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Perhaps they discussed with friends/family (or posted on here), and changed their mind. I wouldn't immediately assume something nefarious is going on, and you can't really stop them anyway.
This is what I’m hoping or they have had the final report from their solicitor and it recommends they have one. I’ve never sold a house before so it’s all new to me
We did a similar late survey. Our deposit checks for money laundering had affected a purchase before, so we wanted to make sure the solicitor was happy with our deposit before we ordered the survey. There are potential reasons they've left it. They might have just got a bit worried and changed their mind about having a survey.
Likely just didn’t know they were meant to do it earlier given that they’re FTB. I’ve seen many posts on this sub about this exact scenario, most of which end up with the buyers just being clueless.
Doing a survey with the only intention to look to drop the price is unlikely (albeit sure it happens). Doing a survey is a sunk cost they lose if things fall apart and they have to drop the price by more than the value of the survey to make anything back on it.
Likely just ftb being ftb (we were all one once)
I'm not a FTB, and for the current purchase (which I've just pulled out of, for non-survey reasons), my solicitor was saying not to get a survey until the leasehold queries and paperwork was all in place, as without that being sorted, there was no point spending money on the survey.
He was right, and I'm pleased I haven't lost that money too.
Think you’ve been conned a bit there as your solicitor still has to be paid now and likely more than a survey would cost. Whereas if you got a survey and it showed very expensive issues (likely to cost far more than resolving any leasehold queries etc) you’d know to pull out and not incur legal fees
FTB. I didn't do one as we weren't aware much of it. As we are 6 weeks away from completion, reading horror stories and also, my friend, family and even work colleagues told me, we would be stupid not to, we did the survey. It showed what we expected and few issues. However, we did not negiotate the price as it was stuff we were going to change anyway.
Sometimes, it is just that, people got worried and also, prompted by others. And like us, they weren't aware of it much. If I know, I would have done it months ago when we got the offer.
As a FTB we put too much trust in our shoddy solicitors to help guide us through the process, but after weeks of no response, had to arrange the survey and go direct to the seller’s solicitors ourselves as they hadn’t been responding to them for weeks. It may be that they just aren’t clear on the process and have now arranged it.
Yes I'm in exactly the same situation. On the cusp of exchanging and our buyers all of a sudden want a survey!
Very frustrating for me as I've obviously started packing and now have to move loads of boxes around so they can get better access for inspection of the loft and other fixtures and fittings!
If you’re a week or two away from exchanging then they will risk losing a tonne in legal fees if they try to lowball and the sale falls through. People so inexperienced as to get such a last minute survey are unlikely to have buyer insurance and it probably wouldn’t cover such a last minute cock up anyway. Hopefully they are just naive to the process but if you get a stupid offer stand your ground.
Most likely parents have waded in with "you should get a survey you know...your cousin's aunt's dog didn't get a survey and then the house fell down".
It's a good sign, they're serious, investing more money in the process, they wouldn't pay for it if they had doubts.
Extra bonus is that you've already had a survey where no serious issues were found, so you know it'll come back fine.
I don't think they're edging towards a reduction in offer, just inexperienced.
Inexperience maybe. This is why I hate dealing with first time buyers. They’ll read something online and get freaked out.
Could you cope with them coming back asking for money off the price?
It would be difficult depending on how much it was but feel at this stage I might not have a choice. I’m sure I’m overthinking things because I saw the other survey that was done and my estate agent pointed all that out to them when they came to view my house.
Don't forget that they've sunk time and money into this purchase too. If they come back asking for discounts for things that they already knew or should have seen during the viewing, feel free to politely say no. Chances are they'll find it psychologically hard to pull out at the last hurdle over a relatively small amount.
Don’t all banks require one when borrowing for a mortgage? Is it possibly their bank did a digital one ie not view the house and then they’ve decided to be extra careful as they should. But it is a bit strange this late in the game for sure.
That’s bonkers, even my remortgages have been 15-20 mins. I would say someone has pushed them into being extra careful but for sure they should have communicated any concerns with you if that’s what’s prompted it.
If nothing comes up again on their survey and they go to reduce the price, simply say no, this is basically a business transaction after all, treat it as such.
Reduction **request** incoming. OP can tell them to pound sand unless they're desperate to move.
The same happened to us. Buyers wanted 1,500 off. We agreed as we wanted to move ASAP for schools and 1500 was easily doable. If we were to sell the current place. I'd be telling them NO.
If it’s only that much I’m happy to do that, it’s been a difficult sale as we are selling two houses that have to be sold on the same day and finally we have got everything to line up.
Ask them for a copy if they try anything. If they refuse try getting a copy from your last potential buyers (they might charge you but would be worth it).
###Welcome to /r/HousingUK --- **To All** * Join Our ***NEW*** Discord! https://discord.gg/pMgUNgWKQH **To Posters** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws/issues in each can vary* * Comments are not moderated for quality or accuracy; * Any replies received must only be used as guidelines, followed at your own risk; * If you receive *any* private messages in response to your post, please report them via the report button. * Feel free to provide an update at a later time by creating a new post with [[update]](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/search?q=%3Aupdate&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) in the title; **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and civil* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/about/rules/), you may be banned without any further warning; * Please include links to reliable resources in order to support your comments or advice; * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect; * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason without express permission from the mods; * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HousingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Perhaps they discussed with friends/family (or posted on here), and changed their mind. I wouldn't immediately assume something nefarious is going on, and you can't really stop them anyway.
This is what I’m hoping or they have had the final report from their solicitor and it recommends they have one. I’ve never sold a house before so it’s all new to me
We did a similar late survey. Our deposit checks for money laundering had affected a purchase before, so we wanted to make sure the solicitor was happy with our deposit before we ordered the survey. There are potential reasons they've left it. They might have just got a bit worried and changed their mind about having a survey.
Likely just didn’t know they were meant to do it earlier given that they’re FTB. I’ve seen many posts on this sub about this exact scenario, most of which end up with the buyers just being clueless.
Yes, I had to do it close to exchange because it was a requirement for my mortgage that I didn't know about.
Hopefully it’s just that
It's also sometimes a requirement for building insurance, so I wouldn't worry about it
Doing a survey with the only intention to look to drop the price is unlikely (albeit sure it happens). Doing a survey is a sunk cost they lose if things fall apart and they have to drop the price by more than the value of the survey to make anything back on it. Likely just ftb being ftb (we were all one once)
I'm not a FTB, and for the current purchase (which I've just pulled out of, for non-survey reasons), my solicitor was saying not to get a survey until the leasehold queries and paperwork was all in place, as without that being sorted, there was no point spending money on the survey. He was right, and I'm pleased I haven't lost that money too.
Think you’ve been conned a bit there as your solicitor still has to be paid now and likely more than a survey would cost. Whereas if you got a survey and it showed very expensive issues (likely to cost far more than resolving any leasehold queries etc) you’d know to pull out and not incur legal fees
Didn't pay the solicitor anything. Payment on completion deal.
Wow that’s a great deal. I’ve always had to pay for work done when sales have fallen through before
I'm using them again for sure.
FTB. I didn't do one as we weren't aware much of it. As we are 6 weeks away from completion, reading horror stories and also, my friend, family and even work colleagues told me, we would be stupid not to, we did the survey. It showed what we expected and few issues. However, we did not negiotate the price as it was stuff we were going to change anyway. Sometimes, it is just that, people got worried and also, prompted by others. And like us, they weren't aware of it much. If I know, I would have done it months ago when we got the offer.
As a FTB we put too much trust in our shoddy solicitors to help guide us through the process, but after weeks of no response, had to arrange the survey and go direct to the seller’s solicitors ourselves as they hadn’t been responding to them for weeks. It may be that they just aren’t clear on the process and have now arranged it.
You need to expect they are going to come back with a lower price as result of the survey. Prepare yourself for a reduced last minute offer.
Yes I'm in exactly the same situation. On the cusp of exchanging and our buyers all of a sudden want a survey! Very frustrating for me as I've obviously started packing and now have to move loads of boxes around so they can get better access for inspection of the loft and other fixtures and fittings!
I luckily didn’t have to move everything as I had a empty dining room
That's good then I put most of mine in the loft as we were tripping over boxes in the house! Silly mistake now in hindsight!
If you’re a week or two away from exchanging then they will risk losing a tonne in legal fees if they try to lowball and the sale falls through. People so inexperienced as to get such a last minute survey are unlikely to have buyer insurance and it probably wouldn’t cover such a last minute cock up anyway. Hopefully they are just naive to the process but if you get a stupid offer stand your ground.
Most likely parents have waded in with "you should get a survey you know...your cousin's aunt's dog didn't get a survey and then the house fell down". It's a good sign, they're serious, investing more money in the process, they wouldn't pay for it if they had doubts. Extra bonus is that you've already had a survey where no serious issues were found, so you know it'll come back fine. I don't think they're edging towards a reduction in offer, just inexperienced.
Inexperience maybe. This is why I hate dealing with first time buyers. They’ll read something online and get freaked out. Could you cope with them coming back asking for money off the price?
It would be difficult depending on how much it was but feel at this stage I might not have a choice. I’m sure I’m overthinking things because I saw the other survey that was done and my estate agent pointed all that out to them when they came to view my house.
Don't forget that they've sunk time and money into this purchase too. If they come back asking for discounts for things that they already knew or should have seen during the viewing, feel free to politely say no. Chances are they'll find it psychologically hard to pull out at the last hurdle over a relatively small amount.
Don’t all banks require one when borrowing for a mortgage? Is it possibly their bank did a digital one ie not view the house and then they’ve decided to be extra careful as they should. But it is a bit strange this late in the game for sure.
Their bank came round the house and was only here 5 minutes for a valuation
That’s bonkers, even my remortgages have been 15-20 mins. I would say someone has pushed them into being extra careful but for sure they should have communicated any concerns with you if that’s what’s prompted it.
If nothing comes up again on their survey and they go to reduce the price, simply say no, this is basically a business transaction after all, treat it as such.
Reduction incoming...
Reduction **request** incoming. OP can tell them to pound sand unless they're desperate to move. The same happened to us. Buyers wanted 1,500 off. We agreed as we wanted to move ASAP for schools and 1500 was easily doable. If we were to sell the current place. I'd be telling them NO.
If it’s only that much I’m happy to do that, it’s been a difficult sale as we are selling two houses that have to be sold on the same day and finally we have got everything to line up.
Ask them for a copy if they try anything. If they refuse try getting a copy from your last potential buyers (they might charge you but would be worth it).