House Sale

[hughnique]

Not having a very productive experience with a well known international organisation we decided to call in a local agent, the subject of a recent completion of an extension came up and I asked about the fact that as I had done 99% of the work, what happens about the 10 year guarantee, as we will be back in the UK, judging by what she said, and I think I have heard of it before, does one have to take out an indemnity to cover any future problems?

[Headers]

@hughnique best talk to your notaire about that. I have read many articles over the years about this sort of thing. The risk is If you don’t have insurance cover and your purchasers come after you for a vice cache or faulty workmanship.

[hughnique]

Would they be able to enforce now that we are not in the EU

[Nomoss]

Maybe you can include a clause in the sale document whereby the buyer accepts the fact that you built the extension and they are buying it "as seen".
At least the fact that you built it would not be hidden, but the workmanship still not covered.
Something to discuss with the buyer and the Notaire.

[Blaze]

Have you got copies of the planning permission/declaration de travaux etc ?
I believe you are subject to French law as regards the sale of your house, and thus any requirements by law. So in theory you could be pursued if anything went wrong - whether anyone would bother, is a different matter !

[hughnique]

I have all the permis de construie, as far as declaration de travaux, is that the one that I found out years later you submit when the work is finished, if so none of those were ever submitted. I remember many years ago having to have a person round to measure up for something or other, think it was the property tax, and when I attended the impots with the relevant info he asked if I had converted the attic in to bedrooms etc. The previous owner had converted, had planning permission but never declared it as habitable, needless to say my ongoing tax bill rocketed.

[Blaze]

I think you just have to make sure that the work has been declared for tax purposes. The estate agent should certainly know that sort of thing.

[exile]

And it is one of the things the notaire will check as part of his work for the sale.

[MAD87]

And it is one of the things the notaire will check as part of his work for the sale.

Substitute 'should' for 'will' !!

[hughnique]

In the process of giving Leggett's the elbow, total disappointment, but then they are hardly run by a team of professional estate agents, it seems any old Tom Dick or Harry, can simply sign up with them, they all appear to work from home, giving a pretty miserable response rate to any queries one may raise, over the top valuations which raise your hopes of a few bob in the bank. I get the impression one minute they are working in Asda's then they materialise here as estate agents.
Yesterday afternoon was an eye opener, a game they all play but this was particularly toe squirming, sitting in the agents office, we are given a presentation of just how successful they are and that we would be silly not to engage their services, luckily I had forgotten my glasses, so was unable to participate somewhat. That left dearly beloved to troll through a selection of supposedly, similar residences, and guess the prices, it appeared that we were a double act on Who wants to be a millionaire, fastest finger first, put these houses in order of sale price starting with the lowest. We came here to get the valuation, which eventually we managed to extract, and surprise surprise it was 30K€ lower that what we have it on for now, something which is a bit disappointing but somewhat inevitable, so looks as though the bullet must be bitten, the pill swallowed and lets give it away