Hi there,
Really need advise on this.
We recently went sale agreed on a city townhouse in Cork. We were very excited with the house as had been hunting for sometime and it was to be our first purchase. The house needed some TLC and we were very aware and prepared for that.
The house was (and still is) advertised as a 3 Bedroom Victorian townhouse and is beside Patrick’s hill. There is a garden to the front and the property does not extend to a back garden. There is a steep drop at the back, not unusual as the property is on a hill.
We viewed the house on several occasions and access to view the back of the house was impossible. But we could see out the window that it looked onto the rear of properties on a lower road. From this lower road, you could not see our house!
Our engineer surveyed the house and we were shocked and horrified to discover that the house we were buying had no foundations!! In fact, it was in reality the top 2 floors of a 4 floor building. The bottom 2 floors could only be noticed/seen/accessed from a back yard of a property on the lower road and is currently dis-used. We understand these lower floors may have been used as a warehouse in the past.
Our question are - the property is advertised as a house - what defines a house?
Has anyone come across this situation before? - our engineer certainly had not.
Initially the auctioneer was "shocked" when we told him what the engineer had discovered. However, he subsequently maintains that he had told us or at least some of the viewers of the property!!
We would never have touched the property had been know the reality of the situation. Also, according to our insurance company, getting cover would have been an issue.
Can an auctioneer do this? Surely, there must be some obligation to advertise the property properly?
We were lucky as are able to get out in time. Someone else may not be so lucky.
Any suggestions??
Best regards,
Marge
Really need advise on this.
We recently went sale agreed on a city townhouse in Cork. We were very excited with the house as had been hunting for sometime and it was to be our first purchase. The house needed some TLC and we were very aware and prepared for that.
The house was (and still is) advertised as a 3 Bedroom Victorian townhouse and is beside Patrick’s hill. There is a garden to the front and the property does not extend to a back garden. There is a steep drop at the back, not unusual as the property is on a hill.
We viewed the house on several occasions and access to view the back of the house was impossible. But we could see out the window that it looked onto the rear of properties on a lower road. From this lower road, you could not see our house!
Our engineer surveyed the house and we were shocked and horrified to discover that the house we were buying had no foundations!! In fact, it was in reality the top 2 floors of a 4 floor building. The bottom 2 floors could only be noticed/seen/accessed from a back yard of a property on the lower road and is currently dis-used. We understand these lower floors may have been used as a warehouse in the past.
Our question are - the property is advertised as a house - what defines a house?
Has anyone come across this situation before? - our engineer certainly had not.
Initially the auctioneer was "shocked" when we told him what the engineer had discovered. However, he subsequently maintains that he had told us or at least some of the viewers of the property!!
We would never have touched the property had been know the reality of the situation. Also, according to our insurance company, getting cover would have been an issue.
Can an auctioneer do this? Surely, there must be some obligation to advertise the property properly?
We were lucky as are able to get out in time. Someone else may not be so lucky.
Any suggestions??
Best regards,
Marge