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Original poster

Would you send the structural survey to the EA & vendor ?

59 replies

Popcornshovel · 12/08/2023 11:34

I really need your help MN’ers. I’ve had a structural survey on a property which has come back with 15 urgent repairs including Wet rot (confirmed by damp specialist) roof & timber repairs and a lot of other things requiring urgent attention.

It’s a tricky purchase if I’m honest. Marriage breakdown and wife wanted to buy the husband out but couldn’t afford to!

After talks with EA and sending over some screen grabs from the survey, the vendor agreed to allow specialists to go in to price up work. (Master builders from check a trade as recommended by the surveyor who called me to tell me these issues need checking by qualified people before I proceed)

The property is empty and I got the quotes back last week. Sent an email to EA and vendor was happy to renegotiate according to the quotes. (Property is owned by him and he gets the final say on everything.) We compromised on a reduction I was happy with (not the full cost and not all repairs had been quoted)

New purchase price agreed, updated memorandum sent to my solictor to proceed with purchase. Then the next day EA called to say the wife wants a copy if the survey and quotes as she can get the jobs done cheaper? To be honest I’m not happy about that as she could send in Bob the builder from down the road to botch up jobs that need qualified tradesmen to repair? I’m talking structural cracking failing RSJ’s not just simple things and most importantly wet rot throughout the ground floor of this house? WWYD if you were me? Would you send the survey, or pull out of the purchase? 😰 I’m so torn in what to do 🫣

OP posts:
C4tastrophe · 12/08/2023 12:14

The survey is yours. Don’t send it to the EA or the vendor, only screenshots of the relevant parts.
If you’ve agreed the new price, does the wife think she’ll negotiate you up?

Original poster
Popcornshovel · 12/08/2023 12:19

@C4tastrophe thank you for your reply. I think she may, or she wants the details to be able to buy it herself maybe… I don’t know? 🫣 The EA also lied to me and it’s had a previous survey and the buyers pulled out. So I can’t even trust the EA. 😩

OP posts:
KievLoverTwo · 12/08/2023 12:29

Popcornshovel · 12/08/2023 12:19

@C4tastrophe thank you for your reply. I think she may, or she wants the details to be able to buy it herself maybe… I don’t know? 🫣 The EA also lied to me and it’s had a previous survey and the buyers pulled out. So I can’t even trust the EA. 😩

It's a liability and you cannot trust either party involved.

It's the wrong market for them to be haggling.

Walk away. Send them nothing.

Original poster
Popcornshovel · 12/08/2023 12:47

@KievLoverTwo I feel like this is what I will do. I’m not happy to be messed around especially like you’ve said. In a falling market! The situation just seems bizarre. 😩

OP posts:
LittleAlexHornn · 12/08/2023 21:51

I agree, walk away.

Far too much risk here, I'd keep looking and leave this one; especially with a shoddy EA. Avoid anything listed with them!

Original poster
Popcornshovel · 13/08/2023 06:18

I’m more annoyed that she thinks she can negotiate me up on an already agreed price 😡 is she for real? I’ve honestly never heard of this happening.

OP posts:
AnSolas · 13/08/2023 06:35

The husband owns and has signing authority, right?
So while the agent may work for both and pass on requests from the wife your question should be has the husband as home owner asked for it.

If you want the house inform the agent (by email if you have details) that you will only deal directly with the husband's requests so you are not sending anything over as he has already agreed a deal.
If the agent comes back to you with an ask from the husband then you know you need to think about walking away.

IcedGemsandPartyRings · 13/08/2023 06:35

Putting aside the repairs and whip should do them, the wife may well have a say in what offer they accept for the house, it depends what her consent order says. And if she doesn't want to move, she will always want to reject offers. He, on the other hand, may just want shot so he can move in.
I think the whole transaction sounds doomed.

PickledPurplePickle · 13/08/2023 06:42

Walk away

the transaction itself sounds like a nightmare

also the house sounds like it’s not actually structurally sound which would worry me a lot

grass321 · 13/08/2023 07:05

My survey came back along the same lines. Asbestos (the bad type that needed an ET type tunnel to remove), wood boring beetles in the joists etc. Not a massive surprise as the house was nearly derelict.

Like you, we got in specialist quotes and split the cost. If you've agreed the price reduction, I wouldn't go back and share more information as I think there's only downside. I'd go for an ultimatum that the wife agrees or you'll withdraw your offer and look elsewhere.

Hang in there if you really want it and get the EA to earn their money by telling the vendors to pull their horns in. Every other buyer would have the survey and the same price negotiation. But I'm glad I didn't pull out as it was my dream house.

SquishyGloopyBum · 13/08/2023 07:11

I'd be politely but firmly saying no as it's all agreed.

But, it sounds like there are major issues. Is this something you really want to take on?

Ambi · 13/08/2023 07:15

I'd also be replying that it has been agreed so no need to discuss it further.

UseOfWeapons · 13/08/2023 07:29

I’d walk away and not send them the survey. I had agreed a price on a house subject to survey. Had full structural surgery done which showed subsidence. Told EA I was withdrawing due to the outcome of the survey. EA and vendor asked for a copy. I said I was happy for them to have a copy if they paid for half the cost, otherwise they could get their own, but I still didn’t want the house.
They didn’t pay for the survey.

WatchOutMissMarpleIsAbout · 13/08/2023 07:39

Do you want the house? How do you feel about it?

We walked away from a house purchase following a survey - the surveyor actually said to me he wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole, as a lot of cosmetic stuff had been done to cover botch jobs. That was enough for me.

Dh still wanted to go ahead, he loved the house, but I put my foot down. Also they weren’t prepared to negotiate which pissed me off.

Under a year later we found our my current dream house.

However if it had been our current house I probably would have gone ahead.

nevynevster · 13/08/2023 07:40

Nope. Don't send it. You are quite right, if these are major works then you will want to know they have been done to a satisfactory standard and you definitely don't want a bodge job.
If they want a copy of the survey then they can pay.for it as someone suggested, provide half the cost for example. And if they want to remediate the property then you will ask for the surveyor to assess the work too and they ought to pay for the cost of that too.

I bought my current home which required some major work and we discussed a price reduction based on a quote for fixing the problem. In the end the vendors decided to commission the work themselves prior to purchase but I got a report (which they paid for) from a surveyor confirming the works were done and had corrected the issue. This was very important as I needed it for buildings insurance purposes and it came with warranty too.

TheWayTheLightFalls · 13/08/2023 07:46

I would send it over, with a note saying that you will not be re-negotiating on the basis of any quotes that W finds, because these are major and significant works and it is in your interest as the buyer to use accredited builders recommended by your surveyor.

MarieG10 · 13/08/2023 07:46

Popcornshovel · 13/08/2023 06:18

I’m more annoyed that she thinks she can negotiate me up on an already agreed price 😡 is she for real? I’ve honestly never heard of this happening.

It's a fairly common tactic for one party to stall the sale but not risk being shown to deliberately do so, especially if it hasn't been amicable and could end up at court. I wouldn't say walk straight away but do not bend to her demands. Be clear to the person you have been dealing with that you are not getting into a bidding war based on the cheapest Bob a Job merchant she can locate

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 13/08/2023 07:52

It’s not the EA job to work for you, the vendor pays them, and their loyalty is to the vendor.
Your survey belongs to you, and if you buy the house, it’s up to you whom you use to fix it. Nothing to do with the vendor except as a price tactic.
The house sounds quite a project, unless you are in love with it, I would leave the occupant to live in her crumbling pile.

Twiglets1 · 13/08/2023 08:02

It’s normal to do what you have already done - send screenshots of relevant parts of the survey not the whole survey which you have paid a lot of money for.

I do think it’s fair for the wife to see the same screenshots as the husband saw. However, the whole situation sounds messy as hell. Tbh I think I would walk away at this stage.

grass321 · 13/08/2023 08:06

It’s not the EA job to work for you, the vendor pays them, and their loyalty is to the vendor.

The EA wants the transaction completed or they won't be paid. When I've been the vendor, there's definitely been occasions where their loyalty hasn't been on my side (even the EAs who were friends). If they feel you're being unreasonable as the vendor, they'll tell you. Their aim is to get the deal done and move on.

This a situation where the EA should be talking to both sides to find a compromise. I feel you're being entirely reasonable so I'd expect them to advise the vendor to honour the price negotiation and move towards exchange.

ActDottie · 13/08/2023 08:25

No I wouldn’t. I also wouldn’t want the jobs done cheaper as you want them done properly. The vendor is trying their luck so stand your ground particularly as you already agreed on using the recommended tradesmen.

Twiglets1 · 13/08/2023 08:36

Sorry @Popcornshovel Ive just read the OP again and seen that the husband owns the property. I had assumed it was joint owned. This changes things slightly. I would tell the EA you are only dealing with the legal owner (the husband) so won’t be sending screenshots or anything to the wife.
If it gets any messier I would still walk away. But see what happens over the next few days after you have passed that message on.

NoSquirrels · 13/08/2023 08:40

Leaving aside the crap behaviour of the vendors, do you really really want this particular house? Dodgy RSJs, wet rot and all?

IcedGemsandPartyRings · 13/08/2023 08:47

Twiglets1 · 13/08/2023 08:36

Sorry @Popcornshovel Ive just read the OP again and seen that the husband owns the property. I had assumed it was joint owned. This changes things slightly. I would tell the EA you are only dealing with the legal owner (the husband) so won’t be sending screenshots or anything to the wife.
If it gets any messier I would still walk away. But see what happens over the next few days after you have passed that message on.

The property and the mortgage may be in his name, but she will likely have registered an interest in it as the marital home. And she'll likely be getting a cut as part of the divorce settlement.
I'm not saying she's being reasonable trying to talk the price down, but she probably has some say in the matter.

Twiglets1 · 13/08/2023 09:03

IcedGemsandPartyRings · 13/08/2023 08:47

The property and the mortgage may be in his name, but she will likely have registered an interest in it as the marital home. And she'll likely be getting a cut as part of the divorce settlement.
I'm not saying she's being reasonable trying to talk the price down, but she probably has some say in the matter.

Show quote history

She may have some say influence but as a potential Buyer of the property, I still wouldn't be sending her screenshots of the survey let alone the whole thing. It's up to the legal owner (husband) whether he shares them with her or not.

Their divorce settlement is not something for OP to worry about or get involved in. I would keep things simple and say I'm only dealing with requests from the legal owner.