FTB- Moving in expectations

Albala

I'd ask to do inspection at a time that was both pre-exchange, and after the tenants have gone. If the place is in a very bad state, or the tenants have trashed things in revenge, then you may well feel you wish to drop your offer so as to be able to afford to get professional cleaners in, or if the vendor prefers, to let the vendor clear it up and allow you to re-inspect to see that it has been done. They would have to do that to re-let it, so I don't think it is too much to ask to do it before they sell. But they could refuse, then you'd have to decide if it was worth it or not.



If the garden is ankle deep in dogshit it will take more than any 15 mins to sort out. And it is a significant health issue, especially if you have kids, whatever some glib posters here may say.


With any sale that drags on, unless you are 100% sure of the integrity of the sellers, I would consider a 'pre-exchange check' to be, as my solicitor described it recently, 'prudent', if not plain essential. You take the house on in its condition at exchange (at which point your insurance should be set up to begin, BTW).

Slinky

If this lazy mare can't be bothered to clean up after her dog, how manky will the inside of her washing machine be?



I've read on here before about people buying houses where dogs have peed on the carpet, it's soaked through and into the floorboards. It's possible to get the smell out of the floorboards with some strong chemicals, but it didn't appear to be a quick, easy, or probably cheap thing to have to sort.

zagubov

M_Python wrote: »

Are you sure that the person living there is a tenant rather than the owner?

If they are a tenant, your first priority should be to ensure that they have vacated the property before you exchange as your solicitor and mortgage lender will insist on vacant possession on completion. Otherwise, if they refuse to move out, you would become their landlord and have to follow the correct procedure to evict them, which I'm sure you're not familiar with.

You can ask for whatever you like but the examples you give of it being professionally cleaned and the garden being cleared is not something the owner has to agree to and no, that is not standard. Having said that, you might be lucky and the owner does that anyway without you insisting on it as part of the negotiations.

Likewise, the same applies to the kitchen appliances. You might be lucky and the owner doesn't need to take them out in which case you can keep them. Indeed, if they are integrated, they would form part of the fixtures and fittings anyway. If they are freestanding, it would be down to negotiation and, if the owner did leave them for you, they may well want some money for them as extras.

Be absolutely clear that the money for white goods is totally separate from and in no way connected to how much you're paying for the house if it's via a mortgage.

You'd never buy white goods at the repayment length a mortgage gets.

Sicily1991

zagubov wrote: »

Be absolutely clear that the money for white goods is totally separate from and in no way connected to how much you're paying for the house if it's via a mortgage.

You'd never buy white goods at the repayment length a mortgage gets.

Thanks. How would payment for such things be arranged? I don't think I'll ever deal directly with the seller but most likely through the EA/ solicitors...?

Housebuy12345

Just pay someone £20 to remove the poo

Sicily1991

Albala wrote: »

I'd ask to do inspection at a time that was both pre-exchange, and after the tenants have gone.Thanks I'll certainly do that and always intended to under these circumstances. To be fair to the tenant, I have no idea she intends to trash it but she kept going on about how she'd 'lost love' for the house since it's been put on the market, and she seems very messy in general, but she wasn't hostile as per se. I know she has been very difficult to get hold of and has left several potential buyers outside having agreed to viewings and then not answering the door/ going out with no keys to the EA. If the place is in a very bad state, or the tenants have trashed things in revenge, then you may well feel you wish to drop your offer so as to be able to afford to get professional cleaners in, or if the vendor prefers, to let the vendor clear it up and allow you to re-inspect to see that it has been done. They would have to do that to re-let it, so I don't think it is too much to ask to do it before they sell. But they could refuse, then you'd have to decide if it was worth it or not.



If the garden is ankle deep in dogshit it will take more than any 15 mins to sort out. And it is a significant health issue, especially if you have kids, whatever some glib posters here may say.Problem is it is a very small garden and has decking so the poop seemed to be everywhere between the wooden desks etc and seemed very unpleasant, I couldn't believe the tenant let this happen as she's the one living there and it's summertime...


With any sale that drags on, unless you are 100% sure of the integrity of the sellers, I would consider a 'pre-exchange check' to be, as my solicitor described it recently, 'prudent', if not plain essential. You take the house on in its condition at exchange (at which point your insurance should be set up to begin, BTW).

Should I state this as a term of my offer? or just agree this between solicitors when I am at that stage? I really like the house but this thread has made me very wary of offering on a house with tenants now!

Albala

Housebuy12345 wrote: »

Just pay someone £20 to remove the poo

You volunteering, then?

zagubov

Sicily1991 wrote: »

Thanks. How would payment for such things be arranged? I don't think I'll ever deal directly with the seller but most likely through the EA/ solicitors...?

I'd try to obtain a wad of cash or unearth my cheque book from whatever vault I'd entombed it in and write one out for that sum. Get a receipt for it, of course.

Sicily1991

Called the EA this morning and enquired re the tenant situation and they informed me that notice had been given and the tenant has found a new house and is due to move out at the end of June (if all goes to plan). I have only been considering properties with no onward chain so I hope she gets out end of June and if my offer does get accepted that I can go in to view once she has left to get an idea of what it's like without having invested too much in the eventuality there is something gravely off-putting I haven't noticed on my first two viewing with all her stuff inside.

Fire_Fox

Sicily1991 wrote: »

I'm a FTB who is about to offer on a two bed mid-terraced property. I've viewed the property twice now and the current tenant has a huge dog who is allowed to do its business in the small garden and roams all the rooms etc. which leave a smell around the house in general.

My questions are: a) what condition can I expect the house to be in if and when I should move into it? I.e. do I have to specify I want the place to be professionally cleaned and the garden cleared before I move in or is this just as standard? And should I state this as a term of my offer? in addition to it being subject to survey?The carpets etc have lots of wear and tear and I will be looking to change them and repaint but not straight away as I won't have too much cash left over after buying necessary furniture.

Expect your property and garden to be as you saw it or worse. That is common sense not the benefit of experience.

Why would a tenant who has moved on and does not know you want to clean or repair YOUR house? Why would a vendor who has sold up and does not know you want to clean or repair YOUR house?

They will be sorting out their own sh11.

YOU will be responsible for everything at all times from the day you complete. regardless of how skint you are, regardless how sick you are, regardless how long your commute is, regardless if you lose your job.

You need several months mortgage payments in a savings account FROM DAY ONE. There are NO state benefits for many months now, even after months it is only a loan towards interest.

Buy a one bedroom flat or rent for much longer if you don't have a 'rainy day fund'.

I am being harsh to open your eyes: home ownership is stressful, expensive stuff breaks down or leaks at the worst possible time, you can do everything right on paper and still LOSE money when the market stagnates.

I genuinely hope nothing bad happens, but honestly every homeowner has a horror story at some point.

Sicily1991 wrote: »

Secondly, I believe most of the furniture belongs to the tenant but I am unsure about the kitchen appliances, and I would be eager to keep the fridge/washing machine and dishwasher. Should I include this in my terms for my offer once I find out who they belong to? What is usually included in a home sale? Sorry I'm inexperienced in this and my parents live abroad and build their own property years ago so not much help in this domain.

Any advice on what to include in my offer/negotiations much appreciated.

Spend some quality time with the 'advanced search' function reading a year or two of FTB threads on this sub. Every horror story or naive mistake covered.

Also have a full structural survey done.

HTH.