Misrepresentation by estate agents
Discussion
driverrob said:
When you're being shown around a house you don't close the blinds to examine their bottom edges. You don't remove kitchen drawers to check for grease on the runners and dust and debris underneath or pull out cutlery trays. You don't open the oven and shine a torch inside to check for grease. You don't lift rugs to check the state of the flooring underneath. Well I don't. Do others? Is it something that's legally my responsibility to do?
Nor would the estate agents, Is this your first house purchase? If so you need to relax a bit and understand this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to houses. Suck it up, its a bit of cleaning to make it as clean as you'd like it.
Could be worse, you could have bought a house like I did that the previous owners made look lovely for the viewings and had it sparkling clean and left us a bottle of champagne on moving day but then.
Once moved in we starts finding all the little then larger hidden problems with the place.
Previous owners didn't leave a forwarding address or any contact details (can't think why) only time I saw one of them was when the woman came round to pick up a parcel months after moving out, even then she wouldn't give me any contact details.
4.5 years later we still get phone calls and mail for them.
Even the guys dad called over a year after we moved in and his bloody golf buddies kept ringing every Sunday.
Once moved in we starts finding all the little then larger hidden problems with the place.
Previous owners didn't leave a forwarding address or any contact details (can't think why) only time I saw one of them was when the woman came round to pick up a parcel months after moving out, even then she wouldn't give me any contact details.
4.5 years later we still get phone calls and mail for them.
Even the guys dad called over a year after we moved in and his bloody golf buddies kept ringing every Sunday.
dudleybloke said:
Sounds like a new build would have suited you better.
I mean moaning about the underside of drawer runners is a bit ott.
Agree If you want bad.. Try the 2 thermostatic showers did't work and a septic tank that was brimmed full which I ended up withI mean moaning about the underside of drawer runners is a bit ott.
I know of a house purchase that fell through because mains water was a spur from a quarry as part of a convoluted unofficial setup that was going to cost 15k to put right as the quarry was closing. Estate agents advertised it with all services connected the day it fell through knowing it was a problem.
Did anybody mention estate agents are lowlife?
I think the OP needs to recognise the difference between the previous owners obligation to empty the house as they leave and his desire to have it in a better, more sanitary state than it was when they were living in it.
By all means bill them for disposing of the rabbit hutch and washing machine.
And, slightly off topic, +1 to all the comments about estate agents.
By all means bill them for disposing of the rabbit hutch and washing machine.
And, slightly off topic, +1 to all the comments about estate agents.
driverrob said:
When you're being shown around a house you don't close the blinds to examine their bottom edges. You don't remove kitchen drawers to check for grease on the runners and dust and debris underneath or pull out cutlery trays. You don't open the oven and shine a torch inside to check for grease. You don't lift rugs to check the state of the flooring underneath. Well I don't. Do others? Is it something that's legally my responsibility to do?
Honestly, this is picky. Fair enough if they left a load of stuff to get rid of then get your solicitor on to theirs but realistically you should have spotted the need to paint the exterior and other wear and tear, and it's not reasonable IMO to expect the house to be spotless to these standards.TorqueVR said:
505diff said:
Pay the going rate for a professional
Spot on. The professional's called a chartered surveyor and he should have paid him before buying it!!.To my memory I have only ever commented on cleanliness once. This place was filthy beyond belief, and you literally had to work past a large pile of steaming wet dog muck to get in the door. It stank, in fact the whole house stank. It really was off putting and in my eyes value significant.
Caveat Emptor is one of the oldest legal principles we have.
The easiest way to avoid 'shocks' like this is to re-inspect the property pre-completion, which is common.
Sadly many in our profession (yes I'm using the term loosely) do seem hellbent on deception, but it's not always the case and you can't expect someone who has less knowledge about the property than yourself (the agent won't have seen the survey - surely you had one done(?) and yes they can include info on the specifics you refer to such as paintwork etc etc, just not silly things like drawer runners and the like).
I hope it works out to your satisfaction OP. You're probably better off putting your efforts into getting your new home how you like it than worrying about what you cannot change, and what is unfortunately your responsibility to satisfy yourself of in any case.
The easiest way to avoid 'shocks' like this is to re-inspect the property pre-completion, which is common.
Sadly many in our profession (yes I'm using the term loosely) do seem hellbent on deception, but it's not always the case and you can't expect someone who has less knowledge about the property than yourself (the agent won't have seen the survey - surely you had one done(?) and yes they can include info on the specifics you refer to such as paintwork etc etc, just not silly things like drawer runners and the like).
I hope it works out to your satisfaction OP. You're probably better off putting your efforts into getting your new home how you like it than worrying about what you cannot change, and what is unfortunately your responsibility to satisfy yourself of in any case.
surveyor said:
I don't think any Surveyor would comment on cleanliness of blinds, or dirt under the cutlery tray though. Especially as move out is in the future
Can you imagine the reaction of the vendor if a surveyor started emptying all their drawers, cupboards, wardrobe, loft, garage...?You had one viewing?
Even if you didn't bother having a second look before buying, it is the buyer's lookout to ensure the condition of the house is what they want. If not, you price it in with your bid.
A surveyor might/should report on paintwork etc if that is what they have been instructed to report on.
As for dirty ovens/ drawer runners etc - again, it is up to you to inspect and price that in.
It sounds like you've had a cursory look around the house and bought it without stipulating certain things which you are now upset about.
You don't need to bother wasting money on a lawyer to tell you have no cause of action against the estate agent and (probably) none against the seller either.
In a nutshell, you should have priced in cleaning and repainting/re-flooring/carpets/curtains into your bid.
Even if you didn't bother having a second look before buying, it is the buyer's lookout to ensure the condition of the house is what they want. If not, you price it in with your bid.
A surveyor might/should report on paintwork etc if that is what they have been instructed to report on.
As for dirty ovens/ drawer runners etc - again, it is up to you to inspect and price that in.
It sounds like you've had a cursory look around the house and bought it without stipulating certain things which you are now upset about.
You don't need to bother wasting money on a lawyer to tell you have no cause of action against the estate agent and (probably) none against the seller either.
In a nutshell, you should have priced in cleaning and repainting/re-flooring/carpets/curtains into your bid.
Years ago friends of ours bought a modern house which had a very small kitchen...... so small in fact that the wall cupboards (and probably the floor ones?) had suffered by having some material taken off the sides so that the front/rear dimension was smaller than normal. A dinner plate wouldn't fit in! Hmm a miniature house 
We once viewed a house where the kitchen was listed as only 1.5m wide! Turned out the Estate Agent had measured with his sonic beam (or whatever it's called) between the cupboards. Ha Ha Classic
We once viewed a house where the kitchen was listed as only 1.5m wide! Turned out the Estate Agent had measured with his sonic beam (or whatever it's called) between the cupboards. Ha Ha Classic
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