Estate agency provided false information

[Deleted User]

All estate agents lie. Never take their word for anything.

user1977

michael1234 said:

Ultimately, a solicitor experienced in conveyancing is the only person whose opinion should carry any weight.

I'm one of those, and I agree with the tenor of the rest of the advice provided so far. The OP hasn't suffered a £5k+ loss because of this, given that they are currently free to renegotiate, or pull out, and they're apparently still awaiting their survey anyway so goodness knows what other issues are still to be sorted out.

Irishpearce26

michael1234 said:

I beg to differ.

There is something wrong with estate agency if they are allowed to misrepresent on that scale. Ripping out bathrooms to put in UFH after the event will probably cost more than the OP believes.

It may well be that the vendor "miscommunicated" the information to the EA but it is quite possibly gross negligence on behalf of the latter to not check given the amounts involved.

Ultimately, a solicitor experienced in conveyancing is the only person whose opinion should carry any weight. I recommend the OP seeks such advice and doesn't waste time and emotion on a forum such as this.

Nope! The EA will have checked with the vendor regarding the detail in the advert, my EA asked for confirmation of every change and said that it was my responsibility for its accuracy.

Its likely a miscommunication somewhere, is there a legal claim against the EA. No. Will the solicitor take action. No. Can the OP ask for a reduction, yes. Are they guaranteed a reduction. No Does the OP need to rip up the bathroom to install UFH. No. 

Slithery

Are the bathrooms in question all upstairs?

If so surely one could argue that there is 'underfloor heating'

canaldumidi

michael1234 said:

I beg to differ.

There is something wrong with estate agency if they are allowed to misrepresent on that scale. Ripping out bathrooms to put in UFH after the event will probably cost more than the OP believes.

It may well be that the vendor "miscommunicated" the information to the EA but it is quite possibly gross negligence on behalf of the latter to not check given the amounts involved.

Ultimately, a solicitor experienced in conveyancing is the only person whose opinion should carry any weight. I recommend the OP seeks such advice and doesn't waste time and emotion on a forum such as this.

This is really not helpful advice. EAs cannot be expected to examine heating systems, particularly hidden systems under the floor! Whilst I accept that EAs do put a 'sales spin' in their adverts (they are, after all, salesmen) I donot in a million years believe they would deliberately misrepresent in the way described. Either the seller misled them (it's surprising how many owners/sellers don't actually fully understand their own homes!), or there was mis-communication.

Either way, it is for the buyer to use the relatively lengthy conveyancing process to verify that the property is indeed as they initially believed, and if not, to renegotiate the price or find another property.

In this case, you have done your due diligence and established the facts regarding the heating. Now you must decide if you still want the property or not, or whether to reduce your offer. If you choose to reduce, the seller is likely to re-market. Or if the seller agrees to reduce the price, and you are getting a mortgage, the change in price will likely result in you missing the SDLT deadline.....

980233

canaldumidi said:

michael1234 said:

I beg to differ.

There is something wrong with estate agency if they are allowed to misrepresent on that scale. Ripping out bathrooms to put in UFH after the event will probably cost more than the OP believes.

It may well be that the vendor "miscommunicated" the information to the EA but it is quite possibly gross negligence on behalf of the latter to not check given the amounts involved.

Ultimately, a solicitor experienced in conveyancing is the only person whose opinion should carry any weight. I recommend the OP seeks such advice and doesn't waste time and emotion on a forum such as this.

This is really not helpful advice. EAs cannot be expected to examine heating systems, particularly hidden systems under the floor! Whilst I accept that EAs do put a 'sales spin' in their adverts (they are, after all, salesmen) I donot in a million years believe they would deliberately misrepresent in the way described. Either the seller misled them (it's surprising how many owners/sellers don't actually fully understand their own homes!), or there was mis-communication.

Either way, it is for the buyer to use the relatively lengthy conveyancing process to verify that the property is indeed as they initially believed, and if not, to renegotiate the price or find another property.

In this case, you have done your due diligence and established the facts regarding the heating. Now you must decide if you still want the property or not, or whether to reduce your offer. If you choose to reduce, the seller is likely to re-market. Or if the seller agrees to reduce the price, and you are getting a mortgage, the change in price will likely result in you missing the SDLT deadline.....

That's gone for a burton as there are 9 working days and no survey has been seen. OP is wasting time trying to work the best way to flip the EA for some non existent losses.

980233

michael1234 said:

I beg to differ.

There is something wrong with estate agency if they are allowed to misrepresent on that scale. Ripping out bathrooms to put in UFH after the event will probably cost more than the OP believes.

It may well be that the vendor "miscommunicated" the information to the EA but it is quite possibly gross negligence on behalf of the latter to not check given the amounts involved.

Ultimately, a solicitor experienced in conveyancing is the only person whose opinion should carry any weight. I recommend the OP seeks such advice and doesn't waste time and emotion on a forum such as this.

The politest thing I can say is "go home, you're clearly drunk".

arrows123

The ad for the house I’m buying says semi detached. It’s clearly a mid terrace and just a mistake. I haven’t even mentioned it! 

andy444

If you haven't even seen the survey yet (I'm assuming one has actually been instructed and is due to immiently happen) then the lack of underfloor heating may be a relatively minor concern if there are significant issues identified with the house.

[Deleted User]

arrows123 said:

The ad for the house I’m buying says semi detached. It’s clearly a mid terrace and just a mistake. I haven’t even mentioned it! 

4 bedroom = 3 bedrooms and we labelled the lounge/dining room a bedroom to get into your Rightmove search results.

Parking = there's a road out front you can park on, if you can find a space.

Garage = storage shed that no normal sized car would ever fit in.

Recently renovated = they threw in the cheapest B&Q bathroom/kitchen they could find.

Close to amenities = 30 minute walk to the nearest convenience store.

Popular area = unpopular area but please offer over asking anyway.

Spacious = odd shaped room where one dimension is >3m if you include the bay window and the corridor.