We saw a house in October and made an offer, which was accepted. A notaire has been engaged via the agent (Leggett) and the process to purchase commenced. The house had not previously had a diagnostic AFAIK.
We have heard from the agent that the compromis will be signed on 25th Nov, but we have still not seen the diagnostic for the place. As I understand it, normally if there are significant issues then it is written into the compromis that these shall be rectified before completion of the sale, however there is not a lot of time left to get those things written in.
My question - is it normal for things to be as close as this? Should we delay the signing until weāve had the document and had time to go through it carefully, or does this all get sorted out āautomaticallyā as we go along? My instinct is that this doesnāt feel right, but it may be entirely innocent.
Having just checked my emails (technology is a wonderful thing, it took a few seconds to type something in the search bar and find something from 5 years ago!) the diagnostics seem to have been sent as attachments with the CdV itself. You can then print all, peruse at your leisure before deciding whether to sign. The only non standard part of ours was a clause regarding a successful certificat dāurbanisme for a barn conversion on the land, we didnāt get into matters of the diagnostics, but then everything needed replacing anyway. I would have thought it would be more that issues flagged may mean a bit of renegotiation before signing a modified one if need be, but the world has gone mad since I went through this process so my memory of it isnāt great. (This was with Leggetts btw).
Personally I would wait to see the Diagnostics and the fosse inspection (if applicable) before doing anything else, the CdV is now the most important document with the Acte being almost a formality.
It normally only takes a couple of weeks to get the Diagnostics done so donāt understand the delay.
In my experience, one should never sign anything unless all the bits and bobs are well understood and agreed.
Once upon a time, I was overcome with enthusiam and silly enough to sign something without fully reading and understanding ā¦ but only the onceā¦ never again.
My understanding is that you will have to arrange for any additional clauses to be written into the compromis.
When we were in the process of buying our house, the diagnostics revealed that the gas CH boiler was unsafe and it was condemned. We managed to get a clause inserted into the CdV stating that a new replacement (at the sellersā expense) was mandatory.
I therefore advise against signing anything until you have read and understood the diagnostic reports plus the costs and timescales of rectifying any issues.
I would nāt have too much confidence in Leggetts. We found their service to be mediocre at best, and once the purchase had been completed they were totally uninterested in other issues that arose.
Have you asked where it is? So many times in France I have been huffing and puffing about something that I would expect to have been told - only to find that it had been done/sent/prepared but nobody said so!
The dossier of diagnostics may well be sitting on the notaireās deskā¦.
(2 examples from yesterdayā¦.had phoned local firm to arrange for a shutter repair, to be told by secretary āhe will phone youā. No sign for days so popped into shop yesterday. Same secretary āoh heās off sick and no idea when heāll be backā.
Then had asked for a medical certificate from health centreā¦āweāll phone you when doctor has signed itā. Popped in there too and it was waiting for me, dated over a week ago! )
Thanks Jane, I did raise the question with the agent a couple of days ago, but she hasnāt replied yet. It may well have been done and is waiting somewhere, but we just need time to review and understand.
Now I may be showing my ignorance, but is there a legal/tax reason why a home with lower rating is a problem? The house is oldish - I should guess late 19th/early20th century, though not especially old - so isnāt going to be cavity insulated or anything special, but that doesnāt make any difference as far as we are concerned unless thereās some kind of external factor.
In a wider sense I care that the house isnāt going to be especially poor, but having been in there in cold weather (frosty outside - it was not cold indoors, and was plainly not lived in) it will be fine. Roof has been insulated, and the loft space is a single large room.
I personally would get the agent to divulge this information, They will give it if they are serious about earning some money. When we bought our house, the agent (not leggett) gave me the whole info packet without asking. As the Notaire is also on the council here, the whole sale was done and dusted within 4 weeks.
This could well be the caseā¦ā¦ if you know the name of the notaire get in touch with their office and ask their secretary. Phone calls, not emails which they rarely read!
Please trust your instincts and delay signing. We had a diagnostic report that highlighted electric issues that required immediate attention but we were told by the agent (Leggett) they were not deemed an issue before signing the compris. We pulled out of the deal.
