Buying in this current climate (bursted pipes)

[dazednconfused]

late november i viewed a property which was below market value for the area its located in

it was on the market for 6 months and had the price substantially reduced every 2 months

24 hours later after viewing i put an offer in and it was accepted immediately and the solicitors went to work


i live in northern ireland and the worst weather for 125 years hit 2 weeks after my offer

the house is not occupied for 7 months now and we are about to exchange contracts

i am worried about water damage from this extreme weather when the pipes finally thaw

insurance may not cover a vacant property if its vacant more than 14 days etc or if undeclared damage was there when the policy was bought etc

its a 60 yr old house with single glazing so i doubt much was spent on adequate insulation

i understand that its not my responsibilty to ensure the vendor heats the house until completion date and im guessing he wont as his house is selling for half the price he wanted for it 7 months ago

can i ask to view it again before exchange and again before completion ?

if theres a month between first contracts exchanged and completion is it reasonable to ask them to leave heating on 24/7 etc if i pay for the oil ?

would it be best to walk away from this one and find another in march or april when everything is warmer and damage ?

i dont want to spend my life savings on a house which turns into a swimming pool when the temperature rises above 0 degrees