Selling a property with no regs HELP

[jimbo2502]

Hi I'm new and found you searching the web for my problem.
I'm in process of selling my house and near completion, the buyers have had a survey completed, it has thrown up an issue with my chimney breast.
When I moved into the property 20 years ago the chimney breasts had already been removed from both reception rooms and 1 bedroom. 1 bedroom still has the wall sticking out with breast behind. Downstairs rooms are flat walls end to end.
They are now asking for building regs but I did not have them and probably the seller then didn't need them back then.

Is there anything wrong with these photos of both breasts as i worried they might pull out of the sale.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Do you know when the works were done by any chance? With the works having been done so long ago, if there was a problem, structurally, it would have manifested itself by now, will the stupid buyers/solicitors not accept an indemnity insurance? They cost about £100 usually. Bloody solicitors.

 

[jimbo2502]

They have been advised by someone independent that indemnity insurances are not worth the paper there written on???
The work was carried out 20 years plus ago.

 

[Notch7]

Sadly house selling is now a 2 stage price negotiation.

Buyers now use the survey as an opportunity to use the survey as leverage for money off - an estate agent told me that upto 50% of house sales fall through at the survey stage.

 

[jimbo2502]

I've already negotiated at the beginning of the process and came down to meet their mortgage, and discussed final offer then

 

[cdbe]

They have been advised by someone independent that indemnity insurances are not worth the paper there written on???

They've probably been on here! It's true.

Bit of a tricky one as technically there's a problem, you could try a structural engineer first to confirm but I personally think there is - probably best to try and negotiate (tell them it's been like that for years without issue). I don't know how much the house is worth but assuming it's not a terrace in Burnley and
you don't want the sale to fall through you might consider £5k as a ballpark figure to push the sale through.

Worth speaking to your estate agent - it's as much of a negotiating problem as a building problem.

* I've just seen your reply above, in that case - tell them to take it or leave it.

 

[noseall]

They are now asking for building regs but I did not have them and probably the seller then didn't need them back then.

Building reg's were as relevant 20 years ago as they are today. Only difference being that folk were more inclined to break the rules due to ignorance, because of having less access to the internet and all its foibles. All the time, ill informed conveyancing solicitors are rubbing their grubby hands with glee.

 

[Fred Blogs]

Tell them and their solicitors that if the current potential buyers want the house then get it sorted. If not tell them to do a runner, someone else will come along.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Yes indemnity's are a complete waste of money in reality. So it really comes down to who has the better nerves and is more desperate to buy/sell ....

Regularisation is possible but likely disturbing and certainly an expense, even if just to get Building Control out to inspect, perhaps more if the work does not meet approval (unless the works were done before 1985 in which case they cannot be regularised?). From what you've posted it's not overly clear exactly what's been done and where so difficult to answer from a building point of view.

 

[Notch7]

I've already negotiated at the beginning of the process and came down to meet their mortgage, and discussed final offer then

the reality these days is that "final offer" doesnt mean final in many cases

the annoying thing for you is that your survey when you bought didnt pick this up

 

[conny]

Tell your conveyancer this was done by the previous owner before you bought it. Your surveyor never picked up on it so there is no paperwork. You have had no problems over those twenty years so are unwilling to reduce the price again after reducing it to meet their mortgage limit.

My view is, they've arranged a mortgage, they had a survey, they got you to reduce the price 'to what they can afford', etc and now they are trying to get you to reduce it even more. I think they are playing with you. If you say you will knock a couple of thou off on account of this, they will find something else to try on for a further reduction. Stand firm. If they want the house, they will accept it at your price. It's already cost them a lot to get this far. They won't want to be doing this with every house they look at.

 

[blup]

Hi I'm new and found you searching the web for my problem.
I'm in process of selling my house and near completion, the buyers have had a survey completed, it has thrown up an issue with my chimney breast.
When I moved into the property 20 years ago the chimney breasts had already been removed from both reception rooms and 1 bedroom. 1 bedroom still has the wall sticking out with breast behind. Downstairs rooms are flat walls end to end.
They are now asking for building regs but I did not have them and probably the seller then didn't need them back then.

Is there anything wrong with these photos of both breasts as i worried they might pull out of the sale.

Ask for a copy of the relevant part of the survey report, that may clarify the precise issue. Don't go the BC, because the buyers won't get indemnity insurance if BC are aware. Bear in mind the solicitors are almost certainly acting for the lenders so they have two parties to look after (as well as themselves). Play it on the basis its not been a problem since you moved in, and you didn't take the chimneys out

Blup

 

[^woody^]

It's not a regulation issue, but one of risk.

The breast is not correct as its unsupported. Whether it was OK all this time is irrelevant, and if it will be OK in the future is unknown, and you'll be hard pressed to get any professional to state that it will.

The buyers surveyor is obligated to point this out to his client.

If you involve building control, they will want it supported.

If you are met with stubborn buyers, who won't accept indemnity, then your options are to either rectify the work - with building control or without if they will accept, or negotiate a price reduction to reflect the risk or the cost of the work. Or tell them to take it or leave it.

 

[johnny2007]

They've spent money with the survey.
They're playing dirty.
Tell them you are not in a rush to sell and, thanks very much but I'll wait for a more committed buyer.
They will be crawling next day at your price.
Stand firm, don't budge.

 

[mrrusty]

Agree - this nonsense came up when we sold our last house. We just said done ages ago - maybe 40 years and there's no paperwork. We didn't budge. They still bought.