Conveyancing in England

topsales

I am a Scot buying a house in England - and it is very different! Offer accepted 4 weeks ago on a part exchange house (ie being sold by builder of newbuilds who has taken it in px. Survey done and fine apart from one small thing which I asked the solicitor to ask the sellers to remedy - 2 weeks ago. Now the whole thing seems to have stalled! I have all the searches etc but don't want to sign off the paperwork until this issue is remedied but I have been left hanging. Is this the normal procedure or am I doing something wrong? I should add that the house residents move next week and, as a cash buyer, I had hoped it would all be done and dusted by the end of February! I feel like I am banging my head off a brick wall!

topsales

This is an electrical issue - wouldn't have even known about it if an electrical report hadn't been included with the searches - and it was 'unsatisfactory'. Not keen to back out after paying for a survey though.

G_M

'unsatisfactory' can cover many things - some important some irrrelevant. What was the issue?

Asking the seller tto fix is a mistake. You hae no way of knowing who/what gets done. And he has no incentive to do a good job. He'll do the bare minimum using the cheapest cowboy available.

If it is a significant issue, reduce the price and fix it properly yourself later.

topsales

No RCDs on circuits? The report said it should be fixed immediately. I though about reducing my offer by a few hundred pounds and getting it repaired myself? It just seems to be impossible to contact the sellers(the builders). And my solicitor seems to be a waste of space - or maybe I am expecting too much?

Carrot007

topsales wrote: »

No RCDs on circuits? The report said it should be fixed immediately. I though about reducing my offer by a few hundred pounds and getting it repaired myself? It just seems to be impossible to contact the sellers(the builders). And my solicitor seems to be a waste of space - or maybe I am expecting too much?

So the consumer unit is over 20 years old? Lot's are perfectly compliant at the time.

No reason to reduce your offer and as a seller I would not budge, in fact I would have second thoughts for you mentioning something so pointless. You are expecting to much from an overbearing report it seems.

topsales

The consumer unit is quite new - so this isn't really an important thing?

Carrot007

topsales wrote: »

The consumer unit is quite new - so this isn't really an important thing?

Unlikely, unless it was repalced by an idiot not conforming to current regs.

Currently eveything would be on a split RCD circuit. (say for the last 2 years).

Around 2005ish it would usually be split with one half being RCD.

So this is why I am saying it is 20ish years old.

Is it metal? That is current regs. (despite the let's not go there sillyness of it). Not thast metal units were not around before. Just not required.

Anyhow. As long as it was complient when fitted why would it be an issue now. You can pretty muich say that for eveyrthing in any house. It is not compliant to current regs but was at the time.

topsales

Thanks, Carrot007. The electrics were redone in 2011 and the report is 2017 so I'm sure the regs have changed. I know nothing of these things though and was concerned. However, you have put my mind at rest so I will sign off the paperwork and hopefully get things moving! Thanks to you all for your help.

Carrot007

topsales wrote: »

Thanks, Carrot007. The electrics were redone in 2011 and the report is 2017 so I'm sure the regs have changed. I know nothing of these things though and was concerned. However, you have put my mind at rest so I will sign off the paperwork and hopefully get things moving! Thanks to you all for your help.

I would have expected half the consumer unit to be rcd if done in 2011. Still it is what it is.

I moved a couple of years ago from my house with things like electircs up to date and stuff. But you get what you get and unless the survey says it is worth less not much you can complaign about. (Let's not go there in my situtation, I was keen on the area and pais 5K over valuation but 8.5K under what they accepted). I have had the consumer unit change to a current regs one (still is I think as no majot changes I have seen!), so that's something!