Do we have any rights?

shelleyg222

Hi
I was just wondering (aloud) - we moved into our house on friday, knowing it needed a lot of work (it has taken 3 days just to clean it enough to make it liveable!).
When we got the keys, the lady who owned previously told us she didnt have a garage key, and not only that the key which locks the door between the house and the garage had conveniently stopped locking the day before.
Thorough inspection on moving in has now shown a leak from the en-suite sink down the back outside wall of the house.
Now, today after clearing the junk out of the garden, we can see that the conservatory has been built where the rainwater fall pipe goes at the back of the house, the fall pipe has been moved to the side and the water just flows into the garden.
We only had a valuation survey done (as the house is only 13 years old), but surely things like the keys and broken lock wouldnt have been picked up then anyway.
The previous owner has never declared any of these issues. Do we have any rights?

G_M

shelleyg222 wrote: »

Do we have any rights?

Yes.

You have the right to maintain, and improve, your house.

princeofpounds

unlikely. Buyers only have to disclose what you ask. Might be worth reading your SPIF again to see if you asked a relevant question and they lied in their answer.

ILW

Why do people try to save a few hundred on a survey and then possibly end up with problems that could cost 10s of thousands with no come back? I just don't get it.

RedwoodBrook

ILW wrote: »

Why do people try to save a few hundred on a survey and then possibly end up with problems that could cost 10s of thousands with no come back? I just don't get it.

Same reason people don't wear bike helmets - they never think the bad things will happen to them.

shelleyg222

as i said previously, i fail to see how the the key and the broken lock issue can be picked up on a survey done 2 months ago?

princeofpounds

You should be replacing all the locks yourself anyway!

shelleyg222

We do however appreciate that the conservatory issue would have been picked up on a survey.

BitterAndTwisted

So get a locksmith in and have the locks replaced. You're going to have to pay for the other issues you have mentioned. You only had a valuation survey done so any problems that you encounter from now on will have to be paid for by you. Such is life

sophie1412

I know exactly where you're coming from here - when I bought my flat there were lots of issues that I had not noticed as a naive 1st time buyer and that the vendor had cleverly disguised! I didn't have any comeback on the vendor. It is one of the things of buying a property and unfortunately there is nothing that you can do. As has already been said I would look to get all your locks changed anyway as that's always safer. Next time I buy I will make sure I have the most thorough survey done that I can - you live and learn and one of the biggest lessons is to never trust anyone (especially the vendor!) and accept that buying (and maintaining) property is an expensive business.

Good luck with the repairs and I hope you get settled in to your new place soon.

casper_g

A valuation doesn't involve inspecting the house to find any minor maintenance issues. It certainly doesn't involve checking that all the door locks work and have keys!

What it does involve is a basic look to make sure the house exists, isn't showing obvious signs that it could fall over tomorrow, and is of the general size and type that will provide adequate security for the mortgage you want. It's carried out for the benefit of your mortgage lender, not for you. The minor issues you describe are not at all the sort of thing that a surveyor carrying out a valuation could be expected to spot. Even if they did notice them, the impact on the value of the house is so slight that they would probably ignore them!