Anyone on her do surveys for mortgage valuation?

[sleepyhoglet]

We really want to buy a house. It has been renovated and is basically finished. Has bathrooms, heating, decorated etc and has a utility room with sink. The vendor has run our if money and won't be fitting a kitchen. He flat refuses and now we don't know if we will get a mortgage and the EA aren't being very helpful. Wondering if the sink in the utility room will be sufficient or if vendor continues to refuse to put a cooker and small worktop in then that's it and we can't proceed.

From what I know there are very few lenders that will lend without a basic kitchen being in place - I doubt what you’ve described would qualify. The lenders that do tend to be specialist ones for building projects.

That's what I thought @CoolShoeshine I really need the estate agent to persuade him or it all collapses

No idea if this is possible or how you'd safeguard your money, but could you offer to pay for a very basic kitchen, and the vendor deals with the project?

Only suggesting this as you seem very keen on the house. I may be talking rubbish though!

Could it ever be a condition of the mortgage, where they lend but on the condition a kitchen is in place within a certain timescale?

Or as a last resort but a very cheap cooker and a table and put that in? Surely anyone trying to buy this house will have the same issue unless they are a cash buyer so the seller really needs to figure something out?

The vender will not be able to sell his property without basic kitchen in place. It will be a condition of mortgage loan that kitchen is in place before completion takes place. I would walk away and find something else. He is being an arse.

I work for a bank and we would not lend without a kitchen in place. We couldn't add it as a condition of the offer as no way of enforcement. He is being quite naive as basically without a kitchen the property is unmortgagable

@stickygotstuck that is one option but we are already paying over the odds and are very tightly stretched. We may have to consider this but it's risky if for some reason we loose our buyer etc

@LaLaFlottes yes I imagine all buyers will have the same issue! I think the Ea need to explain to him more but he is hard to contact and I think they've just spoken to him once. It doesn't need to be anything fancy! I intend to sort a proper kitchen if and when we move in

@Jmaho what would you pass as a kitchen. Will a basic plumber sink, cooker and small worktop be acceptable? There is a sink and workspace in the utility.

Why would you pay over the odds for a house that doesn't even have a kitchen in?
Also if you pay for a kitchen to be fitted by the vendor, be careful as the seller could pull out and you could end up out of pocket.

@Badgertastic we won't be paying for a kitchen to be fitted by him. We will request basic kitchen requirements that we will remove once we get a proper kitchen. Paying over the odds because of the market, because it's a lovely house and plot and we are in the moving game now (have a buyer) so don't want to pull out until we really have to.

The property is unmortgageable so he may remarket to cash buyers only. Sorry OP as that is not helpful.

I don’t know if this is feasible but depending on how keen/desperate you are for this specific house could you ask him to put in the skeleton of a very basic kitchen and offer to pay towards it - payment to be made upon Completion so you protect your money.

There’s probably a dozen things wrong with that idea, just thinking out of the box!

Thanks @Eastie77Returns I think payment on completion would be a compromise if we have to go there but given how much he already wants and I know he needs to sell, I would rather he just sorted it! I think all the forms etc are freaking him out. He's a retired builder and doesn't even have internet etc so probably quite stressful for him

[quote sleepyhoglet]@Jmaho what would you pass as a kitchen. Will a basic plumber sink, cooker and small worktop be acceptable? There is a sink and workspace in the utility. [/quote]
It's impossible to say to be honest. I depends on what the valuer thinks. I know that's not much help, sorry

I have bought un-mortgageable properties and usually the requirement is a working plumbed sink in the kitchen and a working plumbed toilet / washing facilities,

Cookers are not always integrated and often not part of the fixtures and fittings list as they can be taken by the vendor during a sale so not always a requirement

really you need to ask your mortgage provider what their own requirements are as I expect it can vary

I don't know if the sink in a utility would count as kitchen

@Jmaho

I work for a bank and we would not lend without a kitchen in place. We couldn't add it as a condition of the offer as no way of enforcement. He is being quite naive as basically without a kitchen the property is unmortgagable

I've heard about this rule before, but curious as to why. Out of interest, why does a house need to have a kitchen to be mortgageable?