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?

Not built -bought!

I would just email solicitors back or give them a call and just say you assume you don’t have to even bother with this. See what they say.

I hope you sent them a screwdriver in the post!

This happened to me last time I moved. My solicitor told me they had no claim. As previous posters have said, Caveat Emptor. Their problem, not yours.

What an absolute joke , they cannot do that.

@MargoLivebetter I would ask your solicitor to ignore it. Absolutely ridiculous. Why should you pay your solicitor to continue this nonsense.

Do you have the buyers contact details. Or they yours? I’d caution against contacting them personally as well - or you’ll have a never ending list of questions and queries.

I would suggest they read the Arkell vs Pressdram case and the Private Eye response.
https://prunescape.fandom.com/wiki/The_Reply_Given_in_Arkell_v_Pressdram_(1971)

Ignore

When you sell a property there’s a form to be completed about what’s included. Did you you do not do that?

for example a fridge. If you said there was a fridge they don’t have to ask if it’s in full working order it just should be.

I would write back with a very simple note in the first instance. Thanks for your note, the house has served me well over many years and is now yours to update and maintain as you see fit according to your own taste and budget. I wish you every success in doing so. I worked for a number of years on mortgages and I was amazed how badly informed some people are when buying a house. It is not at all uncommon for mortgage companies to be contacted and asked to make repairs or fix a boiler/dripping tap. The only real course of action is if the sales details said something which was untrue. For example, that there was a reserved parking space when there was not. Otherwise it is a hard lesson for the buyer.

Gosh - thank you for this - I've wasted some cash then replacing plugs, lightbulbs, regrouting and a bit of paint - but I would actually like the shower changing to a bath and new flooring tbh so maybe I won't wait until I can afford that and just ask the seller 🤔
I can't comprehend folk who don't understand they now own the property with all its downsides and blessings - unless maybe they think they're like new builds with a warranty? Or are just entitled AF.
I'd ignore because solicitor might charge to do a response?

@Riaanna yes forms were completed and everything included in the sale are working.

Agree of course there’s no form for all that.
Thats why buyers get to look around the property !

Actually not necessarily.
Buyers need to check that themselves. ( or ask their surveyors to do the check )

Lol, just ignore. Absolute nutters.

I would instruct solicitors not to respond or do any work on your behalf, just to make sure this fuckwittery doesn’t cost you anything.

Ignore them and they will go away.

In the uk unless it is something very serious covered up and denied on the pre contract enquiries, after completion the buyer has full responsibility for everything. Just ignore.

Nonsense, sorry.

It doesn't have to be in "full working order" and it certainly doesn't have to have no cracks in the shelves.

Don't waste a screwdriver. Send them a link to a screwdriver they can buy on Amazon.

CFs.
Unbelievable. I can’t believe a solicitor would do this unless they were unscrupulous and wanting more money from buyers to send you stupid letters.

Not the same but same level of f*ckwittery. Friend bought a house, seller moved out a week before. Friend, her husband and kids arrived with two trucks full of their stuff and family to help. Only to find the sellers had not only taken their own property but had also taken every fixture and fitting (that were verbally agreed to be included and were on the fittings and content form of the contract) that wasn’t fused to a surface. Carpets, gone. Light fittings gone, nice silver sockets/switches through out house swapped for plain white ones. Waxed, solid wood doors and fancy knobs swapped for cheap basic ones. High-end integrated hob and oven swapped for used and broken ones. Loo roll holders, sink/bath plugs, shelves, outside light, even the bloody house number plaque. And, every shrub and perennials in the garden dug up and taken.

Sellers thought matter would go away if they ignored it, but my friend had no choice than to go to small claims. In court, the man literally looked the judge in the eye and said he kept everything because he paid for them and he deserved them, not my friend. She won but it was a long, tedious ballache.

You think stating there’s a fridge included in the sales particulars includes provision of a broken fridge?

Just ignore them

A cracked drawer doesn’t mean the fridge is ‘broken’.