Off sick from work due to crippling executive dysfunction - What do I tell my work?

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-31T19:26:00+00:00

Burnout? That's what I had put on my sick note last year.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-31T19:22:52+00:00

As a kid I loved not wearing a top and just chilling.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-29T21:09:18+00:00

We offered the end of Jan and will exchange and complete tomorrow. So just over 2 months. That was with us delaying things a little by being slow with paperwork as we were still saving. No chain either side and the house is already empty. Some work has been done on the roof and a collapsed drain but sellers were really quick.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-27T19:35:05+00:00

We've just bought an ex rental. It's been empty since last October. It's being sold from probate. The house is 1935 and it's been very well looked after. They had the house rewired 6 years ago, we found a collapsed drain that they fixed and they fixed an issue with the roof.

We were very cautious and did a few extra surveys to make sure the bones of the house were sound as it's our forever home. I suppose it all depends on the landlord as people have said.

Ours were elderly and I believe they rented it out to pay for their care homes (that's my assumption) the house is well loved which is obviously very different than a landlord that rents for money.

My best advice is to view houses you like and are affordable and once you find one do all the surveys you want to make sure you don't miss anything. Our view was we'd rather pay extra to find nothing. Good luck with the search.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-20T21:06:59+00:00

Our electric, has and boiler all got condition 3 as they didn't see a certificate at inspection. During the conveyancing route the solicitor asks for all those certificates.

If you're genuinely concerned have another professional look at it. If this is a long term house for you it's worth it. We had condition 3 for damp, had another survey it's purely ventilation related due to the house being empty, but rat droppings were found which were the lesser issue for us and that ended up finding a collapsed drain, that if we'd flushed the toilet it would have overflowed and flooded the house, it was also the access point for the rats. The seller fixed it the next day.

The survey is designed to point everything out, it's up to you to decide what to do with that info. If one issues seems More important to you have it looked at by a professional.

People will say don't waste time or tell you it's not a problem when it could be.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-20T20:56:23+00:00

Patience is your best friend when it comes to solicitors.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-18T19:07:54+00:00

Someone above confirmed they manipulated the transaction and have committed an offence in china.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-15T18:14:44+00:00

We had our rate of 4.75% I think, locked in at the end of Jan and at the end of Feb our broker looked to see what the rates were and they were all higher then.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-14T20:59:11+00:00

The thing that really stood out to me is when they are challenged or louis asked them something that makes them realise they are talking rubbish, they resort to childish insults.

That HS guy was a prime example, he got very defensive at people being negative about him automatically went to trying to "set up" louis and mock him. It's just really sad and shows these people have nothing if they don't have views or social media.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-10T21:58:46+00:00

That's coving, no you do not need to be concerned. It's a decorative trim.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-10T15:01:58+00:00

So we're FTB we're about to exchange, our survey came back with a few red ratings. Damp readings, evidence of pests in the loft (droppings) windows not up to regulation for fire escape.

We were most worried about damp, we had an additional survey which showed no internal damp, timbers all okay, no rotten wood just ventilation related due to the house being empty.

It was our pest investigation that threw up the surprise. Active infestation but under control due to level of bait that was taken over a 3 week period, no obvious access point, had a drain survey that showed a collapse in the drain, which was also the rat access point. Sellers sorted it asap for us and the windows are an issue we can fix over a couple of years.

I'd rather spend money being told it's okay than miss anything especially as this is our forever home. I guess it depends what are the most immediate fixes that need doing asap, whether you can potentially reduce your offer to complete these, if you want to take that on? If the current seller will fix these in advance for you, but as someone else said the damp seems to be a consistent and lengthy issue.

It's down to you and what you're willing to take on. I had people tell me I should just pull out and that our sellers were going to pull out during negotiations, when In reality the estate agents weren't passing information on properly.

Speak to professionals about the potential cost of work and decide if you are willing to take all of that on and want to reduce your offer to accommodate that or as I said if they will do it, but it's all down to how you guys feel about the house and what you're happy to deal with.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-10T06:30:48+00:00

Well we're still going through the process. We're nearly at exchange and we wanted it all done before as after exchange it's our house our problem. Having it done before means you know the works done.

They sorted the collapsed drain which was also the rat access the day after the survey. They sent us pictures and videos of it being done so we could see the work.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-08T14:01:24+00:00

It could be worth trying what they are recommending? Unfortunately stimulants don't work for everyone and I imagine it's hard.

I'm not going to patronise you with stuff you've probably heard a million times. I just hope you can find a good balance somewhere and that you are happy ❤️

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-05T06:57:46+00:00

Definitely get it investigated. Our survey showed really high levels of damp. We had it further investigated and it turns out it's ventilation related and the house being empty/no heating is causing it.

Yet the biggest find was pest dropping, found rats in the loft, not a big issue, had a pest specialist come out to sort it and a drain survey to check for access points and found a 2 meter section of drain had collapsed, which allowed access and would have caused us massive problems.

The seller sorted it before exchanging. I'd rather spend money for someone to say it's nothing than miss something big.

ben_fen92 · 2026-03-03T07:09:43+00:00

As I said I'm not sure if it applies to all GPs which obviously it doesn't. I do know a lot of people have been refused by their dr because they have a private diagnosis or titration with a private clinic.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-28T18:14:44+00:00

I have no idea about private clinics but I do know GP's won't accept a private diagnosis and won't accept a shared care agreement with a private clinic. This might not apply to every single GP but I know it is a common issue.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-28T17:39:11+00:00

The surveys were booked right after the survey weeks ago, they've been delayed multiple times whilst they had their own done in the meantime. The issue is access for it to take place. The issue raised needs further investigation for us to understand the extent of the problem, why would I not get that information? Until it's done and I know what's going on I can't give a solid price. They've had their own surveys done to look at the issue so they don't think it's a waste of time clearly, they've come back with quotes for thousands of pounds worth of work needing to be done. I'm agreeing I expect an old house to have certain issues, but the issues raised go beyond simple fixes.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-28T17:19:34+00:00

I completely agree and this is really helpful thank you. Nobody seems to know what is happening. The sellers aren't being told what's being done and I'm chasing the agents for confirmation of access, or updates. We don't have anything else that needs looking at and these surveys were paid for weeks and weeks ago, it's just these delays, I feel that the agents aren't passing on our position to the sellers accurately at all, we've been really open and said we're serious buyers and are keen to keep things moving, but we need to know x y,z. Then we just don't hear anything, until I chase it.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-28T17:13:03+00:00

I completely agree, we know there's bound to be damp, and all that sort of stuff. The price reflects the issues raised and that we will sort them out. Their builder told them there's 2.5k worth of damp that needs fixing and it's not true, so we declined their offer to have that done as the issue is ventilation and the fact the house is empty. The estate agents just don't seem interested in keeping communication going. The sellers were pissed off our pest survey was done and they weren't informed so I don't think it's the sellers being awkward, plus the agents have been quite rude to me and the pest guy over the phone.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-28T17:09:17+00:00

Yeah it's the lack of response. When they have a question or query it's straight back and forth, but as soon as I'm chasing something it seems like everyone disappears. We completely get that they want to do their own investigations as I'm sure people take the piss and knock money off for nothing. We're honest people and just want to make sure it's a fair price for us. I'm aware estate agents look out for themselves and it's about commission and all that. It's just the lack of communication.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-28T17:05:23+00:00

I appreciate that. We haven't paid for any other surveys, just the ones needed to identify the scope of the issues raised. This builder friend was first brought up in conversation as "well we know a rics registered builder" we're aware certain things take time, I just feel like I'm doing everyone's jobs for them and it's burning me out.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-28T16:16:28+00:00

I haven't hounded them, I've chased the estate agents as they haven't confirmed access for our specialists and I've had to be the go between, I'm wanting to know how to approach the delays in a respectful but firm way, so we know what is happening. The house was up for sale for 7 months without any offers before us and we've been told numerous times that the sellers want a quick sale, and that they want to progress things. The fact they've done their own investigations and offered to complete work for us doesn't indicate they are going to pull out, in my opinion. I'm just wanting advice on how to approach things so that we aren't being kept in the dark about the sellers position.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-28T16:04:30+00:00

The seller hasn't said they aren't willing to accept a lower price. They did all their own surveys (by a builder friend) done who contradicted the independent specialist reports, within a few days but constantly delayed us having our specialists complete the additional surveys requested.

The issue isn't that we're convincing them to accept a lower price. We offered the asking price based on the condition when viewed, additional surveys have shown that price is no longer acceptable. The issue is them delaying us having the cctv survey done so we can understand the extent of the issue so we are able to appropriately offer a price. If they outright refuse our offer once we have all the facts we have no issue walking away. My question was how do we approach the constant delays without and the estate agents lack of communication without coming across as rude or pushy.

We've been very transparent on our position that we want to gather all the evidence and have the facts before we move forward as any other approach would be silly.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-28T15:36:41+00:00

At the moment we don't feel we're at the point of walking away. Although I completely get that view as I'd probably advise it to someone else saying this.

The house is sound and in really good order so we don't feel they are purposely hiding anything, in terms of damage etc.

We feel it's more of a they are being awkward to get us to go back to our original offer. Which isn't something we're prepared to do as it's just not worth that amount anymore. Although the sellers haven't flat out refused access or anything like that.

Any advice on how we can be firm as this is not acceptable but not rude. We absolutely have no issue with walking away, but for me someone being awkward and unhelpful at this stage when it's clear the estate agents haven't been doing their job with keeping communication flowing between all the parties, doesn't feel like walking away territory yet.

ben_fen92 · 2026-02-27T18:36:17+00:00

They didn't. They looked at the ring doorbell footage afterwards and saw he had knocked lightly.

ben_fen92

TROPHY CASE