Buyer wants floor lifted to insp Damp

Desb1966

I'm selling an old Victorian property. The buyer had a Damp expert come round on Tuesday to inspect the problems after her survey picked it up. She is now asking for him to visit again as he says he needs to lift up the carpet underlay and floor boards to confirm if what he thinks is wrong is actually wrong. I am worried he is going to damage the carpet, underlay, gripper rods, floor boards etc. Then she pulls out of the sale and I'm left with a mess to clean up.

I have already reduced the price by £7500.00 on the understanding that we complete by the end of August which doesn't look likely.

What should I do ?

marksoton

Desb1966 wrote: »

I have already reduced the price by £7500.00 on the understanding that we complete by the end of August which doesn't look likely.

What should I do ?

No chance.

missile

Look for another buyer.

anselld

It is straightforward to lift a carpet and floorboard and replace without any damage - one of the benefits of old houses. Just make sure everything is replaced to your satisfaction before he leaves (if you want to allow it that is).

unforeseen

Ask for a £7500 indemnity payment up front to ensure everything is put back properly

Also insist on professional carpet fitters and floorboard people do the work and not just the surveyor ripping things up.- all at their cost of course

Davesnave

Desb1966 wrote: »

I have already reduced the price by £7500.00 on the understanding that we complete by the end of August which doesn't look likely.

This info isn't info without context. It could be generous, or relatively inconsequential, depending upon the original price of the property, the offer price and the state of the local market.

If you set a deadline, then you can increase it again if the date passes due to hold-ups created by the buyer. Of course, that might well spook the buyer, but until you exchange, further negotiation is always an option.

Your buyer knows this, which is why they are commissioning a further, more detailed report. You don't have to play ball and can cut to the chase now, if you wish.

Either way, £50 for a carpet fitter isn't really your problem.

ERICS_MUM

Is it just one room ? I might be inclined to agree if so, subject to the use of professional carpet fitters to lift and then replace the carpets etc. All at their cost of course. What happens if the buyer doesn't like the findings ? Would they walk away or ask for an additional price reduction to cover any works ?

Or maybe I couldn't be bothered with all the upheaval and decide to look for another buyer - at the original price - add the £7500 back.

How long has the house been on the market and how desperate are you to sell it even if it means upheaval and potentially another drop in price ?

Good luck - it's a toughie.

student100

You could insist that the surveyor also provides you a copy of the report. If it turns out the problem isn't serious, but the buyer pulls out anyway, you can provide the report to any future buyer to set their mind at ease.

If it turns out that there is a major problem, better you know about it?

AnotherJoe

Whether you mean it this way or not, not allowing this seems very suspicious. Damp has been found, and you aren't willing to let anyone look. If I was the buyer, I'd be walking at this point given you seem to be wanting to hide just how bad it is, in the spurious grounds the gripper rods ( cost perhaps ten pounds? ) may be damaged. Yes I know you mentioned the carpet etc but this is all going to have to be done to fix it anyway. Suck it up (I agree, buyer pays)

If there is damp it seems likely that any new buyer will want similar inspection if these buyers walk you can forget end of August (and money off for a quick completion now sounds very suspicious , almost as if you want it done in a hurry so no one can find anything)

Maybe you need to get the damp fixed yourself because if it is serious any buyer will want more off than it will cost you to fix it. And your only (very slim) chance of an end of August date is get it lifted now so the buyers can see exactly what it's going to cost and adjust the price accordingly.

Reduction for an early move is one thing, that doesn't mean it's not right to have a reduction if something else is found.

If the buyers posted here saying "damps been found but seller won't allow carpets to be lifted in case gripper rods are broken" (you really threw the kitchen sink in when you included those) I'm confident the advice from everyone would be to walk.

Desb1966

It is just the one room sitting room, it's been on the market since End of June.

Desb1966

Thank you for your feedback. The reason why I wanted to complete by end of August is because I am poorly and have made her aware of that. I think the frustration is that he could have asked to do it on Tuesday when he was there, but he didn't.