Flat buyer persistently messaging post completion

[Angelwithhalo]

I sold my flat in February and during the conveyancing exchanged numbers with the buyer at their request to directly negotiate a price reduction for works. On completion I left a folder with detailed instructions of how to use all the integrated appliances, utility meter locations, boiler manual and service history, bin days etc in the kitchen along with a new home card and thought that would be the end of contact between us.

However I have been having a steady stream of texts and queries from the buyer. Some of it is simple things like clarification on how to work the boiler, which water meter belongs to the flat. Others just seems like them complaining but posed as a question for example:
The internet connection doesn’t reach the main bedroom, how did we deal with that inconvenience?
What did we do about windows feel draughty and letting on street noise (windows are original wooden sash and on a busy main road which was apparent before buying)
The lounge smells strongly of damp, did you notice this? (I gave them 5k off agreed price after they had a damp survey)
Complaints about hearing the owner of the flat above moving around (Again it’s a converted period property so I could hear them but just a single adult so occasional footsteps and washing machine, no parties or late nights/early mornings)

There have been lots of other questions and at first I was responsive as I felt bad that the buyer seemed unhappy with the flat and sympathetic to them as a first time buyer but it feels a bit relentless and I’m not sure what the motive is behind messaging me.

Has anyone else experienced this/is this common?
Any advice for dealing with this, I would be tempted to ignore but we are still in the same town so dont want the awkwardness of bumping into them.

Gosh they sound entitled. Don’t reply anymore.

The past two times we have sold we have left a little ‘congratulations on your new home’ card with our number in just in case there was anything they needed but I meant thinks like ‘where is the switch for the attic light’ or ‘how do you work the thermostat’ I wouldn’t have put up with any of the nonsense questions you have had OP!

Definitely block them!

I can’t tell you the full name of a single neighbour I’ve ever had. Always had perfectly good relationships with them on a cheery hello/feed the cats basis but I’ve never registered a surname. I also can’t remember the name of anyone I’ve bought a property off unless mail still arrives for them.

I think with ftb it’s a lack of understanding that those issues are now your issues to deal with!
I once had a ftb crying n phone to me when our chain fell through and not my fault! But I was nice then blocked them.
and never gave my contact details out again!

I think I’d be inclined to send them one last helpful response to their question, and finish with “I will no longer be monitoring emails to this address. I wish you all the best with your home and advise you contact the estate agent with any further queries.”

You've gone above and beyond, they're on their own now.

the world is full of nutters

block them

Definitely make sure the estate agents don't tell people you're the owner.

My mate who went this quite recently told me that when she sells her elderly mum’s house when the time comes, she’s going to use her mum’s Nokia brick phone and then bin it after completion. She doesn’t want to be pestered post-sale ever again because her experience of her phone pinging every day was stressful. A well-meaning admin at the estate agency has passed on her phone number to her buyer (my friend was compensated for that). She will only give her true mobile number to the solicitor in future, she says.

@Bahhhhhumbug because we both own a share of the freehold so whenever we sell there are some questions via a solicitor form that need to be answered. At the same time the new buyers were getting a mortgage and one of the stipulations was that they have the lease extended to a 999 year lease so there was quite a lot of paperwork and as I own part of the freehold had to be involved. I also decided I would extend my part of the lease at the same time as it made sense. But my neighbour had engaged a solicitor who at best was useless, I had stated right at the beginning that any paperwork that needed ti be signed should be in my married name, they ignored that, they also claimed my solicitor never responded to emails but that was because they also ignored the direct email address they had been given and used a generic one which caused delays. Apparently my solicitor never answered the phone, also untrue as nit once did I struggle to speak to them.

New neighbours (lovely) said that their own solicitor had also struggled with old neighbours solicitor and said they had dealt with them on other sales and had found them incompetent. But for some reason old neighbour instead of chasing and harassing the people they were paying to complete the sale they chose to blame and harass me about the delays.

I had said from day one when they said they were selling I'd happily try and assist and do things as quick as possible to help the sale along, but that I would not sign anything that wasn't correct as that will affect me if and when I sell if paperwork isn't just right. Old neighbours when they tried to bully me into signing by knocking on my door and waving the paperwork at me (with many errors on) told me they were going to lose the sale due to me refusing to sign and new buyers were going to pull out.

I asked new neighbours about that and they said that was not true, they were living with parents and they were very much of the attitude that we will complete when we complete there's no hurry.

Unreal.
I’m in my 4th house. I’ve never had our buyers or vendors numbers, and they definitely haven’t had mine. One eager potential buyer did phone our house phone once, but that was when phone books were a thing, and DH politely told them to go through the EA for any queries/booking viewings and they apologised profusely.
We contacted the EA once after moving here to ask them to contact our vendor to ask one question that we needed the response to, never occurred to us to contact them again to ask anything else, we just figured stuff out ourselves.
The more I read on here the more it puts me off accepting any offers from FTB in the future!

Tell them you can no longer provide first time homeowner advice for free and quote them your rate for responding to queries😉

I was a first time buyer and I would never have dreamed of any of this. They sound very odd and rude. I would tell them to stop messaging you and block them.

This (but I would put it more nicely to you).

Exactly! When we bought our first house we had a quick hug with the previous owners on exchange day, they left us a bottle of champaigne and a card and we've literally never spoken since. We never even exchanged numbers and barely spoke before buying tbh

I would text back that I had given them all the necessary information and going forward they will learn by doing, the same as all new owners. Good luck, enjoy your new home.

This is a great response. It’s good to keep them on side in case you have any mail accidentally delivered to theirs that you’d prefer they dealt with properly!

I’ve bought and sold 13 properties.
One of them I became friends with the vendor and she rented a room from me in the house she’d sold to me for a bit.

When I’ve sold I don’t really have a problem with the odd question.

Generally I find sellers and buyers are desperate to have no contact at all - until something goes wrong.

When I buy a property I try to ensure I’ve been a good vendor or buyer in case there are any questions I might have.
My current house the sellers were very unfriendly and quite snooty: they had a parcel delivered mistakenly and instead of just picking it up they got a neighbour to do so; quite unnecessary.
They didn’t want to give any contact details but that all changed when they could t be arsed to arrange redirection and asked if I would redirect all their mail.
I did for a bit but then I stopped bothering and it went in the bin.

as lalalaletmeexplain would say: block, delete, move on 😂

This is very frustrating for you, OP. I'd ignore. I emailed our vendors once post-sale because there'd been a flood downstairs (tree root grew into a drain, nothing they could possibly have foreseen). It was about four years after we bought but I really wanted the same wallpaper and I don't think they minded the implied compliment!

I do remember the first time one of our appliances broke and we realised we actually had to sort it out ourselves. That was a dark day.

Haha this is so insane! I would block immediately and not give it another thought.

It’s not your problem.

Your reply.
All the problems that you are facing are the ones that are the reason we sold the property.
HTH.

We had this with a buyer - I also left heaps of information about every appliance, but we still endured numerous phone calls about the boiler. My late husband continued to be helpful for several years, as that was his way, but I decided enough was enough when I received a text message enquiring about the guarantee period for the windows 8 years after we sold the house, and probably about 30 years after the windows were installed. Why I didn’t block earlier continues to puzzle me!!!

I’m reading this and feeling a bit mortified that I text the woman we bought our house off 5 years ago asking could she remember what the flooring was in the bathroom because we love it 😆😆😆