Estate Agent lied before we put in a offer! Not Happy!

googler

Deleted_User wrote: »

It's bugging me now I have been onto the agents and asked them why they said there was no TPO on them when we asked twice! She is looking into it, I'm not a tree expert

Neither is the EA, from the sound of it

Deleted_User wrote: »

but it's clear to see to me the one nearest is leaning towards the house, do I continue and get a full survey (would these concerns be picked up by a full survey anyway?) and if there are issues picked up then where do I go from there to the council?

I can't imagine the surveyor will be a tree expert, either. If I ask a surveyor to report on the house, I don't expect him to tell me the azaleas are dying, and the Elm has Dutch Elm Disease.....

[Deleted User]

googler wrote: »

Why are you asking the council AFTER your offer has been accepted? Why didn't you check this before making your offer, if it's clearly a matter that concerns you?

How do you know the EA 'checked' with the same dept of the council that you did? Isn't it possible that the EA spoke to someone else in the council, possibly who wasn't actually qualified to give the correct answer, and they misled them, so that the EA didn't 'lie' to you, merely acted on incorrect information provided to them by another party.... he/she is an agent, not a tree surgeon.

I don't but when we have asked twice and been assured twice, I guess I am naive yes? I am not a tree surgeon either and it took me one phonecall to find this out so why didn't the EA do the same as they knew my concerns! I await a response from the EA to get a way forward on this. If they had told us up front there is no way I would of agreed with my wife to offer on it.

[Deleted User]

googler wrote: »

Neither is the EA, from the sound of it



I can't imagine the surveyor will be a tree expert, either. If I ask a surveyor to report on the house, I don't expect him to tell me the azaleas are dying, and the Elm has Dutch Elm Disease.....

Googler please I'm after advice not your smart comments.

moneyistooshorttomention

dominoman wrote: »

You can cut down a tree if it is dangerous or dying.

Apparently people have been know to accidentally spill a little salt around the roots. Clumsy people.

Some people have also been known to accidentally spill Round Up that they were using on weeds in the wrong direction.

Regarding the EA, I'd also be angry with them. TPOs come up often enough that they should make it their business to know whether one applies or no and, if they don't, then they are (at best) negligent and (at worst) devious little *****. If I were in that line of work, then I'm darn sure I'd make sure I was well-informed about everything that regularly comes up (TPOs/subsidence/good and bad neighbourhoods/Council redevelopment plans). It comes with the territory..

googler

Deleted_User wrote: »

Googler please I'm after advice not your smart comments.

Do you want everyone to merely agree with you, or do you want some input?

I genuinely do not believe that any surveyor called upon to survey a house will report on the health or TPO status of anything planted in the garden.

googler

Deleted_User wrote: »

I don't but when we have asked twice and been assured twice, I guess I am naive yes?

If the EA was genuinely under the impression there was no TPO from the enquiries they'd made, why would their answer change the second time you asked?

Doozergirl

googler wrote: »

Do you want everyone to merely agree with you, or do you want some input?

Estate agents market properties.

If people know that estate agents, in the main, are as clueless about the house as they are, why ask the question? It wouldn't have occurred to me to ask the EA about this sort of thing, I'd have checked with the council and then with someone who specialises in trees.

I wouldn't be surprised if the EA didn't even know what a TPO was. Either way, the OP isn't exactly in a worse position than when they started. If they like the house, it's worth doing the research properly - and make the vendor pay . I'm not convinced that even the council bod knew what they were talking about. You can't take down a tree with a TPO on a whim, of course they will resist, but we don't know the genuine condition of the tree and what needs to be done to protect house and tree until someone commissions a report on it.

The ipshot of that will be that either the tree is safe and the OP has no genuine concern, or some work needs to be carried out, in which case, given appropriate evidence, the coucil have no right to object and must give permission.

All part of house buying, IMO.

tom9980

Any chance of a picture OP? a good way is streetview via google maps. I had similar concerns about a tree at the house we are buying the agent told me straight away it had a TPO. Luckily the problem went away during the storms as the tree fell over a road and was cleared by the council within a few hours as it became by default a major diversion route into the city after flooding caused the closure of the road by the river.

SuzieSue

googler wrote: »

Do you want everyone to merely agree with you, or do you want some input?

The OP asked whether a survey would pick up the issues with the tree.

How was that wanting people to merely agree with him? If he wanted people to agree with him he wouldn't have asked the question, he would have just stated a fact.

You could have just said no. Was the smart comment about azaleas and Dutch Elm disease really necessary, or does it make you feel superior?

DaftyDuck

tom9980 wrote: »

Any chance of a picture OP? a good way is streetview via google maps. I had similar concerns about a tree at the house we are buying the agent told me straight away it had a TPO. Luckily the problem went away during the storms as the tree fell over a road and was cleared by the council within a few hours as it became by default a major diversion route into the city after flooding caused the closure of the road by the river.

There's a photo on the other thread in Gardening Forum

I'm afraid I feel that, if the tree causes you consternation, the house is just not for you. It looks sound, doesn't look inherently dangerous, and adds to the property... maybe not in the "flesh", but from the photo. I doubt you'd get a TPO lifted, and doubt the tree would look good capped.