Sold as seen

katie4

What does sold as seen mean. Property is up for £189,995 description states “

It benefits from upvc double glazing, gas central heating and will be sold as seen including light fittings, fitted carpets, blinds etc.”

_Penny_Dreadful

katie4 said:

What does sold as seen mean. Property is up for £189,995 description states “

It benefits from upvc double glazing, gas central heating and will be sold as seen including light fittings, fitted carpets, blinds etc.”

It usually means the seller has no personal knowledge of the property for example a mortgage lender selling a repossessed property or the deceased’s estate selling a property. 

Silvertabby

Could also mean that it's full of old furniture etc.

RHemmings

My understanding of 'sold as seen' was a bit different, so I googled. The following is the same as my understanding of the term in terms of selling property. 

https://www.arrowconveyancing.co.uk/post/what-does-sold-as-seen-property-for-sale-mean

What does ‘sold as seen’ property for sale mean?

‘Sold as seen’ generally means that a property is sold without knowledge of faults such as faulty boilers or damp patches. There are a number of types of transaction where a property is said to be ‘sold as seen’ such as repossession properties, properties being sold by a company and properties being sold as part of a deceased Estate.

When a property is ‘sold as seen’ conveyancers can only advise you on the legal title therefore, information such as whether there are any disputes with neighbours and if there has been any work carried out on the property would not be available.

The seller does not have to tell you about any defects with the property because the buyer has bought the property under the principle of ‘caveat emptor’, which translates to let the buyer beware. The seller may not be able to answer questions about the house therefore, it is always a good idea to have both an inspection and a survey carried out on the property. Checking gas, electricity and water supplies may also be a good idea as they may have degraded since they were last used.

Silvertabby

I've seen a hoarder's house, rammed almost to the rafters with rubbish, advertised as 'sold as seen - with all contents'.

FreeBear

Silvertabby said:

I've seen a hoarder's house, rammed almost to the rafters with rubbish, advertised as 'sold as seen - with all contents'.

It probably wasn't rubbish to the occupant.

Silvertabby

FreeBear said:

Silvertabby said:

I've seen a hoarder's house, rammed almost to the rafters with rubbish, advertised as 'sold as seen - with all contents'.

It probably wasn't rubbish to the occupant.

That's the problem with hoarders.  

eddddy

Estate agents might use the phrase 'Sold as seen' for a number of reasons. So it's best to phone the estate agent to ask why they're using it in this case.

Example reasons might include:

• The property is full of furniture and/or other stuff which won't be removed before completion
• The property has (potentially major) problems which won't be fixed before completion
• The seller has very limited information about the property
• Estate Agents sometimes add the note "sold as seen" to auction properties - to emphasise the risks

Here are some examples on rightmove:

A brand new show home being sold with all the show home furniture:

Willow House (Plot 1 The Robin) is the current Show Home at Norton Chase and will be sold as seen with all Show Home furnishings included.

Link: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160726139#/?channel=RES_NEW

The property has a problem - no building regs sign off, possibly indicating it has failed the sign-off. And probably won't get sign off before completion:

Extended family home (full planning permission approved, final building regulation sign off not yet complete), sold as seen

Link: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/160528796#/?channel=RES_BUY

Because the seller has very limited information:

The property is being sold as seen.

Please be advised that these details are produced to the best of our knowledge from a visual inspection of the property, and due to the nature of the sale have not been confirmed as correct. We advise you satisfy yourself in relation to the boundaries, condition, and services prior to proceeding.

Link: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161082017#/?channel=RES_BUY

Bigphil1474

I would expect it to be the literal meaning - you are buying the house exactly as it looks when you view it. Probably an unoccupied property and it saves them being asked about the curtains or cooker or anything else someone might take with them.

FlorayG

I only know about horses, where 'sold as seen' means you are buying exactly what you are looking at, there's no declaration of any problems ( even if the vendor knows about them) and it's up to you to do any checks before paying over the money. I'm sure houses are the same; it's cheap because the vendor just wants rid of it and its potential or actual problems

user1977

Given how much is caveat emptor anyway I'm not sure it usually makes a great deal of difference. Any warranties by the sellers aren't usually worth much.