Should I keep a verbal agreement?

In middle of selling our house, buyers knocked us down by 4k from original offer price to start with anyway which we were prepared for, as it needed CH installing, plus a new bathroom and kitchen.

Then after survey was done, he came back round one night personally moaning about all the things he found, and said he wanted another £900 off for these extras to be sorted out when he moved in.
But he said didnt want to go thru estate agent/sols and get price reduced etc properly, just wanted to go through as it was and then me give him the cash post completion.
We didnt want em to think about backing out over it, so just said yeah ok whatever and he left!

Now its all gone thru and we moving in two weeks, and we are well skint, and havnt really got anything at all to spare, let alone a grand to just give away to him.

It was a verbal agreement made between the buyer and myself in my kitchen, no other proof of anything, just my word against his.
Should I just not give him anything, or say half, or all of it, or what?

What would you do??

Re: Should I keep a verbal agreement??

I'd have told my solicitor and would have had a new contract drawn up. However as this wasn't done IMO the best thing to do now is be fair and go with the price you agreed.

I would stand up to what I agreed to with my buyer. We had a similar agreement when we were buying, thankfully we had a seller who stook to his word and wrote us out a cheque for E1500 once we moved in.

You got what you needed at the time, why not give him what you agreed?

G

You agreed to give him €900. It would be dishonest not to do so, never ceases to amaze me how people even consider trying to screw someone over just because they can.

bit of a chancer i'd say he is myself. make sure that if you do give him the money that you get a receipt from him and casually mention you will be advising the tax man.
he agreed a price for the house with you and he should have stuck to it.it was up to him at the time of viewing and when he got the survey done to go back to the auctioneer adn mention these things and then if he wanted to proceed he should have budgeted accordingly.
personally i would not have agreed to the 900 quid in the first place. i hate chancers like that

If the tables were reverserd, you'd be depending on him, standing by his word.

He does sound like a chancer alright, but if he had the neck and the cheek to come to your house to debate €900, he isn't going to think twice about hasseling you at your new abode. You really don't need him appearing on your new doorstep, in front of your new neighbours, shouting the odds about you owing him money, which you do, cos you made an agreement. Just pay it and get it out of the way and be done with it and count yourself as one of the lucky ones that was able to sell their house.

Like others have said, I wouldn't have gone down the route of not going "thru estate agent/sols and get price reduced etc properly". But since the agreement is made I think its best to honour it.

therave said:

make sure that if you do give him the money that you get a receipt from him and casually mention you will be advising the tax man.

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Why? If there is a tax issue in respect of this money, I don't see it anyhow?

Most solicitors would tell you that a verbal agreement isn't worth the paper its written on! Bit of a moral issue I think - as stated by other posters, I'd give him it but if you decide not to, who is this guy going to complain to?

well it would be a recipt of funds

therave said:

well it would be a recipt of funds

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..but hardly taxable in the circumstances?

If your word is no good, then you are no good.

If your word is no good, then you are no good.

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Fair point

point taken.. but this guy buying the place is a chancer. you should lodge the 900 euro with your solicitor,just in case he comes back and says he never got it from you

therave said:

bit of a chancer i'd say he is myself. make sure that if you do give him the money that you get a receipt from him and casually mention you will be advising the tax man.

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How does one "casually" mention that you will be advising the tax man? That's dreadful advice.

He asked for 900 and you agreed to it. Pay him.

"but this guy buying the place is a chancer"

You don't know this. I'd say he is a purchaser who may very well log onto a Board like this and may have heard the trenchant advice routinely given around here to "stuff" a vendor for every penny they can in a difficult market.

Ultimately, this is the kind of scrappy situation that leaves people exposed. Why did he not just do the deal through the solicitor? He is exposed and the OP is taking advantage of that. Not nice.

mf