From One Homeowner To Another: Facing Unpleasant Vendor Surprises On Moving Day
Moving home should be an exciting time. Whether it’s your first house or another notch on your moving
post, it’s a chance for a fresh start. In a hypothetical world, nothing beats your realtor handing over the
keys and confirming that the house is yours. That moment will be the culmination of months or even
years of work. Sadly, it doesn’t mean the stress is over yet.
When you have your keys, you face the task of actually moving in. If you thought buying was stressful,
try this. To make matters worse, new houses aren’t always left in the condition we expect. Sometimes,
old owners leave us with unpleasant surprises on moving day.
In the majority of cases, you do have legal groundings if the previous owner leaves the house in a
terrible state. We’ll look more at the legalities as we go along, though. For now, let’s consider the three
worst surprises you can find on moving day.
Mess in all the rooms
As a general rule, a previous owner is contractually obliged to leave a house empty. This is even a
clause which will likely appear in your contracts. Sometimes, though, owners take the risk of leaving a
mess behind. In some cases, this will be nothing worse than a broken bed, or a few pieces of furniture.
In that instance, it’s hardly worth pursuing legal avenues. In extreme cases, a previous owner may leave
behind copious amounts of rubbish, leaving you with expenses to clear it. If this happens, you should
contact your solicitor straight away. They should be able to ensure that the old owner either removes the
rubbish or covers the costs to do so.
Unwanted guests
Moving day may also reveal that your new house comes complete with some unwanted guests.
Pest infestations are never pleasant, especially not if they come as a surprise. Worse, legality here can
get confusing. In general, though, a seller’s failure to state an infestation could see you gaining
reimbursement here, too. While still not ideal, that would afford you to contact someone like
this pest management company to take care of things. The sooner that infestation is out, the better
chance you have of settling in.
A shopping list for fixtures
post, it’s a chance for a fresh start. In a hypothetical world, nothing beats your realtor handing over the
keys and confirming that the house is yours. That moment will be the culmination of months or even
years of work. Sadly, it doesn’t mean the stress is over yet.
When you have your keys, you face the task of actually moving in. If you thought buying was stressful,
try this. To make matters worse, new houses aren’t always left in the condition we expect. Sometimes,
old owners leave us with unpleasant surprises on moving day.
In the majority of cases, you do have legal groundings if the previous owner leaves the house in a
terrible state. We’ll look more at the legalities as we go along, though. For now, let’s consider the three
worst surprises you can find on moving day.
Mess in all the rooms
As a general rule, a previous owner is contractually obliged to leave a house empty. This is even a
clause which will likely appear in your contracts. Sometimes, though, owners take the risk of leaving a
mess behind. In some cases, this will be nothing worse than a broken bed, or a few pieces of furniture.
In that instance, it’s hardly worth pursuing legal avenues. In extreme cases, a previous owner may leave
behind copious amounts of rubbish, leaving you with expenses to clear it. If this happens, you should
contact your solicitor straight away. They should be able to ensure that the old owner either removes the
rubbish or covers the costs to do so.
Unwanted guests
Moving day may also reveal that your new house comes complete with some unwanted guests.
Pest infestations are never pleasant, especially not if they come as a surprise. Worse, legality here can
get confusing. In general, though, a seller’s failure to state an infestation could see you gaining
reimbursement here, too. While still not ideal, that would afford you to contact someone like
this pest management company to take care of things. The sooner that infestation is out, the better
chance you have of settling in.
A shopping list for fixtures
Far from leaving you with too much, you may also arrive at your new home to find the old owner has taken everything, including fixtures. In rare case, previous owners take everything from light fittings to radiators. That can cause real issues and potential expenses for you. Again, though, the law is on your side here. As a general rule, you buy a house with fixtures included. Unless a seller has stipulated they’ll remove these, they either have to return them or reimburse you. In general, anything which you require for the running of your house counts as a fixture. If you’re in doubt about whether something counts, speak to your solicitor. Whatever you do; don’t let that pesky vendor get away with this sort of behavior!
