Friend of acquaintance wants surveys

[kirinm]

We were buying a house and spent about £3k on surveys - we pulled out after 6 months after being strung along with probate and there being quite major structural issues.

The house is big and in a very popular area so it’s had a lot of interest since although I understand the later sale failed too - I expect because of the surveys. It is a very obvious wreck and it was always going to be a back to brick type of place. The structural issues are harder to spot and were identified on the survey - so we ended up paying for a structural engineer and drain survey which is why they all ended up costing so much.

Anyway, acquaintance contacted me to say her friend was looking at buying it and would she mind if I spoke to her. Before I’d responded said person contacted me. I explained very briefly that it’s a house that they should do lots of surveys on and check they have the money to fix the issues that they can’t see.

Next day - can we see your survey before we make an offer. I didn’t respond as I was busy and had work events.

Next day - sorry to pester but can I see the survey asap. i assume you have no use for them now.

Cheeky or not cheeky?

For anyone who does care, drain surveys are absolutely worth getting. They are only a few hundred pounds but they are worth every penny and tell you a lot about the house.

Just tell them it breeches the contract you signed with the surveyor.
In their position I’d probably chance my arm and ask, then realise the issues with actually doing it!

I wouldn't consider selling the surveys. It creates a resemblance of some legal arrangement.

I would let her have an informal look thought (once and at the time which works for you), just to have some idea what it is about.

You don't have to do anything, especially if you don't like her.

I wouldn't want to give her the surveys but I would say roughly what they contained and the reasons why you pulled out and that if she needs more detailed information she will need to get her own up-to-date surveys done because yours were done a while ago and the house has been standing empty since.

Agree. If she'd bothered to have a proper chat and said "look, please feel free to say no, I won't be offended but is there any chance that if I donated towards your costs you'd let me have a quick look at your surveys?"

If they were nice about it I might even do it for free (though i wouldnt let them take them away or have copies). It's the entitlement that would annoy me!

I really don’t see why you’d ask for money. You’ve spent the money and that’s gone. Trying to profit off someone else is what I find cheeky.

I would share with the caveat that it’s old, they need to get their own surveys, etc.

What’s the person asking doing other than benefiting from something I paid thousands for. I’d never have asked someone to give me their surveys!

What am I going to do with them if they don’t fit? I’ll either throw away or give to a charity shop. Either way, the cost is gone.

But what’s your loss? They get a benefit, yes. But how does that affect you in any way?

Sometimes you can just be nice. Not everything has to be transactional.

For what it's worth, I'd share a survey if someone asked. No skin off my nose, and helpful for the person now thinking of buying. They can't rely on it, obviously, but it would help re making an offer. If they make an offer and it's accepted of course they need another survey.

It’s a complete stranger asking for something that is frankly nothing to do with them. It’s a document prepared for me.

I literally do not know their name. If it was a friend, I’d have had a very different response.

I would sum up the issues in a brief text and say if they want further details they need to contribute towards the cost of the surveys

They’d made an offer before speaking to me. It was going to best and final. I’d already told them the asking price is what we offered but they’d already offered over that. I honesty don’t know what they think a survey will do when they’re already happy to pay over asking for a house that is visibly wrecked, they know two sales have fallen through and I’ve already said make sure you get surveys.

I get that. I get you don’t know them and it’s cheeky of them to ask.

But now they’ve asked, I genuinely don’t see why they would need to give you money for it. It’s obvious many people on this thread have the same mindset but I just don’t get it. They money has been spent and if this person came along you would have never done anything with those surveys. Subject to setting out caveats when sharing, I just don’t see why anyone would try and profit from something they would never had any intention of profiting from in the first place.

Tell her the terms and conditions of the survey don't allow you to share them. That will definitely be true. She should contact the surveyor, who may agree to sell them to her. The reports are not yours to sell.

You understand that they’d be profiting?

I’d tell her the surveys weren’t very good and even mention some specifics, but to get her own. Surveyors only have a duty of care to the people who commissioned the survey-so you don’t want to open a can of worms further down the line if they proceed based on your survey and then something else came up. But very rude to chase.

They are definitely mine, I had asked the surveyor that in respect of another survey they did for us as I wanted to quote it to the estate agent. His response was it’s your report but you are also the one that paid for it so you don’t have to share anything (this was in respect of a sale that had fallen through previously as the seller decided he didn’t want to accept our offer despite us having paid for surveys on that house too)!

I also think there’s a human element to this that is sort of brushed over. We invested a lot of time and money into this house. We genuinely intended to buy it and if it wasn’t for the lying of the agent and the vendors being so misleading, even with the structural issues we may have bought it. It took a lot for us to walk away and for a long time (and until we found another house), I still thought we might end up buying it. In fact, one of the parents from school that we get on very well with were interested but I found it really difficult to discuss with them as if half felt like OUR house. (we did share a lot of information with them as they are friends but they didn’t ask to see the survey).

I’m ultimately pleased we walked away because we finally managed to buy a house on the road we loved but I wasn’t okay about it all for a while. It isn’t just a transaction really.

Well no. If they had any sense, they would still do their own surveys but yours would help give them an idea whether they should proceed to that step or if the issues raised in your survey are too much of an issue for them.

If they don’t get their own surveys and rely on just yours, well that’s their risk. And best case they save a couple grand as a result - but so what? How does that affect you?

Cheeky mare! And frankly, I don't think much of your acquaintance for putting you in an awkward situation.

It wouldn't give the same protection, no, but it might give them a rough idea of how many and what sort of challenges they might face if buying it. If the house has been empty since then, it's not going to have improved in condition.

I'd probably say, "we can't share the survey because our surveyor has rules against it for legal protection, but it had dry rot in the upstairs rooms, needs a new roof and there's evidence of subsidence so we gave it a swerve because it would cost 60k to put right. Best get your own if this doesn't put you off!"

Cheeky for sure…ask for payment then you’ll share. Be the last you hear of them no doubt.

I am a bit. But I suspect she didn’t know what I’d asked or, like some on here, would be confused about why I wouldn’t share.

Exactly. I’ll sell them at 50% of the original price. .