Adrian said: > The Dutch have got it right. > > No-one in his right mind buys a barge there (or, I suggest, a boat > here) without a survey. > > The purchase contract is almost standard. It says that > the purchaser pays for the survey, but the vendor pays for all > under-water repairs (overplating thin spots, stern bearing, etc.) the > surveyor finds to be necessary. If the value of those repairs exceeds > a threshhold set by the vendor, the vendor can cancel the sale but > then he must pay all the purchaser's costs associated with the survey > (surveyor, docking, getting the barge to the dock). If the purchaser > cancels the sale, he must usually compensate the vendor (who may have > been able to sell it to someone else while the prospective purchaser > was faffing about. No gazumping allowed.). > > Saves a lot of hassle. > > And all boats in Netherlands have to be registered on the excellent > Kadaster, so there are seldom hassles about ownership or amounts > owing. > > The Dutch tend to be very canny in business, but nonetheless it is > usually a pleasure doing boaty business there.
Yep, this is something that I have heard also. I'm told you have to have everything nailed down to the last dot and comma otherwise there is a little hole through which you opponent can wriggle. It sounds tedious (and perhaps un-trusting) to some ears but it seems to be the way the Dutch work. Roger
