Non-refundable deposit before contract

Nicki

Elizabeth_739 wrote: »

Thanks to everyone for their comments - for those that think a deposit is acceptable, perhaps you have been lucky in your own dealings.

No - the reverse! Hence why I'm in favour of them. I'm currently on my fifth purchaser and my second seller in my attempt to move house. All 6 of them have claimed not to be in a chain and able to move quickly. All 6 of them have changed their minds prior to exchange of contracts on a whim (survey and valuation has been fine and no legal problems have arisen)

7 months down the line I'm stressed and fed up and think we should have a system like Scotland where if you make an offer you have to follow through. If you genuinely want to buy a house and are intending to proceed on the basis of your original offer, you should have no problem about putting down a deposit up front. The only ones who do have a problem are those who want to give themselves leeway to change their minds or the price later.