Loft inaccessible - can I leave it that way when selling?

Season_of_Mist

If you can’t get the hatch to open, and the previous vendors left loads of other stuff behind in the house, could it be that something heavy (stack of boxes, bit of old furniture) has toppled over in the loft at some point, onto the hatch, and the weight of it is now pressing down on the hatch making it hard to lift open from below?

kipsterno1

Can you hear footsteps? Next door might have extended a loft room into your space and the floor boards are blocking the hatch 😁

Personally I would be getting in there.

thegreenone

Could you ask your immediate neighbours if there is access to your loft from their's and you can see the problem.  I would have thought surveyors and buyers would like to see up there.

pretamang

+1 for opening it up and having a look.
If I was buying I would want to have a look in there, and would also want my surveyor to check the state of the roof from the inside

Brie

I volunteer!  I'll go up and have a look!  I'm very very nosey!!!!

And I'll take 55% of any valuables found.

saajan_12

SensibleSarah said:

...
I want to sell the house at some point, does anyone know if I am I obliged to force my way into the loft and clear it before I sell? Or can I sell it 'as is'? Presumably if potential buyers have a survey done then the surveyor will want to look in the loft? What happens if they can't access it for the survey or am I obliged to make sure they can? 

I can probably find someone who I can pay to deal with it - but I'm just looking at all the options and whether 'do nothing' is a viable one 

Well not obliged, but if you don't clear it now, then your risks are 
- buyer / surveyor might want to inspect before exchange -> delays while you then clear it
- buyer / surveyor might want to inspect and you refuse -> sale falls through and find a new buyer
- exchange agreeing to anything in the loft being left there -> possible negotiation / drafting time to agree that
- exchange agreeing to vacant possession -> upon completion, buyer claims cost of clearing loft from you

Of course some of those might not happen if the buyer doesn't care. Think about the costs to you if they did happen, and whether its worth the risk to you vs the hassle of getting it done now. 

SensibleSarah

Section62 said:

From time to time there are threads on this forum from people who've purchased and found other people's stuff left in the loft, or people who've sold being hassled/billed for the cost of disposing of loft contents.

You probably don't want to be in that situation yourself - which means either dealing with the loft and contents, or hoping a buyer will accept that the loft (legally) will be 'as is'.

I wouldn't agree to buy an 'as is' loft.  Dead bodies would be the least of my concerns... the loft could contain loose fill asbestos, that really would be a problem I wouldn't want to deal with.

I agree that loose fill asbestos isn't ideal - which is one reason I've talked myself out of looking ignorance is bliss!

SensibleSarah

user1977 said:

Or it could be full of carefully-positioned buckets which haven't (yet) overflowed and made the roof leaks noticeable on ceilings.

If the buckets haven't overflowed in nearly 12 years, and I get a lot of rain 'up north' then I'd be amazed if this was the case - but I'll add to the list of possibilities! 

SensibleSarah

saajan_12 said:

Well not obliged, but if you don't clear it now, then your risks are 
- buyer / surveyor might want to inspect before exchange -> delays while you then clear it
- buyer / surveyor might want to inspect and you refuse -> sale falls through and find a new buyer
- exchange agreeing to anything in the loft being left there -> possible negotiation / drafting time to agree that
- exchange agreeing to vacant possession -> upon completion, buyer claims cost of clearing loft from you

Of course some of those might not happen if the buyer doesn't care. Think about the costs to you if they did happen, and whether its worth the risk to you vs the hassle of getting it done now. 

All good reasoning - thanks!

I wish I'd have known that I could claim the cost of clearing the property from previous owners when I bought it - just one of the million things I didn't have a clue about and should have done differently.

I think I'll rope a nosy friend into breaking into the loft hatch at some point rather than doing it myself. Best case scenario is that it's completely empty - worst case is that I have a loft full of something dangerous and expensive to remove, but probably not worth potentially losing a house sale over. 

Gavin83

If you believe the loft space is open and it appears to be blocked from the other side I’d wonder if a neighbour has pinched the space knowing it’s not used. Do you have a good relationship with your neighbours? Ever hear any noises from above?

How does your loft hatch work btw? Is it one of those with a lock on it and hinges or does it lift?