Structural survey on flat

slopemaster

Thought I might be more likely to get a reply to this specific Q on a separate thread, so....
Anyone know about surveys on flats, please?
I mean, if I was buying a house I wd get a full structural survey, but how does that work on a flat? Is it necessary - and surely even if I paid for full structural survey they wd only look at the individual flat?
Hopefully no structural problems as its apurpose-built flat in a block so any problems would be common to the whole block. (It's not new though, maybe 1970s.) So I will contact the management company to ask if anything is known about re major problems with roof, foundations etc. Anyone know whether they are obliged to tell me???
And/or whether a survey would look at the common areas of the block?
Thanks in advance if anyone can shed any light....

Airwolf1

You could try ringing up a local Charted Surveyor who would probably naswer this better than anyone on here. They'd explain what they do in relation to a Full Building Survey on a flat.

matmad

Hi,
We are a block of 12 flats in a late 1960s purpose built block, and we manage ourselves.

In my experience, when a flat is in the process of being sold, the buyers solicitor usually asks the managing company (me, in this case) lots of questions relating to such issues as the roof etc. I always answer them truthfully, although if the questions are not asked I don't volunteer any additional information.

Quite often the buyers solicitor has also asked 'are there any other issues that the buyer should know about?', which is a cover all. In these cases I will put forward all info that might affect the new buyer or his flat.

If I was you I would instruct your solicitor to ask any specific questions you are particularly concerned about.

Apparently, many management companies are notoriously slow about answering questions and can charge a lot of money. Try and put all your questions to them in one letter so they don't try and charge you more than once.

Hope this helps a bit!

cattie

As matmad mentions, it's usual for a solicitor to enquire of a freeholder or their agents if there are any structural problems with the property or if any major works are expected during the foreseeable future.

When a stuctural survey is carried out on a flat in a block, the surveyor will examine as much as is reasonably possible of the exterior & common parts.

I personally would only have a structural survey on an older flat, say built in the early 1900's & generally tend to just have a homebuyer's survey on property quite relatively modern.

slopemaster

Thanks for the information.
Never ocurred to me they would charge! - but if there IS anything, I would of course prefer to find out before instructing solicitors and having to pay their fees. So perhaps I will write myself, including that nice phrase
'are there any other issues that a buyer should know about?'

matmad

slopemaster wrote: »

Thanks for the information.
Never ocurred to me they would charge! - but if there IS anything, I would of course prefer to find out before instructing solicitors and having to pay their fees. So perhaps I will write myself, including that nice phrase
'are there any other issues that a buyer should know about?'

You can certainly try! The solicitor will already have standard questions they will put to the seller, so you will get charged by the management company anyway.

I know that it may take three hours or so of my time to gather all the information usually required, so I ask a reasonable charge up front for my time and the inconvenience caused, as it's often wanted in a hurry.

I have heard that some professional management companies can charge a couple of hundred quid - and drag their heels over it!

Also, I only deal with the enquiries through the solicitor these days, as I have learned in the past that it can get messy otherwise.