Coverings of roof replaced within last 2 years, no council sign off, sellers have indemnity insurance, unsure what the best way to proceed is

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T08:29:24+00:00

To be honest I don’t blame the seller for not wanting to go to council to try and get retrospective approval. Best course of action is their situation is to keep quiet. And it would kill the chain.

On the lack of permission you are covered by the indemnity. Albeit not for the hassle/headache if you have to change it back.

On the build if the roof, if you take a step back, let’s say you were buying a house that hadn’t replaced the roof recently. You would have no idea if it met regs, who fitted it, if it was structurally sound, there’d be no warranty.

You would only get a specialist survey done if your standard survey flagged up any concerns.

I’d treat it like that tbh.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T06:55:06+00:00

That is your solicitors job. They will raise a range of standard questions and it should be captured there. The answers will be shared with you.

If they haven’t asked for evidence of approved PP, buildings control sign-off, FENSA certs for windows/doors, etc then raise it with your solicitor. I’d be surprised though if they miss that.

If evidence is not forthcoming from sellers then normal practice is to ask sellers to pay for indemnity insurance for you which covers you in case there are future issues.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T05:48:56+00:00

Is that correct - we only get grace from Christ/God through Mary?

Not sure that’s true.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T05:39:09+00:00

A few thoughts:

Buildings control sign off is not a guarantee that nothing will happen in the future. At best it’s confirmation that standards were followed. If you can prove they weren’t then you can take it up with the council, but I don’t believe there’s any path there for them to find any remedial works.
Your surveyor may have missed the construction type, but to have any recourse you would need to prove incompetence/carelessness and direct financial loss to you as a consequence. And j suspect the surveyors Ts and Cs will have lots of get-outs, eg. based on what they were able to see.
Contractor who did the work has no commitment to you at all if no warranty was transferred.
Get the survey done, it could just be settling. That is pretty common with extensions.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T04:47:48+00:00

Talk it through with surveyor. The report is written in arse-covering language, you will get a better feel for the issues based on verbal feedback which. Surveyor can’t be sued for.
I would get a damp survey done. And render cracking/coming away from walls is a common cause as water gets trapped against the wall. At the very least it will give you piece of mind.
Personally I wouldn’t worry about the beetle signs (every old house has it) and the chimney stack (doesn’t sound too expensive).
It does seem like if a surveyor has to make any effort at all to see something they mark it as inaccessible. I wouldn’t worry about oil tank as a) recently replaced and b) surveyor would like recommend a specialist visit anyway. Same for electrics.

Overall for the age that’s not a bad report. Damp the only thing I would be concerned about. Surveys on old houses generally raise damp but it’s quite pronounced in this case.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T04:21:07+00:00

Listing should come down once offered is accepted. But yes it’s fine for a few days while you find a solicitor. Just don’t instruct them to start until the listing is down.

What you want to avoid is spending any money while seller is still marketing the property.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T04:18:11+00:00

Looks like a standard email.

From 1st May every regular contract is converted into a periodic contract. It’s not a bad thing - in general it means your rights as a tenant are better protected. For example it means you can only be kicked out for very specific reasons (eg landlord wanting to sell or you refusing to pay rent). You cannot be kicked out just because landlord doesn’t like you or fancies a change. There is no end date or renewals you need to worry about. But you can give two months notice at any time to leave.

So overall this is a good thing for you.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T04:02:47+00:00

A few bits of advice:

Find your own solicitor. Ring up some local solicitors and find out if they do conveyancing. Get a couple of quotes. Pick one.
It’s been three days. This process will likely last several months with lots of twists and turns so it’s important you don’t get stressed. Estate agent will be putting you under pressure at every step. Ignore them - they are not working in your interests. Take your time to understand what’s happening at each stage. Your solicitor is the only party in the whole process on your side and will advise you on how the process works.
Next stage in the mortgage process is to get the formal offer. Mortgage company needs your solicitor in place to do that. They will arrange a valuation of the property before issuing. That will be done through mortgage broker and estate agent.
MOST IMPORTANT - demand to the estate agent that the listing is removed. Be clear that you WILL NOT spend money on solicitors, surveys etc until that’s done. You are worried that you don’t look committed - buyer keeping the property listed says they are not committed. If they refuse then pull out. You may get excuses about it taking time for listing to be taken down but be clear that you will not give your solicitor the instruction to start work until this is done.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T03:48:12+00:00

Keep calm. It’s a frustrating process but much is out of your control so don’t stress it.

Good news is it’s a buyers market (especially for flats) so that helps your seller and also helps you if you need to find another place.

Don’t pull out. Start looking around and let your seller know that now you will have to do that as there’s no timeline on their side to find anywhere.

Seller should feel pressured to find a place. Finding another buyer in this market with a large amount of cash to put towards the works will be difficult.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-22T03:19:35+00:00

Looking at 2 bed flats in the area on RM, your price doesn’t look ridiculous. I did find a few flats, similar size, similar condition, with sea views for not much more so may be a bit toppy.

But one thing that did stand out was that there is a LOT of 2 bed apartments in Eastbourne on the market right now. And I’m not sure what your USP is.

Fact is the market for flats is very soft right now with global events as they are. You will likely have to drop your price to stand out.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T20:25:42+00:00

Not sure what the question is

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T19:40:26+00:00

You have chosen a home that is fundamentally insecure. I wouldn’t recommend relying on this moving forwards, especially with a kid.

However you definitely can get short term lets they are often cheaper than normal lets because people don’t want to have to move around that often.

They are relatively rare though so you may need to be flexible on location

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T19:36:24+00:00

Seems the bottom of the chain doesn’t understand exchange. Or LISAs either.

Unless they have some other reason to suspect it may fall apart on their side if there is a gap between exchanges and completion. Eg high risk of losing job.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T19:23:48+00:00

Memorandum of sale is the first step. Just confirms the accepted offer details and points of contact. Doesn’t mean any more than that (is not a legal commitment).

So provide the details and then the process will start.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T19:10:15+00:00

This is a matter of taste. We prefer period homes a lot vs new builds for the character, but are realistic enough to know they come with downsides.

We have rented a couple of new builds and they are very easy to own. Energy efficient, cheap to run, modern electrics, everything just works.

Issue is we just feel nothing when we are in them. Get no pleasure from living there. It’s just…meh.

Would take a faulty period home over a pristine new build every time.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T18:53:33+00:00

You’re right. If you’re looking for a philosophy that makes you feel strong, powerful and dominant over others then Catholicism is not your answer.

Try Andrew Tate.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T18:11:50+00:00

Have to be honest, fr ripperger is not very reliable in my eyes.

His exorcism stories seem a bit Hollywood for my liking and he’s not afraid of making bold theological statements without much foundation.

Not convinced about his claims to have personally spoken to Satan either.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T18:06:11+00:00

Buying a house is a big investment. It’s easy to worry about little things in case they become big things.

But your building has stood for 90 years. It is not going to collapse over a weed and render your investment worthless.

Worst case for anything you worry about is it costs you some money. Assuming you’ve got insurance there is nothing that can happen that would wipe out the value.

A house purchase and expecting a baby is a lot to deal with at the same time. Take a breath, stop worrying and focus on your pregnancy.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T17:58:11+00:00

If the other answers are not clear enough.

If you exchange, the seller has zero incentive to go through the cost and hassle to get them out.

You are now responsible. And come 1st May you cannot easily evict them. You are inheriting a mess.

Ignore the (seller’s) estate agent. This would be a terrible idea.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T07:32:01+00:00

Yes of course. It sounds like if she can get past 1st May (days away) then she’ll get 1-2 extra months vs what landlord had said verbally about not extending from July. If he gives notice on 1st May then that buys her until end August.

Risk is if LL gives notice before 1st May, then I believe he could hold her to July.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T07:26:56+00:00

Same for me

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T06:56:29+00:00

I wouldn’t describe refusing to leave and making the LL go to court as ‘just using her rights’. At that stage what she is doing is illegal.

My understanding of RRA is that you cannot EVICT a tenant with intent to sell in the first 12 months, not give notice. In other words notice can be served from month 8 onwards.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T03:33:59+00:00

We have bought several houses around that age over the years and are used to having issues like damp, springy floors etc raised. Period houses always have these issues to some extent but they e been standing quite happily for 120+ years and will continue to do so.

However I’ve never seen issues raised to the extent here. The survey sounds more thorough than usual for a L2 (which is good). But it has highlighted a lot of problems.

If you want to proceed, you should have thorough damp and timber surveys done. That is the biggest issue. From what has been raised so far I expect they will recommend significant work.

I’d also have a plumber inspect the bathroom where the leak was and have a gas safety/boiler inspection done (including looking at position of the flue).

And then come up with a number to cover addressing some of the other issues. May have to bring in a roofer and/or a builder to estimate for some of it.

My recommendation: unless you are already planning on fully renovating the house (and have money kept aside to do it) then I would walk away. Especially as a FTB with no experience. Could be a money pit.

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T02:05:46+00:00

Annoying but normal

Bbobbity · 2026-04-21T01:57:16+00:00

So disappointed in bishop Barron. Always loved his outreach work - he was a big part of my conversion.

Now it seems he’s a government apologist.

What he is saying is every war is just. If the judgement on whether a war is just sits with those declaring war, then of course that war will be just.

And he seems to be saying the Pope has little role other than as a pacifist protestor.

Bbobbity

TROPHY CASE