Vendor won't let us view the property again until we sign the contract

G_M

When buying a car, costing a few thousand pounds, many people not only view more than once, but usually go for a test drive!

You are buying a property costing .... a few hundred thousand pounds. If you have any doubts, don't Exchange until those doubts are put to bed.

olly300

funkyd wrote: »

It will be a 3rd viewing but only because it's been 3 months since the 2nd one. We're talking 20 minutes max. :mad:

Tell them directly that you are pulling out if you cannot view within 72 hours.

Also pass the message on to your solicitor to pass on to theirs.

Finally contact the estate agent and tell them the same message. The estate agent gets no commission if the vendors don't sell and as sales are thin on the ground they will be happy to talk to their clients.

After 72 hours pull out. If you have to pull out you will find something better.

DVardysShadow

Vendors are being stupid. I would go to the Agent [not my solicitor, but keep them informed], state that a viewing is required on a certain date [Saturday week sounds good] and specify am or pm and advise that exchange will not happen until after that viewing. If you can be hard enough to walk away. I think it is important to specify when you will view, to make it clear to the vendor that they are the ones who should be jumping through hoops.

IanManc

A solicitor would never advise a client to prevent a potential purchaser from viewing a property. Viewing of properties is nothing to do with solicitors, and they never get involved in it.

So your vendor hasn't told you the truth.

I think it is essential now that you view this property. I agree that you should say that you want to do so within a set timescale - 72 hours is not unreasonable - or you will pull out.

Be prepared to pull out - you are in the driving seat, not the vendor. There's no good reason why you shouldn't be allowed to view again. Being prevented from doing so is odd. Loud alarm bells should be ringing.

And don't sign the contract unless you are prepared to exchange contracts - there's no point.

budgetdiyer

Quite simple, go to the agent and tell them that you will be withdrawing from the purchase unless you can view the property again (prior to exchange), you can if you feel the need reassure them that it is just a cursory glance and a chance to measure for furniture / appliances etc.

Watch the agent leap into action and arrange your appointment....

DVardysShadow

IanManc wrote: »

A solicitor would never advise a client to prevent a potential purchaser from viewing a property. Viewing of properties is nothing to do with solicitors, and they never get involved in it.

So your vendor hasn't told you the truth.

I think it is essential now that you view this property. I agree that you should say that you want to do so within a set timescale - 72 hours is not unreasonable - or you will pull out.

Be prepared to pull out - you are in the driving seat, not the vendor. There's no good reason why you shouldn't be allowed to view again. Being prevented from doing so is odd. Loud alarm bells should be ringing.

And don't sign the contract unless you are prepared to exchange contracts - there's no point.

Mostly I agree with the above. But you are the second person to suggest demanding a viewing within 72 hours. Honestly, I would not. OP suspects that the sellers are trying to rush the exchange. And I feel quite strongly that OP should take time over this. Rather than demanding a viewing within 72 hours, OP should demand a viewing at a specific time, which both gives more thinking time and signals the intent to keep the driving seat.

budgetdiyer wrote: »

.... you can if you feel the need reassure them that it is just a cursory glance and a chance to measure for furniture / appliances etc.

I would be providing no such assurance. In fact for the viewing being refused until after exchange, I would be scrutinising even more closely.

MrsCrafty

Go around and take note of what you expect to be there on exchange & completion, write a list and give it to your Sols, they will change the exchange papers to this if they were different to the originals.

DO NOT EXCHANGE unless they let you see the house. I remember a client doing this and they took everything, the kitchen, radiators, light fittings, plugholes, bath the lot. She was devestated and it took a few months to sort it all out through court and a few months more to get the money. It was awful.

olly300

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Mostly I agree with the above. But you are the second person to suggest demanding a viewing within 72 hours.

The reason for the 72 hour deadline is that it's long enough for them to clean the house but not long enough for them to do botched repairs that will dry/ventilate the property to help obscure the damage they are trying to hide.

Well they must be trying to hide damage or a nasty smell otherwise why would they refuse to allow their potential purchaser to see what they are going to spend thousands on?

Personally I would rather give them 48 hours but you are suppose to be reasonable with difficult people......

beedeedee

When you do get in for another viewing - take photo's of everything that is attached in any way..........! If there are large mirrors or heavy objects on the walls, they may have enormous rawl plugs or whatever holding them up and insist that these holes are "made good". We've moved into houses that look like holey cheese - before we wised up.

DVardysShadow

olly300 wrote: »

The reason for the 72 hour deadline is that it's long enough for them to clean the house but not long enough for them to do botched repairs that will dry/ventilate the property to help obscure the damage they are trying to hide.

Fair point. But I am thinking that whatever is being done may already have been done and will be fairly obvious, hence they want an exchange to prevent a pull out.