[Stephanemw]

I agree!

I'm someone who's still getting surprises from his property purchase (UK leaseholder, converted Victorian terrace).

I would have loved to know ahead of time about forthcoming issues I'd have to deal with that the survey didn't pick up.

Would likely still have gone ahead with the purchase (I was in a baby-induced rush), but with a stronger bargaining position. It's not as if UK property prices are reasonable in any case.

I _personally_ feel that not declaring serious flaws just because it's not legally required equates to lies by omission.

[linkdd]

Exactly, in France when you're asking for a loan to buy a house, banks include the repair/whatever costs into the loan on top of the selling price.

If the buyer hides problems from me, I will still have to deal with it, and it won't be included in my loan, so it will be out of my pocket.

An advice from my father: Visit houses in winter and not in summer, you can't check the isolation in summer.

In my experience, honesty in any business works better than lies.