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Survey advice please
Theia
Posts: 5 Forumite
Hiya,
Any advice on this situation would be really appreciated. (sorry it’s a little long!)
Am currently in the process of buying my first house and being an excited FTB took the opportunity to have another viewing of the property via the estate agents while the vendor was on holiday. To my surprise there were a number of revelations about the house, including what appeared to be a serious damp problem in part of the cellar that had previously been blocked off with their stuff.
I spoke to the estate agent about my concerns and he said that as my survey was being conducted early next week to wait until the results of that was done. I was also going to arrange for a separate independent homebuyers survey to be done but they said to wait booking it and allow them to read the mortgage survey first so they knew if they needed to be concentrated on anything.
Anyway 3 weeks later and my mortgage adviser called to say the survey had come back fine and my mortgage offer would be issued in a day or so. Then had a call from the estate agent to tell me my survey was fine and I could proceed. When I said that I would wait until I received the survey report he said that because my survey had been free with my mortgage I wouldn’t receive one and all I needed to know was that the mortgage company had agreed with the price I was paying and that everything was fine.
Again I stated that I wasn’t informed that I wouldn’t be receiving a report in writing and would not proceed without one.
Miraculously the estate agent phoned back to say he had a copy of the report and I could go in to read it but I couldn’t take it away with me and there had been some mention of the damp in the report!!
So does the estate agent have the right to have seen my survey report?
Is there any reason that I can’t have a copy of my own survey report?
I am fuming as I feel that it has been dealt with underhanded, with my “independent” mortgage adviser talking to the vendor’s estate agent.
Advice please…
Any advice on this situation would be really appreciated. (sorry it’s a little long!)
Am currently in the process of buying my first house and being an excited FTB took the opportunity to have another viewing of the property via the estate agents while the vendor was on holiday. To my surprise there were a number of revelations about the house, including what appeared to be a serious damp problem in part of the cellar that had previously been blocked off with their stuff.
I spoke to the estate agent about my concerns and he said that as my survey was being conducted early next week to wait until the results of that was done. I was also going to arrange for a separate independent homebuyers survey to be done but they said to wait booking it and allow them to read the mortgage survey first so they knew if they needed to be concentrated on anything.
Anyway 3 weeks later and my mortgage adviser called to say the survey had come back fine and my mortgage offer would be issued in a day or so. Then had a call from the estate agent to tell me my survey was fine and I could proceed. When I said that I would wait until I received the survey report he said that because my survey had been free with my mortgage I wouldn’t receive one and all I needed to know was that the mortgage company had agreed with the price I was paying and that everything was fine.
Again I stated that I wasn’t informed that I wouldn’t be receiving a report in writing and would not proceed without one.
Miraculously the estate agent phoned back to say he had a copy of the report and I could go in to read it but I couldn’t take it away with me and there had been some mention of the damp in the report!!
So does the estate agent have the right to have seen my survey report?
Is there any reason that I can’t have a copy of my own survey report?
I am fuming as I feel that it has been dealt with underhanded, with my “independent” mortgage adviser talking to the vendor’s estate agent.
Advice please…
0
Comments
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I just spent ages replynig and it disappeared.
The mortgage valuation is not, by any stretch of the imagination, 'your survey' and many lenders will not provide you with a copy. I'm starting to think that this is because peope assume that the survey is carried out on their behalf. It is not. It is purely for the lender's benefit - they simply want to know that the house affords enough security should they need to repossess and sell the house on.
If you want your own homebuyers survey then organise this yourself. Do not allow yourself to be cajoled by anyone - simply refuse to exchange unless you get what you want.
However, I would only expect very high damp readings in a cellar because they are, in their nature, built into earth, which is wet. Even a cellar that floods periodically when the water table rises, may not be considered a particular issue. What is import is that you have an adequate damp proof course above ground level to prevent the brickwork from soaking the water up like a sponge and affecting the integrity of the brickwork. Any damp readings from a mortgage valuation will come from above ground and if your property is 'period' then I would expect a significant damp reading - some houses are simply made to 'breathe' and that will involve amounts of condensation on the inside.
With the rain we've had this year, I bet my new build has a damp reading!Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
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DG is spot on.
I am a civil engineer in the O&G industry. When we design and build underground structures, we always make provision for removal of water. Considering that these structures have thick concrete walls, whereas your basement is likely made from brick, it is inevitable that there is damp in your basement.
I would guess that the property you are buying is reasonably old, since it has a basement. Therefore if rising damp was a issue, it would be very apparent by now.
Despite the above, & to put your mind at rest arrange for your own survey, and ask the surveyor about the cellar and damp.
HTH.In case you hadn't already worked it out - the entire global financial system is predicated on the assumption that you're an idiot:cool:0 -
Get your own survey. A valuation survey is simply that, to check that the lender stands a good chance of getting their money back, ie that it is not actually falling down or a mouldering old shell...and just because the survey says that the price you're paying is ok, it also doesn't mean that it's the RIGHT price, just not a really bad price. You may still be paying a bit more than it's actually worth.
As the other posters have pointed out, although you pay for it, it's NOT your survey. You are simply paying a fee that the mortgage company want to charge you for checking out that they will lend you the money.0 -
I also suggest OP you check out the differences between a homebuyers survey and a full structural survey. (Just google for the information.)
With a homebuyers survey the surveyor will not always make an effort to look behind things i.e. lift up carpets or go into the roof. With a full stuctural survey they are suppose to do this.I'm not cynical I'm realistic
(If a link I give opens pop ups I won't know I don't use windows)0
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