Hi everyone,
I’m currently in the process of buying a house, and something rather concerning has come to light over the last couple of days. I’d really appreciate some outside opinions.
I had a survey carried out on the property yesterday, and it was the surveyor who initially discovered that three separate windows and the front door had been smashed/vandalised. This damage has only occurred within the last few days, as it wasn’t present previously.
What strikes me as particularly strange is the extent of the damage.
If it were just one smashed window, I’d probably put it down to a passing yob or mindless vandalism. Similarly, if someone was attempting to break in, why would they need to smash three separate windows AND the front door?
To me, this seems more deliberate and targeted rather than a random act of vandalism.
To make matters more concerning, I’ve since heard some unverified information suggesting that the damage could potentially be connected to previous occupants of the property, although I have absolutely no way of knowing whether there’s any truth in that.
The house is currently vacant, and until this happened, everything had been progressing nicely with the purchase. I’ve already had my mortgage offer issued, and the conveyancing process is well underway.
I’m now wondering whether there could be some history attached to the property that I’m completely unaware of, and whether whoever caused the damage might return.
I’ve raised the matter with the estate agent and intend to ask my solicitor to make further enquiries.
What I’d really like people’s opinions on is:
- Does smashing three windows and a front door seem like targeted vandalism to you?
- Would this make you suspicious that there’s something more going on?
- Has anyone experienced anything similar when purchasing a property?
- Would you continue with the purchase if you could establish what happened, or would this be enough to put you off?
- Would you consider renegotiating the purchase price, given that this has happened during the buying process?
I’m particularly interested in whether others think I’m overthinking the situation or whether my concerns are justified.
It’s a lovely property that I was genuinely excited about buying, but the last thing I want is to move into a house that might be the subject of ongoing trouble.
Would you be concerned if this happened to a house you were in the middle of buying?
Thanks in advance!