Vacant possession of probate property questions

Claudette10

Can anyone help?

My mum is buying a bungalow, vacant possession, which is going through probate. In the process of her buying, the vendors have drained the heating system, and cut off the electricity, gas and water supply (although, with the water this may just be the stopcock)

The property questionnaire received for the property is full of 'don't knows'. The sellers have no certification for gas safety, and it's not clear when the boiler was last checked, or for the efficacy of the boiler. Ditto, the electricity, though it may be that the selling agent knows at a very basic level whether either worked or not.

The proposal is that my mum meets the costs of any safety checks for the gas and electric, but given that the power supplies are disconnected, the suggestion is that this happens after contracts are exchanged, and before completion. Understandably she's not particularly happy with this, and wants the power supply reinstated, so the checks can be carried out prior to exchange of contracts, which seems reasonable to me. She is also being asked to meet the cost of refilling the heating system, and is not yet sure how much this costs, though that is easy enough to find out.

Does any one have experience of anything similar? Is it usual for the buyer to be expected to meet costs such as these? It hasn't been in her or my own experience previously, and it seems very strange, even in a vacant property, given that it's summer, to drain a heating system, and cut off the utilities. It would be good to hear from anyone who has constructively dealt with something similar.

It's putting her off continuing with the purchase, which is a pity, as she really liked the bungalow, and wanted to move.

Thanks

agrinnall

Make an offer based on the worst case assumption that none of it is working.

AnotherJoe

To follow up with Agrinalls suggestion, make that specific. For example, state that the price you will pay is £x but you are reducing by (say) £10k to allow for new boiler, rewiring, etc. If they think that's outrageous they can fix that by getting these items checked themselves.

Claudette10

Thanks to you both, excellent suggestions.

cte1111

Claudette10 wrote: »

The property questionnaire received for the property is full of 'don't knows'. The sellers have no certification for gas safety, and it's not clear when the boiler was last checked, or for the efficacy of the boiler. Ditto, the electricity, though it may be that the selling agent knows at a very basic level whether either worked or not.

The proposal is that my mum meets the costs of any safety checks for the gas and electric

OP do you rent? I've seen quite a few threads like this from FTB, appalled that their seller doesn't have a gas safety certificate etc. I think many home owners do not get their boiler serviced and the vast majority would not have a gas safety certificate or any certification for their electric.

When you are buying a house, then it is 'sold as seen'. People usually get a survey and may then follow this up with more detailed reports from specialists in areas which could not be checked or the surveyor was concerned about. This is part of the cost of buying, rather than renting.

From your Mum's point of view, whichever property she were to buy, there is little guarantee that the heating would work in the long term. If it has been recently replaced and regularly serviced, then that is a good sign but there is still the possibility that it could break down or fail to start up when autumn comes. Your Mum needs to have a budget to cover maintenance and eventual replacement of the heating system.

Red-Squirrel_2

Probate property, sellers don't know much about it, I'm going to guess that the place is old fashioned and neglected in terms of decor?

Best approach is to assume that everything will need doing. Rewire, new boiler, new rads, new kitchens and bathrooms, new decoration everywhere, probably plastering first. Very likely some roof repairs.

If your mum can't afford to take it on as a project and be ready to do a lot of work on it, best to avoid it probably.

G_M

The system has been drained and everything turned off for insurance reasons. Because the property is unoccupied, the insurers will insist on this, since, if a pipe cracked as a result of freezing (!) the subsequent leak might not be spotted and the water damage considerable.

If the sellers reconect everythingm their insurance will be invalidated. If your mum then backed out, they'd be left with an uninsurable property and have to disconnect it all again.

as for the non-answers to property info form - well, the Executers don't know the answers so can't give them.

So much for the 'why'.

But from your mum's point of view, she should treat this as a repo. She should assume the worst and offer accordingly, holding back enough cash to be able to re-wire, replace boiler, fix plumbing etc.

The Executers will have this problem with any buyer, so will have to suck it up.

davidmcn

The utilities will just have been turned off, not "cut off". Pretty normal for other types of empty property (repossession, part exchange etc) that the buyer pays for refilling, tests etc (or are simply refused). Mayne more negotiable in theory with a non-corporate vendor.

If the property had been occupied recently then the chances are that everything works. Unless cause of death was, say, electrocution...

getmore4less

Fairly standard for a empty property where the vendors do not want hassle.

here it is,
here are the keys go have look check anything you want(leave it as you found it)

if you want it make an offer.

in some case all it really needs is a call in on the neighbors(if similar properties even better) and ask some questions.


The majority of house moves people have experience of are a occupation swap, one moves out the other moves in.

davidmcn

Penitent wrote: »

Refilling the heating system shouldn't cost anything (unless there's a water meter or a leak). You just turn on the stop !!!!, turn a little valve to let the water into the CHS and bleed the radiators.

It costs if the seller insists on their own contractor doing the filling/draining (they're unlikely to want anybody else tinkering with it and later have an argument about why it's broken).