Problems with snag list to be done

We are in process of buying house. We paid deposit and contract has been signed.
We did also snag list aroung one month ago. Builders told us that we can come and re - check three weeks later. When we checked we discovered that 99 % of job wasn't done.
Builders answer was that they will draw back if we won't close sale as soon as possible.
We went to re-check house again with our snagger few days later. This time 70 % of work was done. Estate agent and foreman who were with us confirmed that rest of the work will be done in few days.
Later on, the same day, our solicitor told us that builders informed her that they will not touch anything else and they will refund 500 euro if we will close without touch ups. If we will not agree they will start re-show house to other people.
Our engineer said that cost of finishes will be around 2000 euros.
We want to buy this house and we put already a lot of money for solicitor,valuation and snag list.
Can they draw back without any consequences even if we want to buy?
Can we expect that they will give us back money which we spent already?
It looks as they want to threaten us.
Should we accept their offer 500 euros and close sale?
Can anyone explain us what is all about??
One more thing,our solicitor is not helpfull at all. We have impression that she represents builders business not ours.
Regards

davo10

Never complete without full snag list being finished to your satisfaction, remember the builder needs you far more than you need the builder. if you pull out he has to re-show the house, has to pay more to estate agent, has to hope someone else wants the house as much as you do and is willing to pay the same price, that's a lot of risk on his part so hold firm.

Tell builder you are willing to complete but you are holding back €5,000 of total purchase price (in case any other problems are found in the coming weeks) until your engineer has signed off on it, this money can be lodged with Your solicitor, not theirs.

The solicitor wants the sale to go through so he/she can be paid but it would be unprofessional for him/her to advise you to complete while there are issues outstanding, your solicitor is obliged to act in your best interest not his/hers and especially not the vendor's.

If you can hold your nerve call the builders bluff, ask him to set down in writing that he will pull out of deal if it is not closed without snags being done, he would be the only builder in the country who would give up a sale for the sake of snags, there are probably hundreds of builders who would welcome someone like you with open arms.

Remember right now it is a buyer's market so be assertive.

If there are any solicitors reading this, perhaps you could clarify something, its a good few years since I bought my home but I think I signed a contract to buy the house initially subject to some conditions being satisfied and then completed the contract some weeks later when all the relavant searches/surveys/reports were done, I doubt the builder would have cause to renege on the contract just because the purchaser would not complete until snags were done.

If will will not agreed to take refund 500 euros without snag being finished they threaten us that they will start re showing house in 3 days.
Is it legal? Can they do it?
Our engineer said that estimated cost for all touch ups is around 2000 euro.
Can we agreed for their conditions if they are going to agreed for 2000 euros or even 1000?
Regards
meekakeszi

We are in process of buying house. We paid deposit and contract has been signed.
We did also snag list around one month ago. Builders told us that we can come and re - check three weeks later. When we checked we discovered that 99 % of job wasn't done.
Builders answer was that they will draw back if we won't close sale as soon as possible.
We went to re-check house again with our snagger few days later. This time 70 % of work was done. Estate agent and foreman who were with us confirmed that rest of the work will be done in few days.
Later on, the same day, our solicitor told us that builders informed her that they will not touch anything else and they will refund 500 euro if we will close without touch ups. If we will not agree they will start re-show house to other people.
Our engineer said that cost of finishes will be around 2000 euros.
We want to buy this house and we put already a lot of money for solicitor,valuation and snag list.
Can they draw back without any consequences even if we want to buy?
Can we expect that they will give us back money which we spent already?
It looks as they want to threaten us.
Should we accept their offer 500 euros and close sale?
Can anyone explain us what is all about??
One more thing,our solicitor is not helpfull at all. We have impression that she represents builders business not ours.
Regards

Cuddlesworth

Deleted User wrote: »

If will will not agreed to take refund 500 euros without snag being finished they threaten us that they will start re showing house in 3 days.
Is it legal? Can they do it?
Our engineer said that estimated cost for all touch ups is around 2000 euro.
Can we agreed for their conditions if they are going to agreed for 2000 euros or even 1000?
Regards
meekakeszi

First of all, forget about the money you have already spent on the house. Consider it a expense of getting the right house.

I would question the reason why the builder refuses to do the snag. Tbh, having worked as a builder I would be extremely wary of any builder who is this adamant about not following through on his work. If you can't get him to snag it now, what if a major structural defect comes up in six months?

Query your solicitor about the possibility of recovering the expenses accrued after the builder has refused to complete the terms of the contract.

Do not get stuck with the idea of having already spent money, you must go through with it? Its a physiological trick played by salesmen for years and a effective one.

dudara

Better suited to Accomodation & Property

dudara

Victor

I know this is important for you, but you need to de-emotionalise the siutation. Talk to the solicitor or the snagger. Tell them the builder is hustling you over the snags you want them to negotiate a fair figure in exchange for you agreeing to sign up.

Snagging is a nuisance for builders and they don't particularly like doing it. I imagine your snagger has items in the list that are:
(a) fundamental (make sure house doesn't fall down)
(b) important (doors need to shut properly)
(c) purely cosmetic (small marks on paint work)
(d) largely irrelevant and most people can live without them being fixed (minor scuff marks in places that are likely to be obscured by furniture).

You need the builder to reach a point where between you and the snagger that you are happy that every thing is taken care of to your satisfaction. That means all of a+b and a fair bit of c+d. Expecting to get all of c+d sorted may be unrealistic.

Deleted User wrote: »

One more thing,our solicitor is not helpfull at all. We have impression that she represents builders business not ours.

Why do you think this?

Cavehill Red

No builder is going to walk away from a paying customer in this housing climate.
They're bluffing. Make them do the work or else you'll be stuck with problems that are rightly theirs to resolve.
If you doubt me, call them on it. Tell them calmly that if they do not intend to resolve all the remaining snags, they can start showing the house to other people, and watch their reaction.