Sharing a survey report with another buyer

scallywag

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I went sale-agreed on a purchase and got a full (expensive) survey done, but I pulled out of the purchase before contracts were signed. All perfectly legal.

Now the estate agent has a potential new purchaser, and has asked me to give permission to the surveyor to share the report with them.

Has anyone been here before? It would feel a little odd doing this for free - either the surveyor gets a second fee, for no extra work, or else a buyer gets a survey at no cost. Is there any typical arrangement for a situation like this? Would it be typical to split the cost?
 
Your document your rules. The estate agent will do anything to make the purchase as easy for the potential purchaser so would probably push for a free copy.

It's a sunk cost to you so any money back would be a plus. As the other purchaser I wouldn't pay full price but I might be tempted by a discount.

In saying all that if were the other party I might think it a better option to get my own survey (no point skimping on a few hundred euro in the off chance it costs me thousands). It would ensure independence but that's for them to decide.
 
Given you pulled out it might be nice to be nice here..... Giving them the survey rather than having them find and book and wait for a new one will help speed up the processs of reselling the house.
 
Could you not give it to them directly?
Save them going to the surveyor. Although I agree with above I would want my own survey done.

I’m terms of cost it’s already a cost for you and you made your decision off that. It’s probably something you will never look at again so why not pass it on?
 
I'd let the Auctioneer know that you'll give it to him, or another purchaser, for half price. I wouldn't give it for nothing, nor would I expect one for nothing either. I've done it once in that I paid half price for one, as have some people I know. We found out from the Auctioneer in all cases that the survey was available, they were different Auctioneers in different areas so it does go on a fair bit I'd say.
 
Thanks for the replies... I'll see what the surveyor company has to say in the first instance, although I doubt they'd be willing to refund anything to me.
 
Could you not give it to them directly?
I would think that the issue for the other party here is that they would have no future comeback against the surveyor. The surveyor's contract is with the original commissioner of the survey. Of course, this might not be a problem for the new purchasers as such contracts are difficult to enforce anyway, and they may be happy with a simple reassurance rather than a contract.
 
Your document your rules. The estate agent will do anything to make the purchase as easy for the potential purchaser so would probably push for a free copy.

It's a sunk cost to you so any money back would be a plus. As the other purchaser I wouldn't pay full price but I might be tempted by a discount.

In saying all that if were the other party I might think it a better option to get my own survey (no point skimping on a few hundred euro in the off chance it costs me thousands). It would ensure independence but that's for them to decide.
You cannot do this, it is not a case of your document your rules, the document is made available to you by the surveyor and most will have a clause in them forbidding sharing with a third party.
 
Typical extract from survey report:
Please note that this report is intended solely for use of the client for which it was prepared, and their legal representative. It is not for use of any other party or to be published in any media.

It is not to be provided (or sold) to any third party.
 
Typical extract from survey report:
Please note that this report is intended solely for use of the client for which it was prepared, and their legal representative. It is not for use of any other party or to be published in any media.

It is not to be provided (or sold) to any third party.
What sort of penalty normally applies if that diktat is ignored?
 
What sort of penalty normally applies if that diktat is ignored?
None really. It would be a breach of contract, so the engineer could sue for the price of the report, which they are not going to do.

But, if it is found that there is something wrong with the house and it is not included in the surveyor's report, they will rely on this clause and the house owner will have trouble in suing the engineer.
 
Typical extract from survey report:
Please note that this report is intended solely for use of the client for which it was prepared, and their legal representative. It is not for use of any other party or to be published in any media.

It is not to be provided (or sold) to any third party.
This is legally unenforceable. You paid for it, you can do what you like with it. There is never any information in it that is de facto private.

@scallywag - if you think it will put you in good standing with the agent then go ahead. Good will on a future bid/purchase could be worth something.

I wouldn't go looking for payment though. You don't want any suggestion that what you are providing is a service, only a favour.
 
As it transpires, the potential purchasers have ordered their own survey anyway.

I had contacted my survey company, and they said the survey was for me only and they would not share it under any circumstances, even if I requested that. As expected I guess.
 
As it transpires, the potential purchasers have ordered their own survey anyway.

I had contacted my survey company, and they said the survey was for me only and they would not share it under any circumstances, even if I requested that. As expected I guess.
They would share it with the new purchasers if they were to request a survey report directly from them. Essentially the surveyor would just change the names on top of the report (and perhaps just a cursory visit to make sure nothing significant had changed). They would have to pay for it though. Some surveyors may agree a reduced rate in these circumstances, though probably small.
No rebate for you though!
 
I'd let the Auctioneer know that you'll give it to him, or another purchaser, for half price. I wouldn't give it for nothing, nor would I expect one for nothing either. I've done it once in that I paid half price for one, as have some people I know. We found out from the Auctioneer in all cases that the survey was available, they were different Auctioneers in different areas so it does go on a fair bit I'd say.
Absolutely - say you're willing to give it to them for half the price.
 
This is legally unenforceable. You paid for it, you can do what you like with it. There is never any information in it that is de facto private.

@scallywag - if you think it will put you in good standing with the agent then go ahead. Good will on a future bid/purchase could be worth something.

I wouldn't go looking for payment though. You don't want any suggestion that what you are providing is a service, only a favour.
It's a mute point with regards to this discussion but I wouldn't share it with an estate agent in the hope of getting a something off them in the future. Estate agents are hired by the vendor and their job is to get as much as they can for the property. They work on commission and that is their motivation, get as high as commission as they can.
 
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