they will put some last minute stunt just before exchange in order to get you to drop the price.

Yes, buyer pays.

However, I'd refuse to sell to them and get it back on the market ASAP.

These buyers are prime candidates for a gazunder attempt and I wouldn't entertain their games at all.

All the signs are that the buyers will mess you around even more.

Personally I'd phone the agents this morning and say you're "confused" about timings as you said last month that the buyers has to do their own additional surveys and you've just found out they've done nothing yet.

I'd then buy yourself some time and say you will have a final discussion with your partner/someone else (or say you're tied up at work til mid afternoon) but you're 99% sure you'll be phoning them later to ask them to put the property back on the market. Then leave it and see if the buyers do any back-pedalling. If they do, see what they think; if they don't, get your solicitor to withdraw the papers and get the agents remarketing the property.

I've spoken to the estate agent and they have made it clear to the buyer I am very unhappy with the delays and any surveys need booking by Wednesday. Apparently it is the buyers solicitor pushing for the surveys.
Crossing my fingers for a happy ending but expecting to go back on the market.

@londonagent

Give them until midday Wednesday to either book the surveys (to take place within 2 weeks) or house goes back on the market THAT DAY so you still have a few days to get some weekend viewings booked. I would also make it clear that whilst you may consider sharing the cost of any remedial works, you will not be handing over money left, right & centre for every recommendation flagged up by a damp or drainage company whose business is selling damp/drainage works!

This is the route I have taken, I'm especially reluctant to start sharing costs or offering a discount after this delay of a month has already cost me hundreds of pounds.

So, they are still insisting that I pay for all the additional surveys. It's going back on the market.

Good luck and well done for not let tying them push you to buy them

Good luck

Good luck. They survey cost would only have been the start of it.

Well done. What is it with people thinking they can demand the seller to do things. There’s a reason why they’ve not found anything for over a year!!

You say they've been outbid on other properties in the past - I may be cynical but I suspect they over bid on what they could afford to secure the house and hoped to then bring it down to what they could afford through surveys and negotiation. Not a nice thing to do

Sorry they've wasted your time, OP but I think you've done the right thing - they sound like nightmares and I bet this would only be the beginning!

What i would say is that it is very common now for buyers solicitors to ask for an up to date electric certificate, in the same way sellers should be able to provide proof a gas boiler has been serviced within the previous 12 months. Electric standards change regularly so this is something you could get done and if any updating is required either have the work done or at least know in advance that your buyers may drop their offer depending on what is required.

I would not entertain damp surveys as they are usually carried out by companies that do chemical injection damp courses which are useless and a waste of money. Basically rising damp does not exist, check your house where they suggest damp readings have occurred and make sure there are no leaking gutters or drain pipes and that outside ground levels are not breaching damp proof courses. These are the thinks that normally cause ‘damp issues’ and are easily rectified.

Electrical regulations change all the time, but this does not mean your installation is dangerous or illegal, and changes are not retrospective anyway. If you tried to keep up with all the changes in each edition of the wiring regs. you would end up with an electrician in your house permanently. @bilbodog
Good luck op. What a waste of time these people have been. Hopefully your house will have increased in value in the last month.
I had the greatest pleasure years ago, when someone tried to drop me 5k (on a £60k property, so quite a drop) just before exchange. As I had not found anywhere to buy at the time, I was not desperate for the sale. I said no straightaway and told them they paid the agreed price or it was going straight back on the market. I never heard another peep from them and they paid the full amount. That was a rising market too, the cheek of some people knows no bounds.

What i would say is that it is very common now for buyers solicitors to ask for an up to date electric certificate, in the same way sellers should be able to provide proof a gas boiler has been serviced within the previous 12 months

You're right, it is increasingly common to ask. However, it's essentially a try-on, the solicitors expect the answer to be 'no, there isn't an up to date certificate.'

@NameChangeNameShange

You say they've been outbid on other properties in the past - I may be cynical but I suspect they over bid on what they could afford to secure the house and hoped to then bring it down to what they could afford through surveys and negotiation. Not a nice thing to do

If this was the case they should have the decency to just say. I would maybe have considered dropping the price a little if they had just been honest about it, I'm just not willing to play silly games and as others have pointed out I think it would be one thing after another with this buyer. The estate agent has tried explaining to the buyer that their expectations are unreasonable and they won't find a house that doesn't have some things with recommendations to check in a survey (and that most surveys are much more concerning than the one on my property). It's a shame they've wasted so much time and have made me very wary of dealing with another first time buyer.