Damage during viewing

[helloimnew123]

Hi,

We viewed a property last week. In the bathroom there was a sagging ceiling. My husband touched it with his fingertips to see if it was damp and some of the plaster came away.

We did apologise and nothing else was said.

Today the estate agents have left a voicemail wanting to talk about the incident.

Obviously he shouldn't have touched it! But it was an accident and if the ceiling was in good condition it wouldn't have crumbled.

What would you do? Offer to pay to fix it? Are we going to get stung for a whole new plastered ceiling?

We are not interested in buying the property if that makes any difference

I agree about approaching it from a place of annoyance as PP's have suggested - I'd also add that you feel your time was wasted as there's clearly a serious damp issue the current owners need to sort out instead of hoping viewers won't notice.

Assuming he did just poke it with his finger and didn't get his screwdriver out of his pocket and dig away (which has been known) then follow previous advice. If the place has crumbling ceilings that fell apart when touched it's not your fault. Hold that position and don't even think of compensating. I don't suppose you took a photo, did you? Get someone you know to book a viewing in the next few days and photograph the damp, crumbling ceiling so that they can't pretend it was in perfect nick.

From the title I expected to read that you'd broken something.
That ceiling was already water damaged, he poked it and it started to crumble, proof enough that the agent was trying to mislead viewers.
Don't apologize, you did not break a perfect ceiling, it fell apart because it was already in need of urgent repair.

Yes, how about the piece of plaster hit your husband in the eye and he’s now in a lot of pain? Would the estate agents have a view on that, given that they didn’t warn him that the ceiling was dangerous?

Tell them it was a health and safety issue that a ceiling nearly collapsed on you and you hope they will be putting further viewings on hold until the problem is fixed.

Exactly...

If you'd knocked an expensive vase or TV over and broken it, fair enough - replace it, but touching an already damaged piece of plaster?! They should have fixed it already - it's not suddenly appeared.

Do r say a damn thing

just ignore any future calls

I think being able to touch a property you are considering buying is entirely reasonable! I dont think your DH has done anything wrong.

Even then I wouldn’t expect to pay of it was an accident

That is what contents insurance is for

Lucky it didn't fall down on you. I'd counter that with their failure to warn viewers of the dangers and make a complaint to the ombudsman for their dangerous sneaky behaviour.

Thanks for all your feedback. My husband is actually a bathroom fitter so he was thinking they would expect him to fix it! Which obviously he doesn't want to do.

They haven't actually called me back yet. So not sure what they are going to say.

Well you’re not going to find out because you’re going to ignore the call hopefully

Op I feel most people viewing a house would touch a bowing ceiling, it's clearly already damaged 😳

Yes this. The ceiling already needs replacing. But not by the viewers. By the owners.

Treat them with the incredulous contempt that they deserve. Cheeky fuckers.

In the nicest possible way OP, did your DH go poking and investigating the ceiling?

As a lay person, I have had a lot of builders and fitters do just that over the years. I ask for them to give a quote or opinion on something and they get their screwdriver out and start poking and peeling stuff and paint etc off so you end up with no choice but to deal with the matter urgently. If he did the latter, it is less clear cut whose problem this now is.

Yep I agree there.

Also you shouldn’t TOUCH the ceiling , really? Does it mean you shouldn’t touch the walls too in case they collapse? Or the door handles in case they come off?

Out of interest, if it was bowing ceiling, what was your DH hoping to discover by prodding it?

touching it to feel if it was wet, I suppose.

Is it damp (new issue) or dry (old issue)
I wouod assume

I would not open or touch anything without the owners permission. It is their home still. And you should respect that.

I realise you are a potential buyer but it doesn't give you licence to prod and open without asking first. And who would ask to prod a ceiling ?
Nobody because it would be an odd request.

I asked if I could look in the wardrobes before doing so. I wanted to look and felt as a potential buyer I should be able to. But I asked first.

I would never have prodded a ceiling I was unsure of. There are limits. If I was that unsure of a property I felt the need to prod the ceiling I would not be buying.
You can see and smell damp.

I suspect your DH has learnt his lesson. But there is etiquette in house hunting. He didn't observe it.

Echoing what other posters have said. They put you in potential danger of a ceiling collapse without any warning. Hopefully they are calling with an apology. Definitely do not offer to pay to fix anything or admit any liability.

*Hi Estate Agent,

Got a message about the ceiling and the plaster that fell down. No need for concern - only a small piece of plaster fell and DH was not hurt, although he easily could have been if more had come down. I am surprised that you did not warn us that the ceiling was unstable and dangerous before the viewing, or at least before going into that room.*

Brilliant response.

Well-- it may seem glib. But remember viewers need estate agents on side. They are looking to buy a house. Estate agents act for the seller. So I wouldn't be too 'funny' to the agent. Unless you were confident you were not going to want to view a house they had for sale in future.

He just touched it with his fingertips to see if it was damp and it instantly crumbled down. I saw him do it, the whole incident took 2 seconds