Reducing Offer Price Before Completion Due to Issues

fezster

OP - all of the issues you are raising are "what if's". Putting yourself into the vendors shoes, you have to see they are probably thinking that these are non-issues and therefore do not warrant a price drop. Take the chimney as an example - no building regs can be enforced after a year (so that indemnity is pointless) and it's been structurally sound for 10 years, so highly unlikely it's going to suddenly collapse, unless there's evidence of existing movement, cracks in wall etc.

If you want to put yourself into a stronger position to lower your offer, you need to instruct surveyors to prove that these are actual issues. Of course, you can lower your offer to whatever you like before exchange, just don't expect the other side to agree to it.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

There's a tree in the garden and a flat roof. You knew there was a tree in the garden and a flat roof, unless they had disguised the tree as a helter skelter and put a false cardboard pitched roof on. You now want a price reduction owing to there being a tree in the garden and a flat roof.

Can you not see the problem they are going to have with this? They accepted your offer because it was the highest for a house with a tree in the garden and a flat roof. They may have had another offer of 2K less for their house with a tree in the garden and flat roof, and taken yours. That person wouldn't have attempted to reduce it, because the tree in the garden and the flat roof were pretty obvious.

amateur_house

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

There's a tree in the garden and a flat roof.

To be fair not everyone would realise a tree has the potential to cause problems, It didn't occur to me that the tree in the garden of a house I offered on was an issue until it was pointed out in the survey. I can't be the only one who it wouldn't occur to. It's probably the same with a flat roof. I see a survey as something to help less experienced buyers who might not spot things as easily to make an informed decision before proceeding.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

amateur_house wrote: »

To be fair not everyone would realise a tree has the potential to cause problems, It didn't occur to me that the tree in the garden of a house I offered on was an issue until it was pointed out in the survey. I can't be the only one who it wouldn't occur to. It's probably the same with a flat roof. I see a survey as something to help less experienced buyers who might not spot things as easily to make an informed decision before proceeding.

Something that you didn't know due to your own ignorance is not the same as something that wasn't apparent to anybody. If you offer more on a house than anyone else and subsequently realise it's next door to Heathrow airport, you don't try negotiate a reduction, you pull out and let them deal with the people who did realise it was next door to Heathrow, as your offer is unlikely to still be the highest. You certainly don't wait three months and then try and reduce your offer. The house was originally priced to take account of the tree and the flat roof.