Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Disputer home buyers repost as the seller

22 replies

YummyBelicious · 25/01/2022 21:35

Has anyone had any experience of this? The surveyor has asked for permissions/structural evidence for removal of a wall. They have made an error and the wall never actually existed and we have written to solicitors in response to this enquiry. We have shown interior shots of many houses on our street to show they are all the same as evidence.
The solicitor was happy with response, but they have now gone back to the surveyor with my evidence. I guess the buyer I understandably (if incorrectly!) worried.

I'm not exactly sure what they are expecting them to say? Will the surveyor retract this alert on their report?
Anyone heard of anything similar?

Thank you

OP posts:
Original poster
YummyBelicious · 25/01/2022 21:39

Title should read

Disputing home buyers report as seller

OP posts:
BasementIdeas · 26/01/2022 11:09

To be honest, I expect this will be quite easy to resolve

We were also asked about an internal wall that they thought had been removed in one of the enquires. I just responded that the wall had never existed and didn’t hear anything back at all. I didn’t provide any evidence at all to back this up

Original poster
YummyBelicious · 26/01/2022 16:31

Thank you. We have heard nothing about it for ages, due to exchange, and yep! They want the surveyor to comment?? Stress!

OP posts:
Original poster
YummyBelicious · 28/01/2022 15:26

Update for anyone reading, we are having to get a structural engineer round to confirm. Sigh

OP posts:
senua · 28/01/2022 15:49

@YummyBelicious

Update for anyone reading, we are having to get a structural engineer round to confirm. Sigh
Are you paying for this!? Considering that it's a sellers' market, I'd tell your buyer to pay. Or suggest that they get their numpty of a surveyor to pay!!
Original poster
YummyBelicious · 28/01/2022 16:57

Apparently no spare funds to pay so is very upset blah blah. I've booked one and we are finding out if they will go halves. I've just done this in the interest of moving things forward as if they can't pay what do I do?! Nightmare eh

OP posts:
Saz12 · 28/01/2022 17:44

If they can’t pay, then they don’t get the structural engineer in.

It’s usual for survey to throw something up (eg need for specialist damp survey, need for further check on roof, need for timber survey, etc etc) but I’ve always known it as something the purchaser arraigned & pays for.

Nicolastar78 · 28/01/2022 17:52

Can you possibly ask the buyers to come round again and take them to a few houses in the street ?? Just so they can see for themselves that the wall never existed ?? .

Soulstirring · 28/01/2022 18:03

Don’t pay for it. You’ve said it wasn’t there, if they want to spend time and money disproving you then let them. I’d be as mad as hell you’ve given proof of other properties, responded in a timely fashion etc and are now expected to pay to prove your word. By all means allow the surveyor back in to correct his error but don’t pay him for the privilege. Either the surveyor should pay or they should.

senua · 28/01/2022 18:32

It's ridiculous. Somebody else said that something was amiss. And now you are expected to cough up to prove the non-existent thing doesn't exist. Tell them to jog on.

Apparently no spare funds to pay so is very upset blah blah.
It might be an idea to confirm that they are still going to pay the agreed purchase price, just to make sure that they are not going to try to gazunder you at the last minute.Angry

Original poster
YummyBelicious · 28/01/2022 18:32

You are all right and I am livid. By no means is this me accepting that it's my responsibility.
But if she has no money, won't proceed without it as is too nervous that the house is structurally unstable(!) I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.
If she pulls out/I pull out and I have to start again with a chain I could end up coming to the end of my mortgage deal etc etc
I'm so done with it all and so cross.
I feel so mad at the surveyor, they have seen the photos and still reverted back to engineer.
It's all a liability thing, the fucker.

OP posts:
October2020 · 28/01/2022 18:34

You're insane paying for this. Just tell them no.

senua · 28/01/2022 18:43

But if she has no money, won't proceed without it as is too nervous that the house is structurally unstable(!) I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Surveyor caused this problem. Surveyor sorts it, at their cost.

FurierTransform · 28/01/2022 18:44

Yup agree with the previous replies - I'd take a firm line with them. Being worried that the house is structurally unstable for silly reasons is their problem to resolve however they like.

ElftonWednesday · 28/01/2022 18:47

Tell them to pay for the structural engineer or fuck off move on and you will sell to the next person. They are being ridiculous.

senua · 28/01/2022 18:49

Can you get a copy of the surveyor's report (evidence).
Tell them that if the sale falls through due to their malpractise you are going to sue them for your losses. Sound like you mean business: ask for details of their complaints procedure and who their regulatory body is.

senua · 28/01/2022 18:52

Is the surveyor the one appointed by the mortgagor? Threaten that you'll tell them, too.

senua · 28/01/2022 18:56

Surely the surveyor doesn't want a local firm of structural engineers to look at his report and confirm "yes, he's a total numpty"? That can't be good for his business.

Original poster
YummyBelicious · 28/01/2022 19:00

Thank you all for your replies and help, it's such an upsetting stressful time.
I just want this to be over with.

The agents and my solicitor suggested halves to move things forward. I've booked it whilst we are waiting for confirmation, but I will only pay half. If they can't pay half now, or confirm it in writing they'll pay it on completion, I will hang on to my (expensive) piece of paper and wait

OP posts:
SockFluffInTheBath · 28/01/2022 19:00

How quickly did you get the accepted offer and did you have any others? It’s not likely to be the last time this cf rolls out ‘I need a freebie and us probably gearing up for 5 mins before exchanging. I’d tell them to sling it OP, it’s a sellers market at the moment.

user1471530109 · 28/01/2022 20:55

OP, I had this with a surveyor. She said there had been a chimney removed in the kitchen (had there fuck!) and that it was opposite a substation (again:bollocks!). The buyers pulled out and I went ballistic. I made a formal complaint and the cheeky cow's come back was 'yes, I can now see it's not a substation etc but I would still advise them not to buy' Shock.

Anyway. After whilst taking the complaint as far as I could, the next buyers had a survey. The same surveyor turned up! My xh said she didn't even look round for more than 5 mins and was really rude. We never heard anything back from the new buyers about any issues so I'm assuming she didn't make shit up the second time.

What also put me off ever having a homebuyers report is that she was in and out so quickly. Even the first time. She literally just walked into each room. At one point she asked if that was the loft hatch (it was). We asked if she wanted us to pull the loft ladders down-'oh no, that's ok, I won't be going up'. It made me realise it wasn't worth the paper it's written on. At the time, a homebuyers report was about £750!

Ariela · 28/01/2022 22:53

If the house isn't massively old, do the original plans show up on the local council website? Many councils go back 20-25 years online.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page