FUMING with Estate Agent!!

Trollydolly_2

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Have to screem for a moment!!!!!

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Im buying my first house at the moment , my Uncle kindly said he would pay for the survey to be done for me as a gift.

Surveyer went to the house but the wrong Keys had been given to him by the Estate Agent so he couldnt get in.

He could only do an external survey and has said he will happily come back to do an Internal one but it will cost an extra £100.

When I called the estate agent to ask what was going on the lady was SO rude!!! She was basically saying well we arnt in a contract with you so we arnt paying the extra £100 bla bla. Is this putting you off the property, when are you looking to complete were her response.

Cheeky *** Ahhhhh Im so annoyed. How do i know they didnt deliberatly give out the wrong keys because there is something wrong with the inside????

She just kept saying these things happen we will not be paying for it!

GRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

So the surveyor said he thought it should be ok because it is an ex council house and they were built well BUT would you still go ahead and get the internal done at an extra cost?? Bearing in mind im very very short of cash.

I really want to just turn round and tell the *** at the estate agents where to shuv the house but she is obviously onto a winner coz we have paid for the solicter etc so it wouldnt be worth cutting off my nose to spite my face.

meanmachine_2

I'm afraid these things happen.

You would REALLY be cutting off your nose to spite your face if you bought a property without having a proper survey done.

Basically pay for the full survey and then drop your offer as a consequence.

It's easy.

You're the buyer - you have the power and you have the money.

EAs are a*seholes. Always were, always will be. So get the money back the only way you know how - by dropping your offer by AT LEAST the cost of the survey. personally I'd knock another grand off, but that's up to you.

lush_walrus

If I were you I would speak to someone above her head. Of course you arent employing the estate agents but their negligence has created an additional cost for you, thats the point!!.

Im not surprised you are annoyed!!

One thing you can do is inform the vender of what has happened, although you arent employing the agents, tehy are! And they will be concerned that the agents are creating a delay by your surveyor not being given access.

If you don't manage to get the money for the second survey from the agents by going above her head, then find out if they are registered estate agents. If they are you can try reporting them to the Institute of Estate Agents, or at least threaten to!

Sput2001

It might be worth discussing it with your solicitor, but as you're the buyer and, therefore, not paying the estate agents, there's probably not a lot you can do. You could get the seller to take £100 off the sale price which they could then take off how much they pay the agents, but it's probably a lot more faff than it's worth.

I would get the survey done anyway - it could end up saving you a lot more than £100 in a couple of ways:

1 - It could point out some work which needs doing which could give you something to negotiate with the seller and maybe have something knocked off the purchase price.

2 - It could point out that the house needs more doing to it than is worth it, which would mean the better option is to walk instead of saddling yourself with a money-pit. Unlikely, but still possible.

Hopefully it will come back with nothing drastic to report, but if nothing else you'll have peace of mind.

I would agree that it's pretty shoddy practice by the estage agents, who could have done more to help. I wouldn't walk away from the purchase just because of that, though. For the sake of £100 it's not worth it.

lush_walrus

meanmachine wrote:

I'm afraid these things happen.

You would REALLY be cutting off your nose to spite your face if you bought a property without having a proper survey done.

Basically pay for the full survey and then drop your offer as a consequence.

It's easy.

You're the buyer - you have the power and you have the money.

EAs are a*seholes. Always were, always will be. So get the money back the only way you know how - by dropping your offer by AT LEAST the cost of the survey. personally I'd knock another grand off, but that's up to you.

Only problem with this is that you will be annoying the vendor rather than the agent, as ultimately the vender will be paying for the agents error!!

Sput2001

Only problem with this is that you will be annoying the vendor rather than the agent, as ultimately the vender will be paying for the agents error!!

I agree, although the vendor could then take the money off what they're paying the agents.

It's horses for courses I guess, but for me the process of buying a property is stressful enough as it is without chucking extra spanners into the works like this. For the sake of a ton it's probably not worth it - you've probably got other things to be thinking about anyway. Others might feel differently...

meanmachine_2

I agree that the vendor should be told.

They might well feel as angry as you do.

If the EA is prepared to treat the vendor's client (ie you) like this, they're probably just as contemptuous of the vendor.

The last thing the vendor would want is for you to pull out because something some EA idiot has done.

I suspect the agent knows you're an FTB and is trying it on.

Contact the vendor and insist that this is made up to you. Or else wait for the results of the survey and lower your offer then.

deemy2004

better to be safe than sorry and arrange for another survey asap.

Send a letter to the estate agents with a copy of the bill for the 2nd survey since they gave the wrong key.

Hint at bad publicity in the press, and possible legal action to recoup the cost.

Sput2001

The last thing the vendor would want is for you to pull out because something some EA idiot has done.

I suspect the agent knows you're an FTB and is trying it on.

Contact the vendor and insist that this is made up to you. Or else wait for the results of the survey and lower your offer then.

Unless the vendor and estate agents are totally gormless, they'll realise that nobody with half a brain's going to pull out of a purchase for the sake of £100. If you're determined to fight for the money then your better bet would be to see what the survey comes up with and use any problems it highlights as a bargaining tool.

Similarly, your estate agent's probably not going to take legal threats all that seriously as the cost of doing so could easily go over £100, unless your solicitor decides to include it as part of the conveyancing process. Talk to him/her and see what he/she suggests.

Is the Estate Agent a chain? It could be worth writing to their head office. If not, did you speak to the manager/owner of the estate agents? It could well be worth putting a complaint into writing and sending a copy of the additional bill, but it's probably not worth pushing it much harder than that.

lush_walrus

NickMidgley wrote:

Unless the vendor and estate agents are totally gormless, they'll realise that nobody with half a brain's going to pull out of a purchase for the sake of £100.

True in most cases..but the real point is the delay it will cause. The surveyor will have to re-arrange a date to re-survey, at best that is another week gone. If the vendor is in a position where they want to move quickly then they may well be very concerned.

My guess most vendors would not be very impressed with their EA making mistakes then talking to their buyer in that way rather than helping to find a solution to the matter!

meanmachine_2

NickMidgley wrote:

Unless the vendor and estate agents are totally gormless, they'll realise that nobody with half a brain's going to pull out of a purchase for the sake of £100.

Probably they've done it before and the buyer has rolled over and conceded.

In a buyers' market I'm staggered that an EA would behave like this.

Without a sale, the vendor gets nothing and the EA ultimately loses out. That's all these suited monkeys understand.

I wouldn't advise you pulling out because of it, but certainly don't complete until the matter's been resolved in writing.

And if that means you delay the sale, then you delay the sale, and don't take this type of monkey shine lying down.

Remember, it only takes half a brain to become an estate agent, and even the you're over qualified.