Under caveat emptor, which party bears responsibility for discovering relevant issues affecting the decision to purchase?

• A. Seller
• B. Conveyancer
• C. Buyer
• D. Lender

Answer: (C)

Under caveat emptor, the buyer bears responsibility for discovering relevant issues affecting the decision to purchase. This means the purchaser must undertake due diligence and not rely on the seller or others to reveal every defect. The buyer should arrange surveys, review title and information about the property, check planning permissions and building regulations compliance, examine boundaries and rights of way, and consider any known defects the seller discloses. The conveyancer can assist by identifying and obtaining relevant information, raising reasonable enquiries, and arranging official searches, but the risk of uncovering issues lies with the buyer. If the seller has knowingly misrepresented or concealed defects, remedies may be available, but the starting position is that the buyer bears the responsibility to identify issues before completing. The lender’s role is to assess mortgage security, not to discover property defects. In practice, some disclosures and misrepresentation rules may shift liability in certain cases, but the fundamental rule remains: the buyer must verify what matters to their purchase.