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Harrassed by failed buyers

103 replies

blacklilypad · 08/09/2021 13:28

My friend and her husband completed and moved into their new house 3 weeks ago. They were looking for months and finally found the perfect property. It went to best and final and they didn't get it. My friend was distraught and her DH called the estate agent offered more money and they got it. Obviously, this was not a particularly ethical thing to do but it happens and it worked for them.

After they had been in the house a couple of days, they received a hand delivered letter saying they 'would get what was coming to them'. Their first thought was it was some teenagers bored over the school holiday and they were a little worried about what kind of neighbourhood they had bought into.

The next one said something along the lines of karma would sort them out and they knew what they did. It started to get very I know what you did last summer. But this made them think it was the buyer that they gazuumped.

They have received several more and get them every few days. My friend is really upset. She is a very sensitive and kind person and already had felt terrible about the gazuumping but her DH had convinced her it was fine. They have gone to the local police station but they can't help as currently no crime has been committed as the threats are more karma based than 'I'm going to hurt you'.

They are looking at getting a camera to see if they can catch them or hopefully just put them off doing it.

Has anyone else ever had any experience of anything like this? If so, did they eventually get bored? I know gazuumping is horrible (and have had it done to me) but this seems a bit of an over the top reaction to it.

OP posts:
BarkingUpTheWrongRoseBush · 08/09/2021 13:32

Getting a ring doorbell would be a start, keeping a record of everything. If it continues then keep contacting the police - it doesn't have to be threatening to be harrassment.,

Hopefully the frustrated buyers will find somewhere new and move on....

ScrumptiousBears · 08/09/2021 13:34

She's sensitive but happy to go along with offering over and above a best and final offer even though they technically lost. Whilst this is horrible to receive these messages and that shouldn't happen, she needs to check her morals.

Quickchangeartiste · 08/09/2021 13:34

I think the camera is a good idea. And obviously keep the footage. Gazumping is not nice, but is not worth this level of response.
Not any direct experience but making it clear your friends know who it is will probably put an end to it.

Eastie77Returns · 08/09/2021 13:36

Your friend's DH's behaviour was fine and not unethical. If you don't ask, you don't get. It sounds as if the failed buyer was unable to improve on the increased offer which is a shame and disappointing but that's life. They should be upset with the vendor rather than the new owners.

If the failed buyer is posting the messages they are clearly a bit unhinged and I would look into getting the camera fitted.

FourTeaFallOut · 08/09/2021 13:38

Get a ring door bell. Then when they work out who it is they can yell at them through the speaker. Surely these are exactly the situations when these gadgets earn their stripes?

PinkFootstool · 08/09/2021 13:39

The police are wrong, it's harassment, pure and simple. They need to go back and make a complaint - ask for it to be escalated to the Duty Inspector.

The identity of the harrasser is not known though which complicates things. Tyne next letter that arrives, don't handle it with bare hands, put it into a paper envelope (not an plastic bag, it will sweat) and ask the police to fingerprint it. Right now, if they have never been fingerprinted before it won't identify anyone, but if they also put up a CCTV Camera (have a look at Kasa cameras on Amazon - under £30 and highly effective), they may identify someone that way and be able to compare the prints.

GreyhoundG1rl · 08/09/2021 13:40

She is a very sensitive and kind person and already had felt terrible about the gazuumping but her DH had convinced her it was fine.
Of course.

FleasInMyKnees · 08/09/2021 13:41

Gazumping is awful but its the vendors that accepted it and the agents went along with it, more money all round. They need a Ring doorbell , keep the notes, inform the police and hopefully it will stop and the buyers who lost out fine somewhere nice to buy soon.

PersonaNonGarter · 08/09/2021 13:41

@ScrumptiousBears

She's sensitive but happy to go along with offering over and above a best and final offer even though they technically lost. Whilst this is horrible to receive these messages and that shouldn't happen, she needs to check her morals.
What?! Er nooo.

This is harassment and if morals need to be checked that would be you @ScrumptiousBears Shock

blacklilypad · 08/09/2021 13:51

They are in the process of getting either a video doorbell or CCTV. I'm not 100% sure which. She said her DH is installing something this weekend.

I think the problem with the police is they are just so busy that they feel this isn't worth their time IYSWIM. I've told them to go again if the camera doesn't help or if they get a clear image of the person.

Also, they called the EA to say they were receiving these messages in case they could give any details to the police. They have said they can't unless the police ask. But they have said there is no way the people who lost out would do this and they found another property a few days later Confused

OP posts:
FleasInMyKnees · 08/09/2021 13:58

Without evidence no one can say who is doing this, the e.a wont know either.

hippychick10 · 08/09/2021 14:04

I'd go back to the estate agents and try and get them to help...after all they'll know who your friend gazzumped!!

ButterflyAway · 08/09/2021 14:08

Are they 100% certain the notes are for them and not the previous owner?

canigooutyet · 08/09/2021 14:11

Any chance the previous owners were getting harassed like this?

Millymog · 08/09/2021 14:19

I know an Englishman's home is his castle and all that - but flippin heck the lengths some people go to / emotional attachment people place on property BEFORE they have even got the property /moved in. And I mean this about both your friend and the psychos who are sending the messages.
I know the whole property market in the UK is twisted but this type of story just drives that home (no pun intended).

FAQs · 08/09/2021 14:26

They have no idea who it is, they need a camera.

Boomkin · 08/09/2021 14:26

Off topic but if they could afford to pay that much then why didn’t they offer that amount as their “best and final” offer?

Twiglets1 · 08/09/2021 15:42

Not saying it is right for people to harass your friend and her husband but they need to own their own bad behaviour which trod over the feelings of others before expecting sympathy

Paddingtonthebear · 08/09/2021 16:06

Camera and then go from there. Estate agent can’t do anything and it’s nothing to do with them either. Get a camera or video recording and then go to police once an image of the person has been collected. Doesn’t matter what the reason is for this, it’s harassment and needs to be stopped.

TheyreTheSamePicture · 08/09/2021 16:14

Whilst this is horrible to receive these messages and that shouldn't happen, she needs to check her morals

Eh? It doesn’t really matter what they did in terms of the offer on the house - sending abusive and threatening messages is completely out of order. We had something similar and happen with a house and strangely enough it didn’t occur to me to go round to the house to harass the new owners with bizarre hand delivered letters

Divebar2021 · 08/09/2021 16:15

I would probably call the EA and say you’re going into the police station to make a report and you’re taking the letters in for fingerprinting. ( that’s quite non specific) Just to warn them that the police might request the names of the people who lost out. Amazing what they can do with handwriting analysis etc. 😏It could be the EA mentions this to the other couple and it all magically stops.

Cheeseandlobster · 08/09/2021 16:15

@Twiglets1

Not saying it is right for people to harass your friend and her husband but they need to own their own bad behaviour which trod over the feelings of others before expecting sympathy
This. Your friend and her dh behaved despicably. They lost. Distraught or not you move on. Imagine being told you have been successful in securing your perfect home just to be told some sneaky people have now got it for over riding the process that was set up. I bet the others were then more distraught.

Of course the letters and harassment are a terrible way to behave and a ring doorbell might be a good idea. But your friend and her dh should also own what they did.

blacklilypad · 08/09/2021 16:25

@Boomkin

Off topic but if they could afford to pay that much then why didn’t they offer that amount as their “best and final” offer?
I did say this to them. They said they were panicked about overpaying and their parents kept talking about being careful, negative equity, etc, etc. So they offered over asking but not their maximum. I think £10k over.

It went for a lot more and they've now paid £80k over asking and £30k over valuation. But they both feel it's their forever home so worth it.

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TheRebelle · 08/09/2021 16:27

A couple of days after we moved into our house someone vandalised our car, then about a month later the same happened again so we got a Ring doorbell and a prominent sign on the front window to say CCTV in operation and we’ve had no problems since, we think it must’ve been someone who didn’t realise the previous owners had moved out. The police couldn’t have been less interested.

blacklilypad · 08/09/2021 16:30

For everyone saying what they did was wrong, I agree gazuumping is terrible. Even they agree but our system allows for it and they decided that it was worth it to them to do it. I'm not going to lecture them on their morals, they are adults.

As I said, I've been gazuumped (and gazuundered) and as much as I was angry at the time, I didn't harrass the people. My DH is a bit more pragmatic and just shrugged and said 'they wanted it more' and 'we'll find something better' (which we did) when we got gazuumped

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