New owner wants our extension plans

[Ksb6]

Before we decided to move we engaged a surveyor to make proper drawings of our house including an extension. We went as far as having the council out for a preliminary survey to determine if the idea was viable. They came back saying that the plans would probably pass planning. But we did not go as far as applying for planning as we decided to move instead.

Now the new owner(buyer) of our old house wants access to these plans. The surveyor has told us we could pass them on or sell them even.

Has anyone got experience with this? The plans did cost a considerable amount of money, but are obviously not worth anything to us anymore as we don't live there.

I am grateful for any advice

What did they cost you?
£1000- but they are useless to you but will save them possibly £1000. Say they can have them for £250 - they are saving 75%

I think given your circumstances and how they behaved I’d not be in a hurry to pass on the plans. There should be repercussions for poor behaviour ie no favours!

I’d ignore the request and wait for them to chase you up at which point you could bring up with a figure that you’d be happy to let them go for.

Having been the victims of some blackmail and last minute large reduction required on day of exchanging contracts- I agree this changes everything. If it cost you £1000, say this is what you want (and be prepared to reduce to 700- and put in the bin if they play silly games with you). I truly hate the English selling system which allows for large reductions to be demanded at last minute- risking the collapse of the chain. It is blackmail, pure and simple.

The extra information kind of changes it from my point of view. If you've already moved out and the whole deal is over (with a somewhat sour taste) I'd be inclined to just ignore the request. Or tell them you've disposed of the plans so it's too late.

I bought a flat years ago and some months after I moved in I got a letter from the previous owners asking for money for the curtains they left behind. I was young and a bit weirded out, but I just put it in the bin and never heard from them again. (the curtains were shit and already in the bin anyway).

How about charging them the same amount you had to reduce it for at the last minute? How much was the reduction?

No confusion for me. Sell the plans to them for a close ad you can get to the price they wanted you to reduce by (up to the cost of the plans being drawn up).

Your update changes everything. Either ask them to pay for the plans or just say no. At least you would have some satisfaction in knowing they would have to pay and have the hassle of organising a new architect.

OK if they are dicks just say you threw them away. Sod them!

You have something that is worthless to you and worth a small amount to only one person in the whole world. The plans aren’t even worth the full value of drawing plans from scratch because if the new owner was doing that, they could have the plans drawn exactly to their specifications.

for me this comes down to what kind of person do I want to be in this world. Unless the buyer was especially difficult, trying to get an a bit of money out of them just feels petty.

if I were the buyer and you passed along your plans, again, it would come down to what kind of person do I want to be. I would be the kind of person who researches restaurants and buys you a gift card for a place near your new home as a token of appreciation.

After your updates I'd say they'd been destroyed.

But I'm horrible.

Given your update, I'd offer to sell them at less than you paid.

of course you should give them the plans

That was a pretty significant update, my mother's buyers did that to her too. In that case I'd have accidentally lost the drawings during the move.

Sell them to him. He's a cheeky fucker even asking after pulling that stunt.
Or better still, tell him to piss off and pay for his own plans.

I'd offer them for whatever reduction they asked for the house regardless of how that related to the cost of the drawings. But then I'm petty like that and don't like people being dickheads

Also re people saying offer them for less than you paid - arguably they could be worth more as you've already done the work finding someone to draw them and the time invested in having them done/speaking to the council. Having ready made drawings could save them a significant amount of time.

How much did the plans cost?
How much did you reduce the house cost by?

I'd ask for a fee for all the agro they put you through

Why not offer them in return for a donation to your favourite charity if you feel it should cost them something?

Yes, I've changed my mind too. We didn't have all of the information upfront. Unless there is a legitimate reason for the reduction in their offer that we don't know about, charge them the full whack or ignore the request.

We just gave ours to the new owners. No good to us lol

How come they know about the plans in the first place? Was it mentioned in the estate agent's spec when you were selling the property? To be honest, if they had been interested, then they really should have asked at the time, or got their solicitor to request them, so they could be included in the sale.

Since they were so awkward during the sale, and knocked you down on price at the very last minute, I'd be reluctant to give them the plans for free now. They are being pretty cheeky.

Just give them. I left our detailed loft conversion plans when we moved. They built it!

I'd burn them but then I'm petty AF. Actually I wouldn't but only because it was mainly my buyers mother that nearly cost us the whole deal by trying and failing a last minute and very obvious gazunder. And I'm broke. I'd make them pay what I paid for them though. You could say you'd have to make arrangements to retrieve the plans from storage and were hoping to reuse them for inspiration and therefore you would only sell them for what you paid.

If the money doesn't matter to you, say you'll consider it for a donation to your favourite charity.