Post Sale Issues - any thoughts?

[MargoLivebetter]

Recently moved. My buyers have put together a list of things that they think need fixing and want me to contribute to them. They got their solicitor to send it to mine. They didn't have a survey done, other than for valuation purposes, and only came to see the property once. They asked no questions about the state of anything, even though I offered to answer any questions they might have.

The property was in really lovely condition IMO obviously. I left it spotlessly clean and there wasn't a scrap of anything that shouldn't have been there left. There's no damp or anything concerning and all the appliances work properly. I also left all the instruction manuals, guarantees and useful information.

Their list has things like replacing a chipped cupboard door, replacing a misted double glazed window, replacing fridge and freezer drawers because the plastic has cracked in some places, replacing cracked tiles on the bathroom floor, replacing some of the paving stones that have become discoloured outside etc. None of these things were hidden or concealed when they viewed my place.

I've moved quite a few times now and I've never had this before. Is this normal nowadays? Do I just politely decline to contribute or is this a thing now?

I'm amazed their solicitor has sent this. They have obviously only ever rented and don't understand buying is different. Your solicitor must have a stock email they can send back. Along the lines of jog on....

My bet is if they aren’t 1st time buyers that they have tried this on before and had money off previous owners or they live in hope someone will send them a few quid.

I would write back with Not my house Not my problem and a few 😂😂😂 emojis

Me too. Not a great solicitor, they should know that these issues are cosmetic and have nothing to do with the sale. They have obviously just taken the money for sending a letter, that’s really poor.

I agree with pp, don't get your solicitor to respond as it will cost you money. Contact the EA and ask them to pass on the message of nothankyou kbye.

Did they have a new build last time- ? Clearly they are nuts -

Don’t let their amazing entitlement change you!

it was a lovely thing to do

as others have said don’t respond or if you do do it yourself

Your feeling like you’ve done something wrong is just rubber banding you back to the past when you were told that for something

in the here and now you have done nothing wrong

they are being utterly ridiculous esp as they didn’t even ask questions

They are nuts. I am surprised their solicitor is going along with it, though I guess they will get paid extra for entertaining this madness.

Your previous buyers are deluded if they think they can get any extra money from you at this stage. They own the house now so any issues are theirs to deal with & no one else!

I would send a very curt email reply saying you will not be contributing a penny. I would do it myself not via my solicitor in case that ramped up another bill.

Some people are mad. When I sold a flat the buyer specifically asked that I leave a bathroom set (toothbrush holder, ceramic mug, handwash container). They were not fixed items, but I agreed. She then sent a letter via her solicitor to confirm when I didn't include them on the Fixtures and Fittings form (because in my mind they weren't fixed or fitted!). She wanted it in writing from us!

The set was £5.99 from Wilko at the time.

Just decline. The property is sold as seen. Nothing they can do now as sale has gone through, just trying their luck.

Ignore them. They are just being cheeky fuckers.

Make clear to your solicitors that they have no instructions and you will not be paying them to deal with this matter.

That means the other side have to deal with you direct.

Then ignore them and block them. If they don't know your new address, so much the better!

This, their requests are hilarious. I’d write back explaining that they bought as seen.

Surely this is something to discuss with your solicitor not a bunch of randoms on the internet - especially as we're from all over the world where there are different rules, laws, etiquette etc

No. If you buy a house that's already been lived in, you get a few minor issues caused by wear and tear. You don't expect it to be as new. It would be different if it was a new house but it's not.

They don't have a leg to stand on and frankly why isn't your solicitor telling you to ignore instead of just "passing" the message and standing back like she doesn't have to advise you?

They bought the house as is and they closed and moved in, you owe them nothing. It's on them for not carrying out a proper survey or taking the time to inspect the house before proceeding and even then you would be under no obligation to change those things.

Tell your solicitor to respond saying no and forget about it. It's their house now so they are responsible for any changes.

And NO you haven't done anything wrong so stop beating yourself up.

"In the UK property law, the phrase "buyer beware" is commonly associated with the Latin term caveat emptor. This principle means it's the buyer's responsibility to thoroughly investigate and understand the property before making a purchase. While sellers have some duties to disclose, the onus is largely on the buyer to ensure they are aware of any potential issues."

I had this. They were just trying their luck. Remember they paid their solicitors to send that communication, and yours is obliged to forward it on.

We just ignored it, and they went away. We did not went to get into a conversation about it!

And do this straight away, otherwise you might rack up a bill of £££s with a back-and-forth exchange between the solicitors.

Lol, they’re either cheeky fuckers or simply a bit dim and think you’re their landlord.

We had a similar email when we moved house a few years ago and completely ignored it and never replied. Some of the things they were complaining about was basic repairs/decoration they should have noticed if they’d had a decent survey done and other stuff was pure made up bollocks!

This included complaining that the heating oil tank was empty.
Did they really think I wanted to pay their future heating bills? 😂😂
In fact, I’d specifically asked the Estate Agent to tell them that Oil would need to be ordered soon. It was late Spring so not cold and the house had an immersion heater and wood burning stoves, so plenty of alternatives in the short term.

Ignore the email and get on with your life. They had ample opportunity to raise issues before purchase as any sensible buyer should do. It’s now 100% their problem that they didn’t.

Houses in the UK are sold as seen. Ignore.

I presume they are very young, entitled first time buyers who think everyone else is responsible. You are not their landlord who they can contact when they need something fixing.

Instruct your solicitor to ignore (you do not want to incur additional fees for responding).

When the light bulb goes - do they also expect you to pop over & replace it for them.

Cheeky fuck@ry at its best.

Caveat emptor, buyer beware. I am assuming they bought without a mortgage if they needed no survey. More fool them for not protecting themselves with one. In any event, not your concern. Just don't engage with this at all.

Tell them to get lost. Only time we ever contributed or asked seller to contribute was a structural survey as it was over old coal mining workings and some cracks on outside of the house. So was beneficial to the seller to have it done and essential for us and both had info from the surveyor to use. We sold it 10yrs later and still had all the information so could pass it on to the next buyers enabled us to sell faster with it as it was only render and not structural. All this is normal wear and tear, that most people rip out and pointless changing before selling anyway. Wanting you to contribute to that after the sale is ridiculous so tell them to jog on.

It is becoming a thing, I had a similar email from my solicitor when we moved last month. Buyer wanted things that had not been agreed to leave nor were they on the fixtures and fittings form.
Solicitor gave no advice only said she had to pass it on, I sent a response via my solicitor saying I would not be contributing or giving them anything and heard no more.
My son sold last year his buyer wanted £15k after having no survey, they were told no as well.

Ha, they can jog on!
Are you certain it’s actually from the solicitors? Friends had a minor dispute with neighbours and an initial letter from a solicitor. Subsequent letters, that were getting more and more wild and frothing appeared to be from the solicitor, but it became obvious that they’d copied the firms logos etc and were sending them themselves.

‘Welcome to home ownership, lmfao’