Retaining wall collapsed whilst viewing!

Scotbot

onwards&upwards said:

Scotbot said:

onwards&upwards said:

Scotbot said:

onwards&upwards said:

ChewyyBacca said:

woah!! 
During viewing, its normal to open kitchen cupboards, windows, closet doors, built in wardrobes etc. If the door comes off in your hand, are you liable to pay for it? This is ridiculous!

Pretty sure its not normal (or polite) to open people's wardrobes and drawers on a viewing actually!  

Yes it is, but it is polite to ask.  Kitchens and wardrobes are expensive to replace, you need to see whether the storage is adequate. My first house the kitchen looked great but when I moved in and opened the cupboards I realised they were much shallower than standard. Never made that mistake again. 
 I check these things out on second viewing, unless they are so dated they clearly need to be replaced, but I always ask permission first if the vendor is there.

If you can't tell how big a cupboard is from the outside I think that's what you should work on. 

I had buyers open my underwear drawers and the drawers in my bedside table once on a second viewing I was not present for.  Suffice to say I was very very unimpressed, if it wasn't for the fact that it would have hurt me more than them I would have been very tempted to refuse to sell to them. 

If you weren't there how would you know? 

Stuff had moved, and some drawers were left half open.

You don't think sellers are entitled to maintain the privacy of the contents of their bedroom storage?

Not if they want to sell it.  I always look at the fixtures and fittings but  I would never touch stuff, I agree that is rude. It's never been an issue for the vendors and I certainly wouldn't have a problem if any buyer wanted to inspect the cupboards in my house. The contents are pretty dull, my choice of books, openly on display is far more revealing.

onwards&upwards

Scotbot said:

onwards&upwards said:

Scotbot said:

onwards&upwards said:

Scotbot said:

onwards&upwards said:

ChewyyBacca said:

woah!! 
During viewing, its normal to open kitchen cupboards, windows, closet doors, built in wardrobes etc. If the door comes off in your hand, are you liable to pay for it? This is ridiculous!

Pretty sure its not normal (or polite) to open people's wardrobes and drawers on a viewing actually!  

Yes it is, but it is polite to ask.  Kitchens and wardrobes are expensive to replace, you need to see whether the storage is adequate. My first house the kitchen looked great but when I moved in and opened the cupboards I realised they were much shallower than standard. Never made that mistake again. 
 I check these things out on second viewing, unless they are so dated they clearly need to be replaced, but I always ask permission first if the vendor is there.

If you can't tell how big a cupboard is from the outside I think that's what you should work on. 

I had buyers open my underwear drawers and the drawers in my bedside table once on a second viewing I was not present for.  Suffice to say I was very very unimpressed, if it wasn't for the fact that it would have hurt me more than them I would have been very tempted to refuse to sell to them. 

If you weren't there how would you know? 

Stuff had moved, and some drawers were left half open.

You don't think sellers are entitled to maintain the privacy of the contents of their bedroom storage?

Not if they want to sell it.  I always look at the fixtures and fittings but  I would never touch stuff, I agree that is rude. It's never been an issue for the vendors and I certainly wouldn't have a problem if any buyer wanted to inspect the cupboards in my house. The contents are pretty dull, my choice of books, openly on display is far more revealing.

Well now you know that some us prefer not to have strangers poking around our knicker drawers and medicine cabinets, hopefully you'll be a bit more respectful in future when sellers aren't present. 

Davesnave

John_ said:

I bought a house years ago with wobbly and poorly finished bits outside, and then spent years discovering all manner of bodged and dangerous fixes inside (earth wire re-purposed as live...) And would now never, ever buy a place with the issue you describe. I feel now that people who let a wall get into that state will also nail water piles into place, “fix” plumbing with tape, and use waterproof paint in a room where the roof leaks.

My current home has been built to a really high standard, cost no more than the bodge-jobs which I viewed, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that everything’s been done right is just huge.

...Or there are surveyors and qualified builders one may use!

Jeepers_Creepers

Scotbot said: The contents are pretty dull, my choice of books, openly on display is far more revealing.

Look, you can't just say that and then stop :-(

jen_79

Quick and hopefully final update for all those who were interested. The estate agent called me and said the vendor was disappointed I hadn't offered to pay for repairs (not sure where they got the idea that was going to happen) and would I like to pay half. I said absolutely not, it wasn't my fault, the wall should not have been in such a sorry state of repair.

They asked if I would mind if they gave the vendor my mobile number and, quite frankly, I lost it. I had visions of some bully calling me non-stop asking for money so I'm ashamed to say I shouted at them. I said I have no intention of paying, I consider the matter over with, if the vendor wants to pursue it they can have their solicitor contact mine (I just named my conveyancer to be, so will need to give them a heads up) but if the vendor or the estate agent contacts me in any way again, I will call the police. I'm not sure if it would constitute harassment but I wasn't really thinking of the legal ins and outs while I was ranting!

When I had finished they apologised and said the vendor was giving them a hard time over it and also wanted them to pay. I explained I understood it was a difficult position for them but things are getting really ridiculous, if they want to pursue something, talk to my solicitor. They promised they wouldn't bother me about it again, we shall see.

Thanks to all for your help and advice. I'm not sure where it will end up but I hope this is the last of it. I'm going to take a break from house hunting for a bit, another few weeks added on to the process won't matter!

onwards&upwards

Oh dear, I think you might regret giving a solicitor's name.

davidmcn

onwards&upwards said:

Oh dear, I think you might regret giving a solicitor's name.

"Thank you for your letter, which provided great amusement to everybody here. Unfortunately we have no instructions from our client on this matter..."

Scotbot

Don't worry I can't see the vendor calling your solicitor and even if he did I can't  see him speaking to anyone other than the receptionist. I  almost feel sorry for the agent; this idiot  is their client so they have to speak to him.

jen_79

onwards&upwards said:

Oh dear, I think you might regret giving a solicitor's name.

Why's that?

NameUnavailable

If the estate agent does pass your details onto the vendor they will be in breach of GDPR and could be liable for a significant fine! Might be worth reminding them of that point.