Left in the lurch after house sale falls through
Call for a change in the law to protect those selling their homes
A Burnside couple have called for a change in the law to protect people selling their homes being let down at the last minute.
Isobel and William Penny thought they had sold their Victoria Road house and had already planned to move out on July 14.
But less than two days before the house was due to be handed over, the buyer dropped a bombshell by pulling out of the deal.
The pair had already given away most of their furniture and have been left desperately trying to sell their home before they move to the retirement flats on Johnstone Drive.
Furious Isobel, 74, said: “It’s not illegal but it is immoral. We were only given 48 hours notice, well, 46 actually.
“We had given the majority of our furniture to charity.
“I think it’s disgusting that people get away with this, there is no accountability.
“It would be good to see something that would protect people from this kind of behaviour, it’s terrible to treat people this way.
“If it had been two weeks before then fine. We’ve really been left up the creek.”
Isobel said she and William, 72, had given away two couches, chairs, tables, kitchen items and even a grandfather clock.
But they have now been left without vital furniture for the next few months.
They are due to move to their new home in September and were planning on staying with family until then.
Explaining how the deal fell through, Isobel said: “We were supposed to move on July 15 and were planning to move out on the 14th.
“On Friday 8 we got a phone call to say if a wood specialist could come out on the Monday. He didn’t turn up with no courtesy call.
“On the Tuesday at 10.50am we got a phone call to say the deal was off. Their excuse was they had not received an updated home report until the 8th but the report had been done in May.
“The only difference was they found Japanese knotweed in the neighbour’s garden.
“The week before our lawyer had been assured by their lawyer the deal was on.”