Am having a bed bug nightmare on a property sale and would welcome other viewpoints.
Summary for those who don't want to read the whole thing is: when do I tell my buyer (we have already exchanged contracts).
I'm selling a flat that was my home but was then tenanted when I moved in with my partner. It has been empty since January. It's a converted flat within a Victorian terrace.
We exchanged contracts last Friday and due to complete this Friday.
On Monday I went to the property to arrange disposal of the mattresses and sofa. Buyer wanted the rest of the furniture (free of charge). I took off the bed spread and found bedbugs!!! I had genuinely no idea until that point.
That mattress was stained (previous tenants weren't great news and did goodness knows what there) but it was in the flat uncovered for about a 3 months whilst various agents came in and out and the flat was renovated for sale (arranged and project managed by the agents). None of us saw any signs at all that whole time.
I've spent the past couple of days investigating and learning more and more about bed bugs. Awful things that are very hard to get rid of especially in a terraced property.
I have had the furniture disposed of by a company who were fully aware of the situation and brought special wrap for the furniture, talked me through the process etc. However when I went back at the end I found they hadn't used the wrap except on the worst affected mattress.
Today the flat is having a very expensive heat treatment that is the best possible way of eradicating bed bugs. Trouble is tho that in a Victorian house with floorboards they can hide away even from that so it will be hard to fully eradicate. Plus I've just heard back from the company that this is a big infestation.
Am thinking of the buyer but also other flats in the building.
I'm thinking I will offer to pay for the whole building to be sprayed to pick up any that remain. However it takes 3 sprays so will have to happen after the sale is complete.
My question is: at what point do I tell the buyer?
If I tell her now she may want to get out of the sale or claim that I had withheld this info (I genuinely didn't know but who would believe that)? I like to do the right thing by people but equally I don't want to open myself up to a legal nightmare either. The legal forms don't ask about pest control but there are any other information boxes.
If I wait until after the sale, that feels pretty low. How awful to buy your lovely flat and then get a note saying there are bed bugs?!
What do you think I should do?!