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

[Popcornshovel]

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 🫣

If she is not the legal owner she has to go to court to stop the sale. Assuming that the OP is offering a fair market value it is up to the wife to pay to get a survey and quotes done and argue with the husband over what element of the price is hers.

Her argument discussion is with her husband not the buyer. The OP is not benefitting from getting involved.

If the husband comes back asking for what the wife wants she likely has a veto option (legal or otherwise)

at that stage OP should start house hunting again because the house is empty and the wife still wants to buy it so no price will be "fair" and if it sells it will end up as a long process

Do not give either of them a copy of the report, if they want one they can instruct a full structural survey like you did and pay for it.

That report belongs to you.

If she wants the survey she can buy it off you or pay for her own, but I'd be thinking along the lines of telling her to butt out if you've already got something agreed with the husband

@AnSolas yes I did this yesterday. The EA reassured me in email that I don’t need to send all of the survey just the urgent list…. But yet the call stated she wants the full survey and the quotes. 😫 I’m waiting until the EA who has been dealing with this is in, tomorrow as she’s off this weekend. I’ll go through it with her because all throughout this process I have had to wait on him. He gets the final say in everything as he’s the owner. We have agreed the new price for the property which is around £13k short of my quotes might I add and now she wants to get the work quoted and re-negotiate it or do the work herself. I will walk if this is the case.

@SquishyGloopyBum I'm hesitant I won’t deny that. And I’m not getting a bargain 😫 it would be a project that I wouldn’t make any return on as it will cost me around £40k to bring up to modern standard so if anything I’ll be at a loss 🫣

If it's going to be a loss, why are you proceeding? Serious question!

I'd walk away, or as a minimum say this is your final offer and give the vendor 24 hours to proceed or you withdraw, they are unlikely to to match your offer so would be stupid to loose you!

@WatchOutMissMarpleIsAbout my surveyor said exactly the same. He advised me to proceed with extreme caution and not until those repairs had been quoted. As a cash buyer it doesn’t deter me as I’m not reliant upon a mortgage but it did get valued 65k less than what I originally agreed 🫣 I feel crazy writing this and seeing it.

@SquishyGloopyBum its a personal reason for purchasing this house. I grew up there about 5 doors down and have always wanted a house there. Plus there is the most beautiful line of pink and white magnolia trees across the back of the garden. You know when you just fall in love with something 🥰 well I fell in love with the magnolias 😊 it does still have quite a few of the original features too. I’m hoping I don’t loose any with the wet rot 🤞🏼

Are the magnolias really worth £65k less?

I'd revise the offer to reflect the valuation to be honest.

Don't let the heart overrule the head....

@gogomoto I'm going to do this and give them until Wednesday at time of close. I really do love the house. I wish I had the strength to just withdraw and move on but I feel like I need to give it a chance 🤞🏼 they paid almost £200k less 7 years ago than what I’m paying then now so I hope they see that they made good profit from living in a house they’ve done absolutely nothing to apart from neglect! No one lives with wet rot and doesn’t notice it 😫well I wouldn’t imagine so as all the high skirting boards have all crumbled and rotted 😩

@SquishyGloopyBum my sister keeps saying this too. 😰 The house has lovely bones and I plan to live in it for a very long time. Adoring my magnolia trees. If the house does become mine I will share images of said trees they really are stunning.

I wouldn’t be basing anything on what they paid years ago, it’s not profit as they will both have to buy a house elsewhere.

But I would be basing it on a current evaluation and cost of works. Get quotes in as quick as you can from reputable builders, and also get their advice on what needs doing. Wet rot and such can mean a very varied amount of cost, sometimes it’s not evident until a builder gets in there, and so good specialists in this would be able to give you a really good idea of how much work is really involved.

Hi Op,

we had similar from our vendor when we did a full survey and it came up with a load of horrors we hadn’t anticipated.

we went back to negotiate the price down and they wanted to see the survey. We didn’t send them our survey as in the survey T&C’s it stated we couldn’t share it with other third parties without the surveyor’s approval (and they would’ve charged us for the pleasure). So we listed the major issues that needed urgent attention that we hadn’t known about etc.

Like others suggested, I would go back to the EA state you will only deal with the legal owner of the property and say you cannot share the survey due to it’s T&C’s, but here’s a list of major works u covered (if you want to share that with them).

Maybe also a reminder that you’re already paying more than what it was valued at, you’re a cash buyer and with what the survey has brought up and the fact someone else pulled out after a survey, they may want to think about that before messing you around.

I’d probably also try and exchange a couple of weeks before completion so the ex wife doesn’t try to throw a spanner in the works if you tried to exchange/complete on the same day!

Good luck with it all.

@GingeNinga thanks for your help. I will do this tomorrow and leave it with them until no later than Wednesday. I won’t be left hanging around on pins not knowing. It’s taken me over 2 weeks waiting on the builders and damp specialist to get the quotes and then renegotiate. So I don’t want to waste any more time. 🥰

Little follow up… I’m still waiting. 😅 I know it’s not even 10am yet but I gave them until 4:30 today to get back to me. Feel like biting my nails! I said we proceed on the agreed price which was negotiated by husband before the wife stepped in….. or I withdraw and find something else. I feel like he must be mulling it over otherwise I would have heard by now surely?

No no no it's your survey. She can pay for her own if she wants!

You need to say 'have you accepted my offer or not. If not I will start re looking'

@Unexpectedlysinglemum I think I need to start looking. If he stood by the original agreed negotiated price he would have said there and then I think.

I'm gonna call for a decision I know I said 4:30 but I feel they already know and could have overlooked it.

my husband is telling me now to call the EA though 😩 because I look like I’m desperate for it and they get the upper hand on it? Is this the case? I hate these games!

I think you’ve been really generous with the deadline, eso as it appears to be the ex trying to cause hassle.

The problems sound quite a lot, have you added a contingency of at least 10% to your renovation costs, as once builders get in, they will inevitably find other problems, especially given what’s already cropped up.

We were messed around when trying to buy our renovation project. Estate agent claiming someone had made the same offer as us 10 minutes after us (on a house that had been sat on the market for months and months). We basically refused to up our offer, so they went with the other people - this was a Thursday afternoon.

The following Monday morning they called to see if our offer was still on the table as something had happened with the other buyers (cynic in me says there were no other buyers). We told them we were about to put an offer on another property, but our offer still stood unless we had an offer accepted on the other property - never seen an estate agent move so fast to confirm an offer was accepted. If they know you’re looking elsewhere (especially at properties with other agents) the estate agents seem to pull out all the stops for a quick resolution!

In hindsight we should’ve just offered on the second property and avoided the original one like the plague - was an expensive lesson learned.

I would call the agent and ask to see some other houses. Lets the vendor know you are serious about pulling out (if indeed you are, you seem to be paying a hefty price for nostalgia ).

You are a bit desperate and have to leave it til half four re: their answer.

Start looking at other houses anyway, OP. It can’t hurt. If you pull out or the sale falls through now, dollars to donuts that house will still be on the market in 3 months time and you can renegotiate…

Don’t call. You said 4.30, so stick firm to that. In the meantime start looking for other houses, and if the same agent has any that you (genuinely - not worth playing games) like the look of then by all means ask to view them.

I definitely start looking at other houses as well. Makes them focus.

I’m currently sat on my hands 😆 it’s almost 2pm and still nothing. 😰 it’s killing me not calling to just ask… I have a feeling 4:30 will be here and I’ll still be none the wiser. I’m now looking for another property but just can’t find anything 😰

I would phone at 4 because it would be infuriating to phone after 4 and get the message that someone’s gone home and can’t be contacted today.