You’ve bought a new house. But what if it gets wrecked before you move in?

Buyers are responsible for their new property as soon as contracts are exchanged, as one couple learned the hard way The moment Aarifa and Adam* stepped into their new home was supposed to be a memorable one. And it was. The ceilings lay on the floor. Electric cables dangled from the exposed rafters and water was pouring through two storeys.It was only when the couple had collected the keys that they discovered that a frozen water pipe in the loft had burst, flooding the property from top to bot