Being pestered by the buyer after completion!

concorde1987

Hi everyone, first post after viewing for some time!

I'm not sure whether I'm after advice or just venting really, but I just wanted to open the field to your thoughts on my story below:

To go back to the beginning; in September 2019 we completed our self-build bungalow. During the build we lived in a touring caravan on site for 10 months (we were a family of 4), and late in the build discovered my wife was pregnant again, making the place too small before we'd even moved in! We put it on the market in early 2020 and after 9 months (partially due to a less than desirable location, partially the first COVID wave) we sold at the full asking price. Unfortunately our onward purchase was a nightmare and essentially we pulled out of the deal after being messed around for weeks with exchange dates being moved and so on. This meant we moved into my wife's parents house, next door (where we still are now), whilst we find somewhere to buy. 

Now, the buyer of the place we built were nightmares too; asking so many questions we lost count, some of which they asked multiple times. Since moving in; they have 'popped 'round' 4 times now, asking more questions and now claiming several things were wrong with the property when they moved in; we know this is not the case. This all came to blows this morning, when I opened the door to them demanding money to help fix an issue with the roof! Again, an issue that was not there when we sold!

I feel these demands are out of order and frankly they have no right popping over every 5 minutes to demand help fixing the issues they find. They had no survey when they bought, visited at least twice and I feel are now clutching at us to help pay for the issues they seem to have uncovered since purchasing.

Has anyone else had such things happen to them? Surely property bought in England is 'as seen', and under 10 years old they should be approaching the trades we used, for assistance? We have given them everything we know...

Any thoughts would be very welcome.

Many thanks, Andy.

hippocrates1

Have you simply asked them to stop contacting you?

AnnexeRegular

If they didn't even bother to get a survey done then that's their own problem. Just tell them to do one (politely of course).

Thrugelmir

Politely tell them to leave you alone. Don't engage in any further discussion. 

davidmcn

You haven't told us what your response to them was?

I would suggest you tell them to contact their solicitor if they're under the mistaken impression that you're liable in some way.

Although, out of interest - what if anything was included in the way of warranties?

Phil4432

Well, they can't just be turning up at your house.  Tell then to stop and if they continue, then its a police matter.

If you've answered their questions truthfully, and they opted to not have a survey, generally speaking that's not much they can do.  Though it depends on what their issues are.

Say they asked, 'Is there subsidence?'  and you replied truthfully that to the best of your knowledge there is no subsidence.  They then move in and a while later have a subsidence issue.  If you have done nothing that could contribute to that issue, there is nothing that can be done against you.  It wasn't your fault.

Similarly, if they ask about the neighbors and you have always had good neighbors, its not your fault if one of them becomes a thug.  They weren't a thug when you were there, and therefore was a good neighbor.

They didn't have a survey, which was a bad move on their part.  They can ask as many questions as they like during the buying process, but to not have a survey is ridiculous really. 

macman

I think you need to familiarise them with the phrase 'caveat emptor'. Even if the faults were present at purchase, then they are not your problem, but the buyers.
They are never going to stop hassling you until you make it clear to them (politely or impolitely) that the house is no longer your concern.

comeandgo

Why is there no building “guarantee “ with your house like NHBC?  If they had bought from a developer they would get the first two years snagging repaired, maybe they think you, as builder do hold some sort of liability?

AdrianC

concorde1987 said:

To go back to the beginning; in September 2019 we completed our self-build bungalow. During the build we lived in a touring caravan on site for 10 months (we were a family of 4), and late in the build discovered my wife was pregnant again, making the place too small before we'd even moved in!

This is, of course, irrelevant to your actual question...

But... contraception!

Surely property bought in England is 'as seen'

Yup.

and under 10 years old they should be approaching the trades we used, for assistance?

Did those trades give a 10yr warranty?
If they did, was it transferable with the property ownership?
If not, then they don't even have that recourse...

I think you're getting confused with an NHBC or similar guarantee on a commercial new-build.

macman

Reading your post again, when did they move in? 9 months from early 2020? So in late 2020 or early 2021?
And they have been round 4 times since then? That is maybe annoying to you, but hardly 'every 5 minutes'.

Angela_D_3

macman said:

Reading your post again, when did they move in? 9 months from early 2020? So in late 2020 or early 2021?
And they have been round 4 times since then? That is maybe annoying to you, but hardly 'every 5 minutes'.

That’s definitely more tomes than most people would speak to the person they bought a house from. 

And how rude questioning people’s family planning 😳