No stair bannister

[Decaf83]

We’ve seen a lovely house for sale that ticks all the boxes except the current owners have completely removed the stair bannister. Kind of like the below.

Not sure whether we would be able to ask current owners to put it back if we bought it, or should we just forget it and find something else..?

Not sure I’d feel safe with no bannister and a big drop, we have young children too so would be a bit of a worry!

Not sure whether we would be able to ask current owners to put it back if we bought it, or should we just forget it and find something else..?
Why can't you put one in?

Buy it with the intention of immediately having the banister of your choice fitted.

Many moons ago we bought a house with no bannister and a turn in the stairs - its in a large hall and was built that way and did create a lovely open feel.

I thought we would need a bannister straight away (we had two under two and went on to have two more in that house). In the end we put a simple hand rail on the wall side and never needed to add the other side. The DC never had a problem with it despite my worries.

They are all grown and flown and the stairs are still open.

Just put one in. The sellers sure aren’t going to!

We had this in our house when we bought it. The previous owners had removed it no idea why? Maybe to make it feel more open?
Anyway like you with the kids it didn’t feel safe. We put it back in it was about £1500 but we also had the banister upstairs replaced too so a bit of a bigger job.
It will get flagged in the survey as a red (dangerous) but it honestly wasn’t a big deal to put back in.

Yes you need a banister
no it not a problem

I’d explain to vender ask to go round and measure up get done mdf cut and ready to screw on along with a hand rail on the other side on moving day

Many moons ago we bought a house with no bannister and a turn in the stairs - its in a large hall and was built that way and did create a lovely open feel.
Same. None of the DC or their friends (or anybody, come to that) ever had a problem. We also have a wall-side handrail.

We absolutely can, I wasn’t sure if it would invalidate home insurance, I wouldn’t want to risk any accidents on moving day if people are manoeuvring boxes and furniture upstairs and there’s no hand rails and a big drop!

It wouldn’t invalidate your insurance…if you want the house, buy the house and put on a banister. It’s not difficult or expensive. Book a joiner to do it the day after you get the keys

Stairs are very dangerous. Madness not to have a bannister.

My brother lives in a house with no bannister, though he does have a handrail on the wall. He thinks it was removed, by a previous owner, to make getting furniture upstairs easier. Maybe consider fitting a bannister that can be removed if required, you don't have to install a conventional one with newel posts and spindles, just make sure young children can't fall through it.

Yes, just put one in yourself!

How weird to think this is something you would ask the vendor to do...

I'd have to live downstairs in that house. I'd get vertigo and tumble down over the side straight into the hall, no question 😊

You shouldn't ask the seller to put one back! Plan to put one in yourself, it would be dangerous without, if you go ahead and buy the house.

Our house was like this when we bought it. It got flagged in our survey as a dangerous issue. However we were already well aware of it and had planned to get ballustrade / bannister fitted as soon as we moved in.

2 weeks after we got it fitted, my 4 year old fell down the stairs and it stopped him going over the edge.

Some people seem to like the modern / open plan look of bannister. Personally I’d rather have steirs
that won’t kill my children.

No reason not to buy the house, just have a carpenter booked in as soon as you move in.

It’s not really that weird to ask, considering it’s something that will be flagged in a survey as a dangerous issue.

Us too! The issue you will have OP is getting furniture up the stairs with a very small landing. Ours looks exactly like your picture.

we left it. The kids loved jumping from the side into the dining room. And no, never had any injuries. Now adults and flown the best.

Arranged for one to be put in as priority after you move in... I wouldn't ask for one to be put in as on moving day it might make things easier and I would want to pick and not be lumbered with something because it was the cheapest option.

You’ve been lucky so far, but it only has to happen once.

How about you go ahead, and then when the survey flags it up see if you can negotiate something off the price to offset the cost of remediation?

Get it put in after you move in. It might make moving large items upstairs easier without the bannister.

or should we just forget it and find something else..?

Would you really be that lazy that you couldn't organise to have a bannister put on? That's like not buying a house because you don't like the colour of the hall carpet.

Don't offer and then try to get money off when the survey's mention of no bannister is an 'unexpected expense', as someone suggested. That's scummy when you can see now what it's like.

This. We bought a house with no banisters, we factored that into the cost of the move and had one fitted as soon as we could. If everything else about the house is good this is a small thing to sort out.

It’s ridiculous to make a request like that, you can do whatever you want to the stairs when you own the property.

Considering it is something that will be flagged in a survey as a dangerous issue that does not meet buildings control requirements, I’d suggest that asking the seller to rectify it is a perfectly reasonable request.