Buying property can be deceptive and expensive. We did not know that the next-door property was tenanted and the tenant was evicted on Friday.
We bought our property on Thursday and on Sunday our property was on fire. Allegedly the former tenant returned to the evicted property and poured petrol in the living room and bedrooms and set the house on fire.
Our insurance company did payout but only after 10 months. We had to employ the services of a loss adjustor to act for us. Naturally, any insurance company will either try to get out of option of paying out or delay paying for as long as possible.
Thank God, we were fully insured. Had Hung Lee not sold the property 3 days earlier, he would have not been covered because the property had been empty for more than 30 days.
You need empty property insurance on a full perils cover. This is a specialist insurance product and due to increased risk of vandalism, arson attack or theft – this cover is very expensive. If you sell your residential or commercial property to us, we can insure it once we exchange contracts therefore, giving you peace of mind.
We auctioned the property with just £1 guide price and took a loss on it because the quotes to repair the house were substantial and our house insurance company did not wish to fully repair the property.
It just goes to show that is not always glamorous in property world, and you can get caught out.
| Method of sale | Value achieved | Fees | Timeframe | Is sale guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estate agents | 90–95% | 1–5% | 3–6 months | No – one in three sales collapse |
| Auctioneers | 70–80% | 2% plus | 2–3 months | No – half of properties don’t sell |
| Property Saviour | 70–80% | £0 | 10–28 days | Yes – 99% success rate |
