Charles wants to buy a house and has spent several weeks inspecting properties. One day, he inspects a house in Lewisham which is owned by Rachael.

The property is large enough for Charles' needs but is not in good repair andCharles thinks that he has seen several better. At this point, Rachael mentions that the house had previously been owned by the novelist Patrick White, who had done much of his writing while living there. As Charles wants to be a writer, he is very interested in this news. Charles is so excited by this that he tells her that he will sign a contract to purchase the house from her.

Before he does so however, he asks Rachael: "Are there any termites in the walls of the house?"

Rachael says: "I've never seen any evidence of termites so I would say there are none."

Charles signs the contract for sale.

Charles looks on the internet and discovers that Patrick White had in fact rarely stayed in the house that Rachael is selling, that he never wrote there and in fact mainly used the house to store old furniture. Additionally, during his inspection of the house, he sees a section of the side wall which looks to have termites living in the wood.

Charles is furious and refuses to complete the sale but Rachael tells him that he is bound by the contract. In view of his discovery about Patrick White and the presence of termites in the shed, Charles seeks your advice as to whether he is bound by the contract.

Advise Charles