P*ss Taking house buyers

[TexMex]

The Scenario
In two bedrooms of my house, I built in some cupboards and drawers topped with worktop. These were not stand alone cupboards, but "built onto" the walls using battons and pieces of veneared chipboard. They were finished off with solid oak door and drawer fronts. In the third bedroom (my workshop), I built a very large worktop (about 4ft x 6ft) with built under cupboards.

As a separate issue, in the garden we had a small galvanised steel cupboard (about 2ft square by 5ft tall), but no shed.

We now come to sell the place on, and in August of last year, the sale was agreed. For months (from end of August until 17th of Jan this year) our solicitor was unable to get any reply from buyers solicitor. Finally on that Monday, our solicitor calls and says, "the other side are ready to exchange contracts and want to complete by Friday!"

Hurriedly we have to complete our contracts and sign off the inventory, where there is an item "built in cupboards", that are to be "included in the sale". We also bring up the subject of the metal cupboard in the garden, this is also "included in the sale". What we didn't realise is that on the contract this cupboard is described as a "shed"!

Since the large worktop in bedroom 3 (with built under cupboards) could be an eyesore or a godsend (dependant on your intended use for the property) I then ask the estate agent wether thier clients would like us to remove it or leave it in place. The answer was, "The new owners intend to completely gut the place, so if you have the time to remove it, please do, however, they realise that they have given you very little time to do this work, so if you haven't the time, don't worry" Anyhow, I didn't get the time so it stayed in place.

So Thursday evening (20th January), we have the place completely emptied. All cleaned up and vacuumed through. Every single light bulb in the place is working. Water bill is paid up to end of financial year, gas and electricity bills have been paid (based on overestimates that we decide to let the new residents have off thier next bills). In fact, in my ignorance, I felt the new owners had every reason to be quite pleased with the way we left the place.

On the friday, we noticed (while driving past our old house) that all of my DIY cupboards have been ripped out and put into the communal dustbin area. (This gets removed Free Of Charge by our freindly local council). I don't get too upset as it's their house now, and everyone has their own taste.

Now the problem:
Yesterday, we recieved a letter from our solicitor with a claim from the new owners. Apparently we have left behind three "desks". The cost of removing these has been £140 for skip hire and £120 for labour charges. Therefore we need to pay them £260 compensation for this matter.

There is also a metal cupboard and a childs swing in the garden, although these have not yet been disposed of, the cost of removing these items will be forwarded to us in due course.

Furthermore unless the "shed" is returned immediately, we will be recieving the bill for a replacement.

First thing in the morning I shall be getting in touch with the water authority for the re-imbursement of our £42 over payment, Electricity supplier for our £40 credit, and the gas supplier for our £28 credit. (I gave both suppliers actual meter readings on the day, and both mentioned that I could get the credit sent to my new address if I changed my mind).
I shall also get in touch with our solicitors to point out that we left the "BUILT IN CUPBOARDS" and since there was never any "shed" on the property, we have no shed to return!

Do you think our buyers have shot themselves in the foot?

 

[shaggy]

Amazing! I think the only thing you should return is a brick through the window. (...just the way I grew up)

 

[DAZB]

That's what you get for living in Chile !

 

[securespark]

Bar Stewards!

My sister bought a house that included (obviously, we thought) fixtures and fittings. When we got there, all the light fittings had gone, with nothing to replace them, and the gas fires, too!! The gas pipe was just hacked off and left to dangle. Plus, their "rewire" consisted of putting fresh accessories onto VIR cable. The fusebox tails were so loose, when I got hold of them, they just came out without unscrewing at all...

My point is there is always someone ready to abuse the system, break the law and dump others in the mire. I feel for you, Tex.

However, on the point of the shed, it pays to read everything and if you're not sure, ask your legal eagle.

 

[TexMex]

That's what you get for living in Chile !

I'm only in Chile until easter (it has sovreignty over Easter Island). Then I suppose it's back to Christmas Island ready for the end of the year.

When we got there, all the light fittings had gone

In my own house I left a fan with 3 spots in the living room. Two cut glass chandaliers in the hallway, 2 spots and 3 recessed lights in the master bedroom. A nice fancy (rather expensive) light fitting in my daughters room, wall lights, and recessed spot lights in the kitchen (and a flourescent fitting). All in good working order. According to our contract, all that was required was, "any light fittings removed should be replaced with functional fittings".

I wish now, I'd ripped out the power shower, it hadn't been mentioned anywhere in our contract. Come to that, I dare say, I could have gotten away with removing all of the tiles in the bathroom and replaced with wallpaper. I also left full length wall to wall velvet curtains in the living room (cost about £800 in material alone!). The wife got them dry cleaned (at considerable expense) and put them back up just in time. If we'd have known what these folk were like, we'd have kept the curtains and cr*pped on the bl**dy window cills.

I also repainted the insides of all the cupboards, just to freshen them up. This was after we had exchanged contracts, just as a guesture of good will.

Now I'm getting really really mad. Funny enough, I do happen to have some bricks to hand.

I'm currently lodging with my mother until we find something suitable. One of the jobs I'm about to tackle is the removal of a shiplap shed (built by my father in the sixties), so that I can build a decent brick one. The wife has suggested I take this really badly worn (but large) shed around to our buyers (complete with it's asbestos roof) and plant it in the garden. It would somewhat dominate their garden as it measures 12ft x 16ft and the garden is just 16ft x 20ft. Oh and it has no floor, as it is currently planted on a concrete base. Still, the extra soil inside the shed will give them somewhere to plant stuff.

 

[planenut]

Tex, I can understand how you feel, and the worst of these situations is when the solicitor you employ and pay for, just passes on these crappy letter without any initial support or suggestions.
I do agree that the idea of lobbing a brick through the window would be nice, but if only you had one of the old cupboard doors you could do it with instead.
Did the estate agents original blurb have indication of the garden box thingy?

My twopence worth is, short letter, point out your observation of the cupboards in the bins, the time taken to completion from the original agreement of sale in that you could have increased the price of the property or at least received a goodwill payment, and ask them to give you more notice than the last occasion for the court appearance.
Seriously, Good Luck.

 

[TexMex]

Did the estate agents original blurb have indication of the garden box thingy?

No, the only mention of "shed", in the whole transaction, was in the itinary that makes up a part of the contract.

The way this came about was, on the monday, we had to sit down with my solicitors secretary. She had a long list of items (about eight pages of them). For every item she asked us, wether the item was "included in the sale", "not included in the sale" or "not pressent at the property". She came to "Garden Shed", I said, "no we aint got one". Then the wife interrupted, "but we've got that metal cupboard." The woman then asked "and what's happening to that?", to which I flipantly replied, "Oh they're welcome to that".

On the Wednesday afternoon we had to return to the solicitor to sign the contracts. We were there for over an hour going over the fine print of the fees payable to estate agents, balance of our mortgage, solicitors fees, etc.. we had a quick flick through the inventory, but I didn't spot the "shed".

On the subject of the time delay, there's another twist to that. We recieved and accepted a firm offer for the house at the begining of August for 4K below list price. We were then informed (just 4 days later), by the estate agent, that they had recieved an offer for the full asking price. This second couple had been particularly snooty when viewing the house, whereas the first couple seemed really genuine.

Since I didn't want to let down my first customer, but the extra 4K sounded tempting, I gave the Estate agent the instruction that the first customer to come up with a firm mortgage offer, would have the house at the price that they bid. (I figured that gave my favoured customer 4 days head start and a 4K advantage).

As it turns out, just a couple of days later, we were informed that the mortgage was sorted and could we come into the office to sign the new agreement. (for 4K short of asking price). Completion was expected within a month. It was only later that we discovered that the snooty couple (that should have paid full asking price) were the winners.

As you probably realise, the delay has cost us an extra £4,800 on our mortgage payments. These extra payments have been totally odeous to us, as we haven't been living in the place since mid August. (We moved out to simplify the impending exchange of contracts).

Bar Stewards indeed. The more I go over it, the more wound up I become

 

[planenut]

Tex, I would say that they cannot then push on the subject of the shed as they visited and would have been aware of the storage, they can swing on that, as you referred to that as the shed 'cos it was what it was.
What you have to say is "did you pay the amount the received for your house, when you bought it originally?" the answer has got to be "no" and the only reason it was probably priced at the sale price was on the sayso of the agent. The true price is what you get, not what it's advertised for.

Just hope that you meet the guy away from your home sometime, and take that brick and used it on his paintwork.

 

[pipme]

Winter time -- garden shed leaves a 'footprint' -- surely would not have grown over by now, if one existed, which it did not.

Think your lawyer needs to do the job you have paid him for, act in your interests .... ! or do we pay one price for a cr ap job and double that for a proper one ? RIP off Britain at its finest !!

 

[TexMex]

Just got back from solicitor. They're going to send a "go swivel" type letter. Got on to the services this morning and have three cheques winging their way to me as we speak (over hundred quid coming my way).

Interestingly, I bumped into our previous next door neighbour down the road. They are quite willing (if it comes to it) to testify that there has never been a shed on site. They also had their eye on the garden swing for their own kids, but it is now totally wrecked as the back garden is now about 3ft deep in rubble. Apparently our scum bag buyers have ripped out, just about every internal wall and door frame in sight. Since it is actually a long term leasehold property, this type of work requires permission from the landlord. (I may just drop him a line).

As I say, I think this was definately a foot shooting exercise.

 

[Thermo]

hmm how about a call to the nice building inspector at the council?????

 

[securespark]

hmm how about a call to the nice building inspector at the council?????

Plant some snippets of T & E in the garden, then call the building inspector. Then he can check for adherence to PP as well....

 

[TexMex]

Plant some snippets of T & E in the garden, then call the building inspector. Then he can check for adherence to PP as well....

Nice one, a lot more subtle than a brick.

 

[AdamW]

Doooh! I'm too angry to even comment. Doooooohh!!!

Seriously though. That is totally lame. They blatantly ripped out the worktop/cupboard themselves. You don't buy a place with the intention of gutting it, and then whine that it isn't totally empty. Tell them to wash the sand out of their collective vagina and p*ss off.

Just... Nope, I'm sorry, I'm feeling angry again. DOOOOHHH!!!

Wait, I have got a plan. Head down to Folkestone, find some illegals coming in clinging to the underside of a truck. Offer them a free place to live, and pop them in the house with some sleeping bags AND (now this is important) A RENT BOOK WITH THE NEW OWNERS AS THE "LANDLORD". That is when you send the council round.

RichardP, any idea where we can find some illegal immigrants in a hurry?

 

[planenut]

Great idea, dare I say "drop the brick!"

You can get a handful of illegals, at least five for a pound, each morning, about 5.30a.m. on any main road in London (and I dare say most major towns), where they are waiting to be "chosen" to work for the day by gangers.