Pre-exchange, told fitted oven and dishwasher don't work

Slithery

goodwithsaving wrote: »

We've all moved into places that have had things not working that we expected to. If you can't afford a new oven, how on earth are you going to afford to fix the odd roof leak

I moved into one of my previous houses on Christmas eve, only to find that the boiler and cooker had been condemned.

I still managed to sort out a replacement and cook lunch for 10 on Xmas day

teddysmum

eddddy wrote: »

If finances are tight, maybe investigate getting a countertop combi microwave with a convection oven and grill, until you have funds to replace the main oven.

They cost about £100 - or less on ebay, gumtree.

TBH, a couple of small households I know have practically stopped using their main oven, because the combi oven is so much more convenient. The convection oven function roasts and bakes fine.

Argos have a Delonghi combination for just £80 and that, of course is new and a reputable brand.

hazyjo

I lived in my BF's flat for over a year with no oven, hob, washing machine or dishwasher. It's really not a big problem is it. I presume you have a microwave, and someone you know will have a George Forman type grill in the back of a cupboard. Tabletop ovens are very cheap and will suffice until you can spare the cash and a day off work.

My dishwasher has broke and I've offered my buyer £120 which I think is more than fair.

HouseMouse

If the seller has been honest enough to tell you the oven & dishwasher aren't working, will they tell you exactly what is wrong with them?

My oven isn't working, and I know its because there is a problem with the wiring in the kitchen. That's not going to be fixed by getting a new element (or a new oven). I use a large combi oven/microwave.

Mickygg

If you don't have a spare £500 for a new oven and dishwasher I'd be concerned.
Whenever you move into a new house something not working usually happens. For me it was shower pump (knackered) oven (would not get upto any temp above 100 degrees) hob (new metal stands needed) and fridge (froze everything).
If I knew beforehand I probably wouldn't have done anything different as like new appliances anyway.

Car1980

goodwithsaving wrote: »

And if you were my buyer I'd tell you to get stuffed.
We've all moved into places that have had things not working that we expected to. If you can't afford a new oven, how on earth are you going to afford to fix the odd roof leak

What's the relevance in affordability? If I view a car and the dealer says the air con is broken I don't agree to pay the full asking price - I offer him a bit less. Saying doing a deal has any bearing on whether I can afford to get it serviced in future is nonsensical.

And if you'd rather lose a house sale because you won't knock off 0.15% off the asking price you're a stubborn fool.

Car1980

Mickygg wrote: »

If you don't have a spare £500 for a new oven and dishwasher I'd be concerned.
Whenever you move into a new house something not working usually happens. For me it was shower pump (knackered) oven (would not get upto any temp above 100 degrees) hob (new metal stands needed) and fridge (froze everything).
If I knew beforehand I probably wouldn't have done anything different as like new appliances anyway.

Why would you be concerned? Plenty of people over the years have sat on garden furniture in their new house because they can't afford a new sofa yet. It doesn't mean they'll default on the mortgage and the house will be repossessed!

Mickygg

Car1980 wrote: »

Why would you be concerned? Plenty of people over the years have sat on garden furniture in their new house because they can't afford a new sofa yet. It doesn't mean they'll default on the mortgage and the house will be repossessed!

Because if something like the boiler goes bang and you can't afford to fix it you are stuffed. Or just very cold and smelly.

HornetSaver

Appreciate most of the advice.

To answer a few comments regarding whether I'm stretching myself too tight, my point is that I have an emergency fund, over and above the things I know are wrong which will require money being spent on them - and I've made fairly pessimistic estimates. I am also buying very little in the way of furniture (two bar-type stools for the kitchen diner, already bought, two bean bag chairs - this isn't the only furniture I'll own but I will say that I don't own a sofa, or a table of any description), plus a fridge-freezer. I don't see this as roughing it, I see it as these being the things I need, and I have a long list of things I want which I will prioritise depending on which I want most once I'm there and have the money.

My concern related to the thought of committing a chunk of the emergency fund to something I already know requires spending, meaning what is left of the emergency fund might not be big enough to cover an actual emergency. This, plus no matter how prepared you think you might be for moving into a new place, it's the trivial but once you're without them important things which quickly add to the cost, therefore while on paper I'll bring in a lot more than I spend, I don't anticipate putting any money away in the first couple of months.

That said, appreciate the advice above - a lot of it has reassured me that even if it is bad, the cost of getting it sorted (and/or getting around it), isn't as great as I'd feared.

TBagpuss

I'd suggest trying to knock a little off the price, but bear in mind that what you are 'losing' are an old cooker and dishwasher, so don't expect to knock off the full replacement cost.

Check which part isn't working. If it is just the oven, you can cook on the hob while you get settled in. If it is the whole thing, it may be something really simple like a blown fuse!

You then have 2 options:

- cook using a microwave and toaster for a few days, and get a cooker installed once you are in, but first get someone out to check if it is fixable. It may be as simple as a new element. OR

- find out timescales for getting a new cooker delivered, then make sure that the gap between exchange and completion is long enough to buy the new cooker after exchange and get it delivered the day after completion.

When I last moved, my (built in) cooker died 48 hours before completion. I got my excellent repairman in who identified that it wasn't the heating element, that it was fixable but would take a week to let the part and that in his view, given its age and condition, he didn't think it was worth repairing.

I passed this on to the buyers and offered to either give them a small cash sum, or alternatively to buy a replacement, which I made clear would be a second hand oven. (I checked on e-bay etc and found several in the £30-£60 range)

We agreed that I would give them £50 as they (entirely reasonably) would prefer to have some money to wards buying a new cooker of their choice than to have a old, second hand one.

When I moved into my new home I found that neither the freezer element of the fridge-freezer, nor the dishwasher worked (despite being marked as working on the PIF) they were both old and poor quality so I just replaced them, I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of trying to get money out of the sellers, particularly as it would only have been £30-£100.