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Original poster

Silly property enquiry questions

25 replies

Househunting21397 · 09/09/2022 11:24

New to the buying/selling process. The house I bought was a repo so didn't have any property enquiries.

I've been waiting weeks for the buyers solicitor to send over the property enquiries to my solicitor. My solicitor chased and didn't hear back for ages. Then received them and it's took them two weeks to get to me.

Some of the questions are absolutely ridiculous, there were 10 which i've answered. the first one really annoyed me as the buyers mortgage company have valued the house at 90k. Anyone any experience on how long until exchange and completion after responding to property enquiries? Below are some of the questions.

Please confirm when you bought the property that it was purchased at full market value as the buyers Solicitors are questioning that the property uplift is now £40,000.00. Have you carried out any improvement works to the property since you bought it that would make an uplift in the property value. It may of course a natural increase due to the property market.

Please could you clarify your reply to the parking situation at the property referred to in the Property Information Form at 9.1. Are you advising that the neighbours drive informally park a second car ?

Please confirm there have been no further issues in relation to the warrant claim referred to in the Property Information Form with regards to the boiler.

OP posts:

JellyMouldJnr · 09/09/2022 11:31

Just answer them as best you can, no point getting annoyed. The questions are from the solicitor who has probably not seen the property.

MadeInChorley · 09/09/2022 11:33

You’ll need to answer them all. They are standard conveyancing questions used in all conveyancing transactions. Your solicitor can advise on your responses, but it’s reasonable for the buyer to state the facts and qualify them with “As far as the buyer is aware…” and “The seller has no further information. The property was bought as a repossession”. You must answer them truthfully and thoroughly as possible - they are warranties and the buyer is entitled to rely on them and come after you if they are wrong or misleading.

Genuinely, as a buyer, I would want to know as much as possible and would press points if I didn’t have a satisfactory answer. For example, if someone had been parking in my new drive, I’d want to know. because I might not want that to continue, and this might cause a dispute. It might not be a problem for you, but clarity is needed, otherwise the sale may fall through if the buyer isn’t satisfied with your responses.

PhilInt · 09/09/2022 12:17

These don't seem to be silly questions.

Original poster

Househunting21397 · 09/09/2022 12:56

@PhilInt I disagree personally. Why do they need to know about parking when I have a drive and I have already stated there is parking outside the property and I clearly stated that the neighbour allows us to park outside of their front (I'm not sure where parking on the neighbours drive has come from!?)

Why do they need to question the increase of house price when the buyers mortgage company has had it valued and it is valued at 90k.

Why does any issues matter with the boiler when the boiler is still in warranty so would be covered anyway?

I've answered them all anyway and some were valid, like warranties and installations, but I think some of them are stupid.

OP posts:

FuzzyPuffling · 09/09/2022 12:59

To be honest, it doesn't matter what you think about the questions...you just have to answer them! At least, if they appear that daft, they are usually very easy to respond to!

HK171 · 09/09/2022 13:00

Currently buying/ selling and have found that sometimes solicitors' or buyers' enquiries can be repetitive (as in you've already answered the question) or not really relevant. It's OK for your reply to reflect that - something like 'This doesn't apply because....' or 'As previously stated...'

Just see it as ticking a box.

LionessesRules · 09/09/2022 13:12

I think the exact wording you used on the parking matters. By "out front" do you mean on a public road? Not sure hy you would've mentioned it unless there had been an issue, hence the question. It also possibly reads like you park on the neighbour's land. Thy are just clarifying g exactly what you mean.

Price: bought as a repossession. Easy explanation for above average price rise. Solicitor is doing their job.

Warranty: it sounds like there has been a claim against the warranty. They want to make sure the boiler hasn't got a long running g issue that means the warranty is activated for the same issue every 6 months. Just doing their job.

Answer the questions as best you can, and move on with it.

BrokenMatress · 09/09/2022 13:23

The warranty may not be transferable- is it?

GoldenGorilla · 09/09/2022 13:28

Those are all reasonable questions, just answer as best you can and get on with your day!

Rockthefatskillz · 09/09/2022 13:33

They are asking about the increase in value because if you acquired the property at an undervalue then there could be legal implications arising from this. Your ignorance as to the reason for the question doesn’t make it a stupid
one. Just answer it.

Also agree with a previous poster, you are being asked about the parking because you’ve given a strange answer about the neighbours giving permission for parking. If there’s a drive and also on street parking on the public highway why do you need permission to park / how is this relevant?

YABU

Original poster

Househunting21397 · 09/09/2022 14:49

To clarify about the parking it asks on the property form about parking. My property is on a bus stop, which I put on the property form and I also said I have a drive but if the person has two cars they are not able to park on the road outside my property due to the bus stop, which I noted. I then put on the form in detail that our other car parks outside of neighbours house on the road.

The neighbour has two dropped kerbs and two gates however one gate is not in used so I checked with the neighbour and we park outside their front. Usually you obviously would not be allowed to park over a driveway/on a dropped kerb. I went into great detail on the form.

I've answered all the questions, I just don't get why you would repeat questions that have already been answered several times this has been going on for months now, I just want to exchange and complete. My solicitor has been chasing them for weeks for these enquiries. 🤷

OP posts:

Original poster

Househunting21397 · 09/09/2022 14:51

@BrokenMatress yes it will be, I changed it out of the previous person's name when I had an issue with the boiler 😁

OP posts:

JellyMouldJnr · 09/09/2022 15:07

that's your problem, you've gone into too much detail! 'property has a drive' is sufficient.

Kite22 · 09/09/2022 15:19

Agree with others, it sounds like you have complicated things by going in to detail about an individual arrangement that you have.
If you had just said "There is a driveway at the property" that presumably wouldn't have warranted any more questions.

Original poster

Househunting21397 · 09/09/2022 16:34

I mean the question stated what are the parking arrangements at the property 🤷 therefore I clearly stated that I have a drive but have to park elsewhere due to the bus stop. If I hadn't mentioned it the buyer could then come back and say I didn't tell them there were parking restrictions due to a bus stop, hence covering my own back.

OP posts:

FuzzyPuffling · 09/09/2022 16:50

But you have a drive, which is the answer to the question. The possibility of extra cars is not relevant. (I could just as easily say about my drive "Room for two cars but if you've got five cars you're stuffed") Surely she has seen the house and looked at the parking arrangements?

titchy · 09/09/2022 16:58

Other than the bus stop are there any other restrictions? I really don't know why you had to into detail about you parking across your neighbours dropped kerb (which you could get a ticket for btw - regardless of whether your neighbour minds - he doesn't actually own the road you know). Surely 'parking for one car on drive' is sufficient. Maybe add 'no restrictions on road other than at bus stop'.

You've kind of caused the problem here!

Original poster

Househunting21397 · 09/09/2022 16:59

@FuzzyPuffling no the buyer has not seen the property they saw it over video link, their family came and viewed it for them (mad I know). Hence why I tried to give as much info as possible that there is parking. You never know it could have been a deal breaker for them!

OP posts:

FuzzyPuffling · 09/09/2022 17:09

Well, her family has seen it which is much the same thing.

I am currently in the sell/buy process and everything my solicitor sends me is preceded by the caveat "buyer beware".

carefullycourageous · 09/09/2022 17:12

Househunting21397 · 09/09/2022 16:34

Sorry but you are mistaken. The bus stop is presumably not a secret bus stop, it is visible in the road? No one has any comeback over anything that is clearly visible.

You are going into far too much detail. Answer factually about the HOUSE only, not any personal arrangements you have with neighbours etc.

The parking arrangements AT THE PROPERTY are that there is a drive.

RedRobyn2021 · 09/09/2022 18:37

It depends whether they've had searches back or not as to how long it will be now

Minimalme · 09/09/2022 19:28

You are reminding me of the sellers we had the misfortune to deal with recently.

They found lots of the questions our solicitors asked ridiculous. We told them our lenders wouldn't lend unless all the questions were answered. They just repeated that they were ridiculous questions.

We walked away in the end.

Chewbecca · 10/09/2022 09:42

The bus stop and the road isn't part of the property you are selling so didn't need to be mentioned.

Original poster

Househunting21397 · 12/09/2022 11:57

@Minimalme I've not refused to answer them. I've answered every single one even if I find some of them a bit pedantic to ask.

The thing that I guess has frustrated me most is that the buyers solicitor has had my property information forms since June. All of the questions asked are from the forms, so why has it taken until September for them to send them to my solicitor.

That is more what I am frustrated about, not so much the questions being asked, but they should have been asked months ago. I'm only now being asked for an official copy of my marriage certificate for instance (I provided my solicitor a copy months ago, so another frustration is why has it taken 3 months to say actually we need an official copy).

OP posts:

rrrrrreatt · 17/09/2022 12:28

We sold my partner’s flat to his neighbour in spring. Right until we exchanged his solicitors were asking really silly questions like where are the bins and how can you access them, where are the meters, does the car park have a locked gate, etc.

The buyer knew all the answers and was desperate to move in so it wasn’t driven by him! Solicitors cover their arses in property purchases - it’s time consuming but if they didn’t they’d be accountable when it went wrong.

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