Re-negotiating price after surveyors report

stanleyunwin

To be fair to the OP......his survey has highlighted issues that he didn't account for and he wants to look to renegotiate but the Estate Agent is blocking him.

Whether or not the vender is happy to reduce the price is a different issue.

tizhimi

Tell the agent to tell their client. They have no right to not pass on details.

ess0two

stanleyunwin wrote: »

To be fair to the OP......his survey has highlighted issues that he didn't account for and he wants to look to renegotiate but the Estate Agent is blocking him.

Whether or not the vender is happy to reduce the price is a different issue.

Seems the roof is at issue here,either a repair or new.

gcthompson

ess0two wrote: »

Did your offer of 9k less taken into account kitchen/bathroom issues?

Yeps, as well as the obvious issues with the lack of general maintenance. The current owner has not made any effort to maintain the house and it sorely needs some loving care.

tek-monkey

So what is actually extra, other than the roof?

gcthompson

tek-monkey wrote: »

So what is actually extra, other than the roof?

besides the redecoration, the new kitchen + new bathroom:

the building needs repointing
needs damp-coursing installed
need to replace the consumer unit for the electricity
(with a possible re-wire)
drive way needs repaving
the windows need double-glazing
the building needs some insulation installing (there is none presently)
the drains need inspecting and cleaning
a gas safety test needs to be carried out

tek-monkey

You knew the house was in bad repair already, you stated so yourself. Of your issues I'd say those in red you can forget about, those in amber you should have really expected and only the green one is something you can't be expected to know (although if its REALLY old you should have already been suspicious).

If the roof has structural problems fine, but you said you already went 9k lower because of the state of the place. That should cover these problems IMHO.

gcthompson wrote: »

besides the redecoration, the new kitchen + new bathroom:

the building needs repointing
needs damp-coursing installed
need to replace the consumer unit for the electricity
(with a possible re-wire)
drive way needs repaving
the windows need double-glazing
the building needs some insulation installing (there is none presently)
the drains need inspecting and cleaning
a gas safety test needs to be carried out

Hailstorm

There is no reason why you cannot or shouldn't lower your offer but take into account that your survey says it is worth the price you have agreed with the work needed to be done. That means it is likely that someone else would pay that price. The seller would have to weight that up against the extra time it would take to find another buyer, find another place they like (assuming they are not end of chain), etc.

You need to think about your seller's situation and your own. Does your seller need/want to move quickly or are they in a position to sit tight until they get the price they want? Again assuming they are not end of chain, do you know anything about why they are moving or the place they are moving to? Is it the type of place that doesn't come up for sale very often and gets snapped up quickly or should it be easy for them to find something comparable? Do you know what the implications would be for your seller's if the deal were to fall through? Do you have a reason to move quickly? If the property you are buying were to go back on the market is it likely to find another buyer quickly or would it just sit on the market? How is easy would it be for you to find something else that meets your needs should it fall through? What are the implications for you if they deal were to fall through?

keith969

gcthompson wrote: »

besides the redecoration, the new kitchen + new bathroom:

the building needs repointing
needs damp-coursing installed
need to replace the consumer unit for the electricity
(with a possible re-wire)
drive way needs repaving
the windows need double-glazing
the building needs some insulation installing (there is none presently)
the drains need inspecting and cleaning
a gas safety test needs to be carried out

So the above is supposed to cost £11K? Seems a lot to me, although I guess fancy new windows might cost a bit.In reality what did you expect? The surveyor will paint a worst case scenario as justification for the work he's doing. That's one of the reasons I have never had anything other than a valuation survey done - and even those can come up with some very pessimistic reports!

- Repointing should be a few hundred quid. Its probably not urgent though.
- Damp proofing - you might want to read Jeff Howell's excellent book as to why damp proofing is rarely actually needed but seems to be a favourite thing surveyors latch onto.
- New consumer unit - mine was about £300. You might want to get the need for a rewire carefully assessed though as this is expensive and disruptive (floorboards lifted, cable runs in walls need redoing hence replastering etc.)
- Repaving driveway - you can't really expect the vendor to contribute to this.
- Double glazing - same, you saw the windows when you viewed it.
- Insulation - again, its your choice and will save you money.
- Drains - should be inexpensive to have them cleaned if they need it.
- Gas safety test - is this not for your benefit, as presumably the vendor is still using the gas?

The leaky roof seems the main point you should have leverage with the vendor for. Get some quotes in from roofers as to what needs doing / how much and go armed with them to renegotiate.

not_loaded

I think that as the buyer you’re wrong for expecting the owner to contribute to (or to rectify) putting all of the problems right. Quite a lot on your list is absolutely without doubt visible to any viewer, skilled or otherwise.

In all the circumstances of a normal property sale, the seller is not really expected to be selling a 100% perfect house.

Did they say they were selling you an A1 perfect house with no faults?