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Building Surveyor missed many important defects

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We bought property last month and moved this month and realised Building surveyor has many defect in property and given in report as good conditions (RICS -Green-1) rating. Below are some of things he has missed in property and not sure how can we approach it.

1) Downstairs, upstairs: Cracks on wall are not reported

2) Downstairs: Cracks on ceiling are not reported

3) Downstairs, upstairs: Cracks on joints of loft stairs, loft not reported

4) Downstairs: Drawing room ceiling past leak not reported

5) Downstairs: drawing room floor cracks and broken wooden floor not reported

6) Downstairs: Kitchen missing & damaged tile and bad plaster not reported

7) Kitchen: top rotten under sink not reported

8) Downstairs WC: broken tile and missing tile in storage area, poor condition floor not reported

9) Stairs storage: hole in roof not reported

10) Upstairs: Bathroom wall & tile cracks, bad grout not reported

11) Woodworm and very poor condition of floor in small bedroom.
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Comments

  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    Most of those sound like things that you really could have noticed on your own pre-purchase inspections, unless they were hidden by carpets or furniture - which the surveyor wouldn't have moved.

    What level of survey did you get?
    What are you looking to achieve?
    How bad are these myriad of "cracks"?
  • cloo
    cloo Posts: 1,291 Forumite
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    Hi - firstly, was this a full valuation that you paid for or taken from a valuation survey done for the mortgage?

    Cracks are not necessarily important defects, but I would expect a full survey to comment on them none the less, ones I have had have usually mentioned them, if only to say they're there but not an issue.
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
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    These sound generally like minor decorative/maintenance points rather than "important defects".
  • need_an_answer
    need_an_answer Posts: 2,812 Forumite
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    Presumably you would have noticed cracking to the ceilings and tiling/grout issues in the bathroom when you viewed the property.

    Did you mention these for further investigation to the surveyor before they visited.
    If the issues were that important to you I guess you must have.

    Much of what you mention would probably be cosmetic rather than an important defect.
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  • kp039
    kp039 Posts: 16 Forumite
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    We did building survey and we did not notice and we are not experienced in this matter and that is reason we hired surveyor.

    We want to know reasoning for not mentioning and also he listed all point I mentioned as Good condition but would floor with heavy wood worm or ceiling with water leak and shady patch work would consider as good conditions?

    If all where mentioned in report than we could have argued with seller to repair or get price reduced for repair cost.
  • m0bov
    m0bov Posts: 2,524 Forumite
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    I would have thought it would have been noted, I had a full buildings survey and I had these things noted.

    Why don't you get a "friend" to call up the company and ask about the survey and whether the above items would be noted?
  • need_an_answer
    need_an_answer Posts: 2,812 Forumite
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    What amount did the surveyor value the property at?
    Was that significantly different to the amount you paid?

    If not then really you have no justification to go back either then or now to request that the seller compensate you with a lower price or get the work carried out.

    Quite frankly you are now facing home ownership whereby you are responsible for the property up keep now and going forward.

    What is it with people who seem to think that someone else is always to blame.
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  • kp039
    kp039 Posts: 16 Forumite
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    davidmcn wrote: »
    These sound generally like minor decorative/maintenance points rather than "important defects".
    Presumably you would have noticed cracking to the ceilings and tiling/grout issues in the bathroom when you viewed the property.

    Did you mention these for further investigation to the surveyor before they visited.
    If the issues were that important to you I guess you must have.

    Much of what you mention would probably be cosmetic rather than an important defect.
    m0bov wrote: »
    I would have thought it would have been noted, I had a full buildings survey and I had these things noted.

    Why don't you get a "friend" to call up the company and ask about the survey and whether the above items would be noted?

    We did building survey and we did not notice and we are not experienced in this matter and that is reason we hired surveyor.

    We want to know reasoning for not mentioning and also he listed all point I mentioned as Good condition but would floor with heavy wood worm or ceiling with water leak and shady patch work would consider as good conditions?

    If all where mentioned in report than we could have argued with seller to repair or get price reduced for repair cost.

    I am new to country and talked to couple of colleague in office and all mentioned it should have part of report irrespective of if it is cosmetic or structure.
  • kp039
    kp039 Posts: 16 Forumite
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    edited 9 March 2018 at 1:05PM
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    What amount did the surveyor value the property at?
    Was that significantly different to the amount you paid?

    If not then really you have no justification to go back either then or now to request that the seller compensate you with a lower price or get the work carried out.

    Quite frankly you are now facing home ownership whereby you are responsible for the property up keep now and going forward.

    What is it with people who seem to think that someone else is always to blame.

    What amount did the surveyor value the property at? : We did not include valuation in report as valuation was done by bank
    Was that significantly different to the amount you paid? : Not sure and I am not asking above question for property valuation

    thanks for reply I am not after getting monies back, first I want to know would thoese defects generally be part of report or not? If they should be part of report than can I go back to surveyor and ask reasoning behind it and would I able to get repair cost of items I mentioned from surveyor ?

    Not sure if you understand my question but if you employee someone to do job and I just want to find out if he did his job correctly or not and if not than how can we remedy it?
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596 Forumite
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    kp039 wrote: »
    If they should be part of report than can I go back to surveyor and ask reasoning behind it and would I able to get repair cost of items I mentioned from surveyor ?
    There's nothing stopping you from speaking to the surveyor about it. But it sounds like the "repair cost" for much of this would comprise a tub of polyfilla and a tin of paint.
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