Page 8 | Friend of acquaintance wants surveys

kirinm · 2025-12-22T10:18:31+00:00

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?

AllWackedOffOfSantaSnacks · 22/12/2025 16:38

Exact same situation here, a school mum had offered on a house we had pulled out of 5 years before. The house had been rented out in the meantime, so zero work done since our bad reports. I gave the surveys to her for free.

She never thanked me or spoke to me again. Offence was taken but I have no idea why.

IhadaStripeyDeckchair · 22/12/2025 16:45

Gribbit987 · 22/12/2025 10:25

“Our surveys were invaluable and cost X. You are welcome to buy them from us for Y. Kind regards, Kiri”.

I agree sell them the surveys

"We spent £3,000 on the surveys. You can have full copies once £1,500 is in my bank account"

Original poster

kirinm · 22/12/2025 16:45

LittleBearPad · 22/12/2025 16:34

I don’t really get the angst about sharing. I’d have asked the surveyor if he was willing for me to hand them over and on what basis. Non reliance letters could be put in place to protect him.

The survey has no value to you now and could have been helpful.

I doubt you’re quite as ‘over’ this list house as you suggest.

The fact you’re a lawyer isn’t surprising.

What a weird post. Did it give you a warm feeling to make a shitty comment about someone you don’t know?

OP posts:

chattychatchatty · 22/12/2025 16:45

YANBU. She has no right to expect you to hand over something you’ve paid a lot of money for, gratis. If she wants a survey she can go the same route you’ve gone down. Presumably the house is not cheap and it would be reckless of her to buy it without investigating; and you want comeback should those investigations have not been done properly. She can’t get that from a second hand survey, can she (as has been said).

Upintheairnow · 22/12/2025 16:46

I work at a Surveyor's. The survey is specifically for whomever has paid/commissioned it. You will need the permission of the surveyor before you share the information with anyone.

The fact that the house is old and empty (I think ) and the survey was done over a few months ago would mean that some of it may now be in a worse condition/not relevant any more. The report would say this somewhere.

As above, it will also say that it is only to be used by the people who paid for it.

IridiumSky · 22/12/2025 16:47

Sell for half price. Normal.

Sleepsto5anta · 22/12/2025 16:47

The survey is of no value to you, but is of value to your friend of a friend, so why not share it? You can clearly caveat it that the survey was carried out x months ago so doesn't reflect the current state of the property.

I would definately share it - and I've been in the position of pulling out of a possible house purchase because of a damning survey. I'd spent the money on the survey and I would have been happy to help someone else to avoid making the very expensive mistake of buying the house, which was priced as if no work needed, and looked fine on the surface.

Original poster

kirinm · 22/12/2025 16:48

LittleBearPad · 22/12/2025 16:34

I don’t really get the angst about sharing. I’d have asked the surveyor if he was willing for me to hand them over and on what basis. Non reliance letters could be put in place to protect him.

The survey has no value to you now and could have been helpful.

I doubt you’re quite as ‘over’ this list house as you suggest.

The fact you’re a lawyer isn’t surprising.

Why on earth should anyone go to the trouble of bloody non reliance letters for a stranger? As if life isn’t massively busy enough with Christmas, working and literally just having moved house.

I’m definitely over the house. I offered on the one I am in now months before the wreck.

OP posts:

AltitudeCheck · 22/12/2025 16:52

Definitely a CF!! I'm all in favour of a polite ask but someone badgering me a few days before Christmas would completely piss me off! I'd refuse on that basis alone!

I'd go with 'I'm a lawyer and I feel it's unethical to share another professionals work' also 'not comfortable sharing as they are 612 months old and likely inaccurate now' and if they hassled again I would mute/ blocking them.

Original poster

kirinm · 22/12/2025 16:52

Sleepsto5anta · 22/12/2025 16:47

The survey is of no value to you, but is of value to your friend of a friend, so why not share it? You can clearly caveat it that the survey was carried out x months ago so doesn't reflect the current state of the property.

I would definately share it - and I've been in the position of pulling out of a possible house purchase because of a damning survey. I'd spent the money on the survey and I would have been happy to help someone else to avoid making the very expensive mistake of buying the house, which was priced as if no work needed, and looked fine on the surface.

Yes well this one doesn’t look fine on the surface. It’s very obviously not liveable both in photos and in person. It’s a massive renovation and you need deep pockets to fix what you can see. I did also tell her what was wrong. She still offered over asking.

OP posts:

PS5Gamer · 22/12/2025 17:02

I wouldn’t share them, and I’d also not be happy that a friend had given my contact details out to a stranger.

DitsyDaisyDelia · 22/12/2025 17:04

kirinm · 22/12/2025 16:52

Yes well this one doesn’t look fine on the surface. It’s very obviously not liveable both in photos and in person. It’s a massive renovation and you need deep pockets to fix what you can see. I did also tell her what was wrong. She still offered over asking.

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You have clearly warned her about the house without showing her the survey. Caveat emptor.

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 22/12/2025 17:04

Autumvibes · 22/12/2025 10:27

Why wouldn’t you?

Cos she's invested 3k...the next person can pay her to look at them...

Opik · 22/12/2025 17:11

I wouldn’t be showing them, I’d be just replying with a polite but firm text back of I won’t be doing that but I can recommend x company for the surveys type thing.
completely cheeky of the pair of them, both the survey seeker and the school mum.

Ohnobackagain · 22/12/2025 17:20

NewHouseNewMe · 22/12/2025 10:27

My engineer makes it clear in the terms that the report cannot be shared without their permission, under any circumstances. So technically you’d be in breach if you did. I’d probably do it anyhow for a close friend but for an acquaintance I’d just ignore.

@kirinm pretty sure our recent survey had a set expiry after which a new one was required and also there was some legal paragraph about not passing it on as @NewHouseNewMe has said … but they are really cheeky!

Cherrysoup · 22/12/2025 17:25

I’d block the acquaintance and bollock the arse of the school mum who passed on your details without permission, that’s bang out of order.

cockandbullstories · 22/12/2025 17:25

Very very cheeky!

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 22/12/2025 18:38

Ewock · 22/12/2025 16:04

There is no well no here. They are profiting. They want the surveys. If they're going to do their own, why on earth would they ask for ops.

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I would pay £500, say, to know if my spending £3k on surveys is worth it.

Love the house but can only afford £50k of work on it? You don't need to have the latest up to date survey to know that it had 100k of work to do 6m ago that hasn't magically been fixed.

Ewock · 22/12/2025 18:57

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 22/12/2025 18:38

I would pay £500, say, to know if my spending £3k on surveys is worth it.

Love the house but can only afford £50k of work on it? You don't need to have the latest up to date survey to know that it had 100k of work to do 6m ago that hasn't magically been fixed.

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Good point and I would do the same. But to ask without offering compensation and then chasing that is cf

housethatbuiltme · 22/12/2025 19:00

I wonder if the people saying 'be nice' are always people pleasing and let everyone walk all over them.

When you sell them you do it through your conveyance solicitors. Anyone that would hand these document over blind without a legal sale contract through the solicitor to protect them is not being 'nice' but rather frankly a moron.

You can sell them but you need it to be done correctly with terms drawn up and accepted. To buy them the receive has to acknowledge they cannot come after OP or the survey company if they disagree with anything later.

Would you really put yourself at financial risk of being sued to help an utter stranger? Especially one whose rude enough to 'demanded' you help for free (so shown their true colours).

That's not kind, its dangerous.

Original poster

kirinm · 22/12/2025 19:51

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 22/12/2025 18:38

I would pay £500, say, to know if my spending £3k on surveys is worth it.

Love the house but can only afford £50k of work on it? You don't need to have the latest up to date survey to know that it had 100k of work to do 6m ago that hasn't magically been fixed.

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It’ll be £300k they need to be ready to spend. There’s a reason it’s ‘cheap’ for its size and location.

The thing is, it is clear from what’s visible that you’re looking at spending a huge amount and anyone buying an old house should know that things will only get worse once you start taking things apart . We’d budgeted £150k just to make it possible to move in.

OP posts:

Butchyrestingface · 22/12/2025 19:58

kirinm · 22/12/2025 16:18

Yep. School WhatsApp group (the mum not her friend - don’t know if she has kids / what school they go to).

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Think I would be suggesting a new rule for the group that no member's phone number should be passed to non-members without the express consent of the person involved (under pain of death ex-communication from the group). Make up some convincing shite about GDPR if you need to.

Frogbear · 22/12/2025 20:34

W0tnow · 22/12/2025 14:56

For the ‘be kind’ group….if you paid 3k for a financial advisor to come up with a financial/long term pension plan, and a friend of a friend (on a similar income to you and similar age) thought it would be useful because you both had the same financial circumstances and goals, would you just hand it over?

“Be kind group?” Just because we don’t treat everything in life as a transaction? 😂😂😂

Your analogy makes no sense. Seeing a financial advisor is a lot more than my salary is X, what should I do? It’s going through your personal financial details and expenditure. It’s private and personal and I wouldn’t even share that with my best friend.

A house survey is not private and personal in any way.

You’re comparing apples with oranges.

Frogbear · 22/12/2025 20:45

housethatbuiltme · 22/12/2025 19:00

I wonder if the people saying 'be nice' are always people pleasing and let everyone walk all over them.

When you sell them you do it through your conveyance solicitors. Anyone that would hand these document over blind without a legal sale contract through the solicitor to protect them is not being 'nice' but rather frankly a moron.

You can sell them but you need it to be done correctly with terms drawn up and accepted. To buy them the receive has to acknowledge they cannot come after OP or the survey company if they disagree with anything later.

Would you really put yourself at financial risk of being sued to help an utter stranger? Especially one whose rude enough to 'demanded' you help for free (so shown their true colours).

That's not kind, its dangerous.

I’m not a pushover in any way. I’m just not so tight with money that I view any event as an opportunity to make money.

The money is gone. It was never going to come back. Just because someone got in touch with OP, doesn’t mean she has to use them to minimise the loss she already had and accepted.

I highly doubt those so willing to profit off sharing it would even consider going through their solicitor. I suspect the majority would hand it over for a bank transfer. But either way, sale or not, it can be shared with caveats as to the basis on which it’s shared. You don’t need a solicitor for that.

housethatbuiltme · 22/12/2025 21:13

Frogbear · 22/12/2025 20:45

I’m not a pushover in any way. I’m just not so tight with money that I view any event as an opportunity to make money.

The money is gone. It was never going to come back. Just because someone got in touch with OP, doesn’t mean she has to use them to minimise the loss she already had and accepted.

I highly doubt those so willing to profit off sharing it would even consider going through their solicitor. I suspect the majority would hand it over for a bank transfer. But either way, sale or not, it can be shared with caveats as to the basis on which it’s shared. You don’t need a solicitor for that.

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Its a common thing, this isn't something people just magically thought up.

Anyone going through the process currently has a solicitor working on these things as you pretty much need a solicitor for the house buying process and your paying them to handle these issues.

The fact you where gullible enough to not think of the ramifications and thus ASSUMED no one else would be capable to know the correct way because you couldn't comprehend more than your very first idea says a lot about how you view the world though.

Also it can't just be shared without legal guidance. Well, I mean it CAN but you leave yourself open to huge risks, thats the whole point. Enjoy spending £3k to give it to a randomer and then get sued by both them (since they are clearly tight CF) and the survey company (who you breached contract with with no safe guards).

Its not being tight its being safe.