This article was originally published by The Sunday Times on December 10, 2018.
Problem of the week the sellers left our new house in a state of disarray
Q: Two days ago, we moved into what we hoped was our dream home. The house had been empty for a while, but we didn’t expect to find a leaking shower, a leaking kitchen tap, guttering hanging off and a dishwasher you can’t open properly because the filthy range-cooker door obstructs it. And we didn’t think we’d have to perform a deep clean before unpacking. Do we have any recourse? The seller did not declare these issues. Lisa, Norfolk
A: I appreciate that in your case the horse has bolted, but anybody purchasing a property must bear in mind the age-old legal principle of caveat emptor, or “buyer beware”. Before exchanging, a professional survey should be obtained and a buyer’s solicitor should carry out pre-exchange searches. Formal inquiries would usually be raised with the vendor’s solicitor if anything unfavourable were revealed. A buyer should visit the property, too, and raise any questions through their solicitor. If there is a long delay between exchange and completion, it is worth visiting again…
Please click here to read Parminder’s full response and the article. (£)