Help required with questions from buyers

longwalks1

We’ve accepted an offer on my late MIL’s property and had several questions/issues raised by the buyers, can anyone please help with any answers or how to respond.  Here are the 9 points raised, I know some are pretty obvious: (I’ve added notes under each) 

1. Cavity wall insulation has been retrospectively installed.  This is a notifiable building work and therefore please supply evidence of Building Regulations Compliance as well as warranty paperwork.

Was installed almost 30 years ago, no paperwork available

2. please provide any necessary FENSA certificates for replacement windows and doors together with warranty documents.

Checked FENSA website, only listing 1 window installed in 2006, repair to conservatory.

3. Please provide Electrical Installation Condition reports and the Installation Building Regulations Certificates and the same for the boiler.

4. The surveyor believes the conservatory may have been constructed over existing below ground drains and have asked us to establish whether this is the case and, in that case, wether there is consent available or alternatively a Build Over Agreement.

Conservatory was build approx 1984, no paperwork available.

5. Please provide warranties or guarantees for any built in fittings and boiler/electrical works.

6. Please provide most recent Gas Safety certificate.

We have this.

7. Please provide service history for the boiler.

We don’t have service history, it’s approx 8 years old. 

8. Evidence of wood boring insect attack was noted within the property so please provide evidence of any work undertaken to eradicate this together with any guarantees.  Otherwise please obtain a report and quotation for the works. 

9. Are the sellers aware of any known existing or past problems relating to the below ground drainage system please? Has the seller ever commissioned an investigation with CCTV inspection 

GDB2222

You are perfectly entitled to reply 'no information available' if that is the position. Indeed, it’s hard to see what else you can do. The buyer may decide to buy another property.

Regarding the EICR, that’s something like a survey that the buyer may wish to get done, but it is unusual for the seller to provide one.

Similarly, for wood boring insects.

user1977

We can't give you answers because we also don't know whether or not you have what they're asking for! If you don't, then just say so. None of that is compulsory for you to produce. Your solicitor should be guiding you through this anyway.

p00hsticks

Only my personal opinion, but if you don't know the answers / have the requested paperwork then you simply say you don't know / don't have it.  It's not expected with probate properties that the sellers will necessarily know much about the property and you need to be honest. It's then up to the buyers to decide how they go forward - they may ask for you to pay for indemnity policies to cover some of the potentiial issies as that seems to be the way of things now. 

GDB2222

If you are selling on behalf of late MIL, you should say so and explain that your knowledge of the property is limited. 

longwalks1

thank you all, we were going to ask where they saw wood boring insect attack and to provide photos (I’d assume the surveyor would of photographed it when he saw it)

also, the estate agent who’s selling it for us mentioned mouse droppings when the surveyor opened the loft hatch, yet nothing of it in questions put to our solicitors. 

we don’t want to lose this sale so we would like to do as much as we can to satisfy their questions, but also think some are a little trying. 

Would us offering to pay for indemnity insurance to cover some of the issues be worth suggesting? And can we, as sellers, take out indemnity policy’s for the issues, or is it done by the buyers? 

We do have a contingency to help with the sale if need be (couple of thousand pound) 

GDB2222

If you want to be helpful then get an EICR and a report on wood boring insects. You can’t do anything about the installation certification and I don’t know whether FENSA even existed 30 years ago! 

Be prepared for the reports to show that work is needed!  £2k contingency does not seem like a lot. 

user1977

At this stage, simply answer the questions rather than trying to get into more involved conversations.

Things like signs of woodworm tend to be mentioned by surveyors if they spot them, but holes are most likely to be historic rather than a current attack. If the buyers want a specialist survey or to get a quote, they can organise that themselves.

Either party can get indemnity policies, but again stay quiet about that unless they bring it up.

Fredw56

Just say “I know nothing”. 

Do nothing about the EICR, it is certain to throw up work to bring to current standards and it’s just an extortion stunt. They want a stick to beat you with, don’t give it to them. Same for everything else. 

Stop undermining yourself. They are looking to cut the offer, don’t do it. If you lose them, just move on. They can walk away in the rosy glow of having kept their pet surveyor in beers for few more days. 

GDB2222

Fredw56 said:

Just say “I know nothing”. 

Do nothing about the EICR, it is certain to throw up work to bring to current standards and it’s just an extortion stunt. They want a stick to beat you with, don’t give it to them. Same for everything else. 

Stop undermining yourself. They are looking to cut the offer, don’t do it. If you lose them, just move on. They can walk away in the rosy glow of having kept their pet surveyor in beers for few more days. 

Selling MIL's empty house is not at all the same as selling your own home. The executors are having to pay for all the outgoings without anyone living there. Plus, the heirs have a lot of money tied up in the house, without any investment return.  They are therefore quite keen for a sale to go ahead. 

There are advantages for the buyers, too, as they are not having to deal with a chain. 

Jami74

OP, I am on the other side of the process. Buying my first property chain free for a price I am very happy with, I just want to pay my pennies and move in. Last week my solicitor sent me the list of enquiries they have sent the sellers solicitors and they include things I am really not bothered about, for example one of them is:

"Please ask the Seller to arrange for the gas and electric systems to be serviced prior to exchange and provide the service records accordingly."

My jaw dropped when I read that, I was not expecting the seller to do that and will buy the house regardless, although of course very nice if they do. I had a level 3 survey done and so have a list of jobs to do over the next few years and now I just want to move in. I hope the sellers don't change their mind about selling to us because of all the things my solicitor has asked for.