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Is it reasonable to refuse buyers access?

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  • System
    System Posts: 178,077
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    anselld wrote: »
    If they were just measuring for curtains or something then fair to make them wait.

    .

    People measuring for curtains must be really keen. I'd welcome them in. You don't get new curtains for a house you don't want.
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189
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    It may be following up on survey findings - in which case, they might pull out or ask for a reduction based on the results, but you can bet that a refusal to allow access will look suspicious.


    Or it may simply be that they're considering changes to the property post-completion, which shows that they're heavily emotionally invested.

    Either way, you won't help the process forward by refusing access... The builders aren't going to start knocking holes in the house, just looking and measuring and investigating.
  • I can't imagine why you would not let them in if they are that serious about buying your house.

    We visited our bungalow 5 or 6 times before exchange, to check various things that we needed to know.
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  • marliepanda
    marliepanda Posts: 7,186 Forumite
    Builders will not care about your !!!8216;personal items!!!8217; laying around on display. Surely they were there when the buyers looked around? The builders aren!!!8217;t going to come and knock all your things off.

    Just put your extensive sex toy collection under a sheet for an hour whilst they come round. Fuss over nothing.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741
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    edited 22 April 2018 at 11:50AM
    The amount of inspection may also depend upon how complex the property is. Some take a long time to get to grips with in all their aspects.

    We visited this place 3 times. Gave it a very thorough seeing-to with builders on the third visit. It took hours.

    Yes, it was intrusive; measuring, opening drains, going in the loft, taking dozens of photos etc, but by then we were fairly sure we wanted to buy. We wouldn't have done all that for fun or on the off-chance.

    We also set a few conditions for the seller too, like, "That immobile10 tonne lorry has to go before exchange!"

    Buying is a very serious business. Get it wrong and one might regret it for years, so of course access and answering all those questions that arise is vital.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741
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    crisp wrote: »
    Offer accepted 7 weeks ago....

    Any suggestions of the best way to approach this?

    With gratitude? That's how I felt when people with the funds decided to buy my last house, albeit not at the price I'd originally hoped-for. It meant I could get on with the rest of my life.

    Seeing them with their builder wasn't exactly top of my social experiences at that time, but I didn't resent the slight inconvenience.

    After all, I'd decided to accept the amount they offered, so it was my responsibility to let them see the property was worth every penny, not obstruct them from confirming this for themselves.

    Have you something to hide?
  • Slinky
    Slinky Posts: 9,910
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    I viewed 5 times before exchange.


    1st viewing obviously.
    2nd viewing after offer accepted and for OH to actually see the house for the first time.
    3rd after the survey threw up some issues which needed looking at with a plumber.
    4th back with the plumber who also turned out to have an electrician working for his company to discuss electrical work we wanted doing immediately after completion so we could crack on and get it ready to be rented.
    5th a week or so before exchange as it had dragged on for 6 months by this time, due to the vendor not getting his !!!! into gear, to ensure there wasn't anything that had changed for the worse since we first viewed.


    So if you think 5 viewings is unreasonable, tough, that's what we needed to part with several hundreds of thousands of pounds. And no, we had no interest at all in the contents of the house, we just wanted them gone as that was what was holding up getting to exchange.


    All the viewings were handled by the agent as the property was unoccupied (probate), and they didn't have any problem with it.
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  • l0islane
    l0islane Posts: 18
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    I had an offer accepted on a house, had a survey done etc. and then asked if a builder could come round to give me a quote (at the vendor's convenience) for work that needed doing (according to the survey). They wouldn't allow it, saying there were boxes all over the house from packing and they were very busy etc. It made me so suspicious that ultimately I withdrew from the purchase. I still don't understand the logic behind their decision, unless there was something to hide.
  • TamsinC
    TamsinC Posts: 625 Forumite
    We have just had our 3rd viewing on the house we are about to buy - 1st viewing obviously just a look around, 2nd we actually got invited to Sunday Lunch (that was a first), 3rd time only yesterday when we took MIL to look around to see if she would use the granny annex bit and to see the garden in flower. We were told to come back anytime - and we shall at least one more time before exchange to make sure all is still good as exchange looks like it could be a while away yet. If our vendor wasn't willing to let us visit (and we always ask him what day and time are good for him and work around that and try not to stay too long) we would probably think there was something suspicious up.
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  • kerri_gt
    kerri_gt Posts: 11,202
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    To think of it another way, this is likely the most expensive purchase of people's lives, if they weren't serious about buying they wouldn't be asking to revisit and move the process along.

    They are about to pay a lot of money for your house so while annoying, a) a few hours in the scheme of things isn't a lot b) they aren't coming to look at your house staged for sale, it doesn't matter that you have stuff out (our vendors staged their house beautifully when we first viewed, I was almost relieved to see them living 'normally' when we popped round the second time :rotfl:) c) put the shoe on the other foot and think how you'd feel trying to buy a house and wanting access.
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