Q. I have just completed on my new apartment but really disappointed with the condition the sellers have left it in now that I have the keys. Although clean it doesn’t look like they have had a professional clean and without all their furniture and personal items I now notice that the flooring isn’t perfect and the walls could do with a paint along with other miscellaneous repairs. I assumed that sellers were required to hand over their property in perfect condition, can I make a complaint to them and ask for compensation?
A. I’m assuming this is the first time you are buying hence the expectations surrounding the condition at handover? If you are buying a resale which clearly you are, the property is ‘sold as seen’ so the seller is under no obligation to leave the property in a perfect condition unless formally agreed with your solicitor to clean or make repairs. If the property has been cleaned then it sounds like you have pretty decent sellers there as many just move out and never bother. If you were to buy a New Build property this would be totally different and you can fully expect to have the property presented in pristine condition. You would also be invited a couple of weeks prior to completion to carry out a walk through with the site sales staff to compile a ‘snagging list’. This list if carefully drawn up to rectify any flaws in the build or finish. Only once the snagging list has been completed would legal completion then happen. When buying a resale property I’m afraid once legal completion has taken place and you are handed the keys then the seller has no further liabilities either to you or surrounding the condition of the property, one of the reasons why we always recommend having a survey done so that any major flaws can be highlighted. It sounds to me like your expectations were not realistic to start with. I think it’s time to call in the cleaners and a recommended handyman to get the place looking the way you want it.