Vendor won't negotiate on price

hannahn90

Thanks everyone. I'll wait for my solicitors to get back to me regarding responsibility as I think this will help me get things into perspective. I also think a bit of heat and living in the property will sort out the moisture issue as there are no physical signs of damp.

Unicorn_cottage said:

Also Surveyors often use damp meters but they are totally inappropriate...

Thanks for the link! 

Slinky

If there is damp and they do need replacing, and the other leaseholder isn't affected and doesn't want to share the cost/allow the work, where will you stand then?

NameUnavailable

Slinky said:

If there is damp and they do need replacing, and the other leaseholder isn't affected and doesn't want to share the cost/allow the work, where will you stand then?

It's not up to the leaseholder, it's up to the freeholder to put it right and then charge the costs (plus expenses and commission if there's a management company) to the leaseholders.

If it's a shared freehold then that's another matter.

GDB2222

It’s quite likely that the Down pipes and gutters of that age will need replacement. I haven’t seen the property but the cost is likely to be in the region of a few thousand pounds split between the various flats. So your share might be £1000, say. My daughter had hers done recently and it was £2000 for the whole house.

Interestingly, they normally rust on the side closest to the house, because that’s the bit that doesn’t get painted. 

TBagpuss

Yes, I recently replaced all my guttering and downpipes (semidetached house) , it cost me about £750, including scaffolding to access the back of the house as mine has a lager ground floor than upper floor. (semi rather than maisonette)  Mine were plastic, and were replaced with plastic - if you did replace like for like with cast iron, or if you need scaffolding all round the house I assume it would be more expensive, 

newsgroupmonkey_

Can't be another buyer. Crashy said so. There aren't any buyers, just lots of vendors. Market is on a downwards trend.

These threads are the antithesis of everything he says.

But in seriousness, I guess it comes down to how much you like this house and whether similar places come up. Plus of course you've already invested quite a lot, both emotionally and monetarily in the property.

hannahn90

Slinky said:

If there is damp and they do need replacing, and the other leaseholder isn't affected and doesn't want to share the cost/allow the work, where will you stand then?

This is what I'm trying to find out from my solicitors... But I assumed (maybe wrongly) that damp really only affects ground floor anyway, so the upstairs flat wouldn't really be concerned? 

NameUnavailable said:

It's not up to the leaseholder, it's up to the freeholder to put it right and then charge the costs (plus expenses and commission if there's a management company) to the leaseholders. 

If it's a shared freehold then that's another matter.

It's not a shared freehold so the freeholder is involved. My solicitor hasn't been very clear about the responsibilities of the freeholder other than the fact that they organise insurance and will let us know of any future works that need doing!

GDB2222 said:

It’s quite likely that the Down pipes and gutters of that age will need replacement. I haven’t seen the property but the cost is likely to be in the region of a few thousand pounds split between the various flats. So your share might be £1000, say. My daughter had hers done recently and it was £2000 for the whole house.

Interestingly, they normally rust on the side closest to the house, because that’s the bit that doesn’t get painted. 

Thank you for providing an estimate, that's actually really useful. Yes, the cost would be split thank goodness but they definitely will be need replacing in the future. They were really discoloured (orange-y brown).

TBagpuss said:

Yes, I recently replaced all my guttering and downpipes (semidetached house) , it cost me about £750, including scaffolding to access the back of the house as mine has a lager ground floor than upper floor. (semi rather than maisonette)  Mine were plastic, and were replaced with plastic - if you did replace like for like with cast iron, or if you need scaffolding all round the house I assume it would be more expensive, 

Thanks for the rough idea of cost! I imagine it would be far more expensive to replace cast iron with plastic but we will see. I have been trying to contact some plumbers for quotes.

newsgroupmonkey_ said:

Can't be another buyer. Crashy said so. There aren't any buyers, just lots of vendors. Market is on a downwards trend.

These threads are the antithesis of everything he says.

But in seriousness, I guess it comes down to how much you like this house and whether similar places come up. Plus of course you've already invested quite a lot, both emotionally and monetarily in the property.

Haha I actually thought the same thing but clearly buyers are everywhere. I do really like the flat, especially the location and the space inside. Considering all the useful points on here, I'm probably going to go ahead with the purchase at the agreed price. It seems as though most of the work (apart from damp) will likely be split in cost which is less daunting!

Crashy_Time

newsgroupmonkey_ said:

Can't be another buyer. Crashy said so. There aren't any buyers, just lots of vendors. Market is on a downwards trend.

These threads are the antithesis of everything he says.

But in seriousness, I guess it comes down to how much you like this house and whether similar places come up. Plus of course you've already invested quite a lot, both emotionally and monetarily in the property.

Can you tell us what you know about the "other buyer"? The sentiment in the last sentence is a great way to lose lots of money on a house at this point IMO.

Crashy_Time

hannahn90 said:

Slinky said:

If there is damp and they do need replacing, and the other leaseholder isn't affected and doesn't want to share the cost/allow the work, where will you stand then?

This is what I'm trying to find out from my solicitors... But I assumed (maybe wrongly) that damp really only affects ground floor anyway, so the upstairs flat wouldn't really be concerned? 

NameUnavailable said:

It's not up to the leaseholder, it's up to the freeholder to put it right and then charge the costs (plus expenses and commission if there's a management company) to the leaseholders. 

If it's a shared freehold then that's another matter.

It's not a shared freehold so the freeholder is involved. My solicitor hasn't been very clear about the responsibilities of the freeholder other than the fact that they organise insurance and will let us know of any future works that need doing!

GDB2222 said:

It’s quite likely that the Down pipes and gutters of that age will need replacement. I haven’t seen the property but the cost is likely to be in the region of a few thousand pounds split between the various flats. So your share might be £1000, say. My daughter had hers done recently and it was £2000 for the whole house.

Interestingly, they normally rust on the side closest to the house, because that’s the bit that doesn’t get painted. 

Thank you for providing an estimate, that's actually really useful. Yes, the cost would be split thank goodness but they definitely will be need replacing in the future. They were really discoloured (orange-y brown).

TBagpuss said:

Yes, I recently replaced all my guttering and downpipes (semidetached house) , it cost me about £750, including scaffolding to access the back of the house as mine has a lager ground floor than upper floor. (semi rather than maisonette)  Mine were plastic, and were replaced with plastic - if you did replace like for like with cast iron, or if you need scaffolding all round the house I assume it would be more expensive, 

Thanks for the rough idea of cost! I imagine it would be far more expensive to replace cast iron with plastic but we will see. I have been trying to contact some plumbers for quotes.

newsgroupmonkey_ said:

Can't be another buyer. Crashy said so. There aren't any buyers, just lots of vendors. Market is on a downwards trend.

These threads are the antithesis of everything he says.

But in seriousness, I guess it comes down to how much you like this house and whether similar places come up. Plus of course you've already invested quite a lot, both emotionally and monetarily in the property.

Haha I actually thought the same thing but clearly buyers are everywhere. I do really like the flat, especially the location and the space inside. Considering all the useful points on here, I'm probably going to go ahead with the purchase at the agreed price. It seems as though most of the work (apart from damp) will likely be split in cost which is less daunting!

Are you sure the other buyer hasn`t already snapped it up for an even higher price though?