Bought a new house, with a broken patio door

KathO

We've just bought our first house, and when we went to first view the house, one of the selling points for us was a large sliding patio door, which at the time opened. We've now just completed on the property, and it seems that the previous owners have tried to change the locks on the door, and in the process have damaged the locking mechanism. We've had to have a locksmith out to open the door, and replace the mechanism, which has cost us nearly £400. We'd like to recoup this cost from the vendors, but their solicitors are stating they don't have an address for the vendors to send a bill onto them (because this was previously a rental property, and the solicitors have not completed an onward sale for our vendors). Can anyone advise on our legal standing, and what we might be able to do to get the money back?

go_cat

Sorry but I think your chances of reclaiming anything are very slim- you have no address for them and how can you prove they broke it ( even though you know they did, proving it is different )

I would put it down to experience and think at least you have a new lock that they don't have the key for.

G_M

£400?! They saw you coming!

Legally the property should have been in the same condition at Completion as it was at Exchange of Contracts (did they break the lock before or after Exchange? Do you even know?).

You could hire a private eye to trace them since without an address you can't even start legal proceedings.

If you do find them, your chances of a successful Small Claims Court action will depend on precise circumstances, dates, and proof.

Poppy9

It's annoying but common problem when buying a house and finding out what does/doesn't work.

As previous poster said at least you now know your locks are secure. Strictly speaking you should change all the locks on your house as previous owner may have retained a key.

savingmummy

Changing locks is a must i`d imagine so it may be worthwhile anyway.

That cost was a bit steep i must say