Well we have just "enjoyed" our first week in our new house.... and the fun has only just begun, I shall start at the begining with this tale of woe so I suppose that would be a week past on friday when we got the keys to our beloved 4 bed mid terraced, front & back door do'er up'er. So with eager antisipation we wait for the call to let us know its all systems go and we can get the keys, it arrived an hour late as we were awaiting a trusted deed of creditors to be lifted from the property, but once that had been cleared we headed to the house... First thing we noticed was none of the lights were working, but then that might have something to do with the £20 debt they had kindly left on their token meter, then it was on the the central heating boiler, and well there was a problem there too... but thankfully they had left the white goods, all be it a fridge/freezer that took a good friend two hours to clean of mold, a washing machine we have since found doesn't pump water out and a cooker that doesn't have a main oven that works... So to livingroom to relax and survey the chaos... only to realise we were missing an important piece of kit there too... A radiator!! Yes, where once a raditor had stood tall, was now mearly fitments coming from the floor.

After fours days of no hot water or central heating we eventually refound the enjoyment of a hot shower, and the world started to look a better place.

They may have left us with a place with out the simple things in life, but they have also left us a place were with can enjoy the simple things in life, no tv aerial, no plug for the sink, no cleaning, no light fittings, no worries... because its ours and we can make it home.

Chances are these things should have been included in the sale, especially things like radiators. Was it a messy purchase where they felt the need to leave their calling card? Whatever, put it down to experience in six months it'll be history.

Just think of it as a blank slate, and with a bit if luck (and several years) you will be able to look back on this and laugh

Hi Scottishdiva, Get your Solicitor onto it asap, anything included in the sale should be in reasonable working order for it's age, that includes the washing machine and especially the boiler. Rad's are part of the heating system and must be included - it'll all be in the missives. The £20 debt for the meter is quite simple - it's their debt! We just moved and everything was pretty much OK, apart from the masses of junk left in the loft, garage and garden! Sol's are getting this sorted.

I know what you mean tho, it's a bit gritty when you get into the new place, but once the teething problems have been sorted out it, it's surprising how quickly it feels like home.

Yes but surely anything a vendor says they are leaving they are leaving the exact white goods etc. that were there when the house was viewed - so you should know what you are getting. I don't think it's worth going down a solicitor route for the sake of them half inching a radiator. If you buy a house as a doer upper, then it's up to the buyer to go round the house and check out what's working and what isn't surely?

Slightly different in scotland qs, you effectivly declare that everything is in reasonable working order when you exchange contracts, all faults to be reported within 10 working days (or thereabouts). Most things aren't bothered about, but if the CH doesn't work and a radiator has been nicked then it's quite common for the solicitor to get it sorted out. This of course assumes that the CH was guaranteed in the missives, if it's a wreck of a house and the CH quite obviously doesn't work, then it will be stated that there's no guarantee.

quote:

Originally posted by queenstomper:
If you buy a house as a doer upper, then it's up to the buyer to go round the house and check out what's working and what isn't surely?

Yes, but for the second viewing Scottishdiva posted that she had to go round in the dark as the vendors refused to put the lights on! And that she left without looking at all she intended or measuring up. I thought it sounded iffy at the time.

Scottishdiva just said they "we were awaiting a trusted deed of creditors to be lifted from the property", I don't know what that means but am guessing there may have been a forced sale due to debts.

If so it sounds like the vendors didn't really want to sell or have financial or other problems and are resentful about the sale. If so then if I was Scottishdiva it'd be changing the locks asap just in case they come back to nick anything.

Scottishdiva, do you really want to pursue someone for £20 worth of tokens, a crappy radiator and some bulbs?
Get on with your life and forget these people.

Firstly Greatest Dancer... where did I say we were going after them ? It may in fact be an idea to read peoples posts before taking the higher ground.

But MacFlat is right, techincally we have every right to go after them for the tune of around £500 which takes into consideration the replacement of the radiator, the new bit for the central heating boiler, the new light fittings, YES light fittings.. thats not just bulbs thats bare wires hanging from the ceiling.... and all the other bits and pieces that they have made a complete mess of.

Though Fran Tick is right, and has a very good memory too. They obviously didn't want to sell but were left with no option because they had money problems, so there is little point in spending money chasing someone who has no money . We will be changing the locks and getting on with it as i said in my first post this is going to be our home.

I just can't help feeling slightly cheated though, as we spent a lot of time making sure things in our flat were clean, tidy and in working order.. but then I suppose everyone has their own standards.

Well like you said, it's yours now, clean slate, and in a while it will all be just as you want it to be.

And don't let them put you off if and when you come to sell again, I still think that those who are inconsiderate to their buyers are in a minority and so long as the rest of us continue to leave our places as best we can when we sell these incidences will be few and far between.

Yes, it sucks.

Even though you are unlikely to get any money out of them, do still mention it to your Solicitor. He should not charge you anything to write a follow up letter to the vendors' Solicitor listing the missing / damages items and how much the estimated cost was to make good on these (assuming they were listed / agreed before the sale).

It's unlikely that you will get anything other than the £20 on the Electric Meter refunded (the Electricity man should have organised that when he gave you your new key and re-set your Meter for you).

It does suck when you go to the effort of cleaning & preparing your old place & didn't receive the same courtesy. I even left a loo roll in the bathroom & a cloth & a bit of cleaning spray & soap for the people moving into my old flat. The people at my flat left the place clean & a loo roll. It's nice to have such courtesies, as it makes the place more welcoming... but unfortunately, it seems that you bought a place that was being sold to clear debts. Your Estate Agents should have declared this to you, so there may be a claim there, but as you say, you just want to enjoy the place now.

Have a quick word with your Solicitor and he will tell you if it's worth pursuing.

Ary.

Of course you have every right to go after them but you won't get no money. Like Fran trick says folk who do that kind of thing don't have money and if they do they won't be handing it over.
I made claims within the ten days through my solicitor for several major things and got heehaw.