Homebuyers Survey Results - Should I be concerned?

tek-monkey

Excellent, thanks again. Luckily I know a builder who could do most work (mainly does barn conversions, so should be easy enough for him), just gotta see what actually needs doing and what is just covering the surveyors behind. As said, the chimney is a concern. Especially as the room without it is now open plan, so a whole interior wall has also been removed from that room.

tek-monkey

Well the mortgage people got back to me, they won't lend the money without a full drain inspection. That was the only condition, not fussed about the chimney. Think I am though!

beccad

The mortgage company will let you know if it's something to really worry about, mainly because they won't lend if they're not sure about something! Surveyors have to cover their backs, so they'll suggest checking all sorts of things where they think there could be an issue, even if there's none or very little evidence to suggest otherwise.

JoE

(sorry for the long reply... hopefully something useful to you in here...)

I think you should get a full survey done.

I know it costs more than a homebuyers report, but it's worth it for, especially for older properties. When we bought our house (Victorian) the building society messed up and ordered a homebuyers report even though we were getting a full survey, so we ended up with both to compare. The homebuyer's report really didn't tell us much, all the way through it said "further investigation required" or similar, whereas the surveyor is trained (and insured) to tell you which of the issues are serious, which just minor. We were advised that homebuyers reports are only designed for modern properties, so useless for anything over 20 years old.

my thoughts on the issues you mentioned (from my own experience and also working in property management)

Roof space ventilation (showing signs of condensation) - common problem, and nothing to worry about too much. If you buy the house you'll need to look at clearing the vents, or worst case installing new ones. If there is already loft insulation you might find this is blocking the vents near the bottom of the roof, or if there isn't insulation it's worth installing some as that will reduce condensation (prevents the air in the loft getting hot and then condensing on the cold roof)

Plumbing upgrade (some pipes old - not a problem if they aren't leaking!

also some lead. - fairly common, for most people they aren't a problem but not always (caused me various health problems, but fine for the rest of my family living in the same house) if you're concerned get a water filter to use for drinks and cooking (freestanding or installed as an extra tap) it's much cheaper than redoing the plumbing, and it filters out all the chlorine and other muck found in tap water.

Some old radiators - there's nothing wrong with old radiators so long as they're still working and don't leak. If you do need to replace any they aren't too expensive and it can be a DIY job.

Main walls - wall ties (due to age may be corroded - 1950s) - you should get this looked at, as the wall ties are there to prevent or correct eve-spread (where the walls spread out and the roof sags). If they did fail it could cause structural problems. However, you might find there is absolutely nothing wrong with them and the report is just covering their back as they didn't inspect them closely.

Fireplace - chimney stack repair (downstairs chimney missing, still upstairs) - we have this in our house, and it's the next project on the list! If they did it properly there will be a supporting beam or some kind of butressing under the upstairs chimney breast, which you might be able to see if you take the floorboards up upstairs. If not it needs fixing asap. However, we've been in our house 6 years now and it hasn't fallen down yet... (we thought it was done properly, but the more we find out about the bodged DIY of the last owner, the less we trust him).

Drainage - Inspection and report (appears drain runs under kitchen extension) - this could be a problem if the drains block. Worst case scenario they have to dig up the kitchen floor to fix it, but that's not necessarily going to happen, especially if it's in good condition (cctv survey will tell you)

Flat roof - need to re-cover (extension, watertight but old) - flat roofs are notorious for leaking, as soon as you spot a leak get it sorted as they can deteriorate very quickly. Sometimes they can be patched, but bear in mind it might be at the end of it's life and just keep going in different places, also walking on the good bits to repair the bad can damage it further.

Re the cavity walls - Ian W has a point, sort of. If you get them filled make sure it's done properly as bad insulation will bridge the gap and allow damp in, then it's a nightmare to fix. A reputable company will give guarantees.

JoE