Halifax mortgage advisor disgusting behaviour

AliceBanned

Thanks everyone. To be honest I have not been able to face coming back to this thread before now. I was very distressed.

I have spoken to the Housing Assoc who say it is not PRC. It has a certificate from Adams Engineering and it is WAtes Reinstated. They say similar properties and ones on the same street have been mortgaged before by Halifax and a few others. I have looked up "Wates" on the internet and apparently this is a guaranteed structure. I have seen a copy of the engineers' certificate.

Does this change things?

Still can't get a mortgage at present anyway. Broker still trying and I will know today whether I can go ahead or not at the moment.

No I don't have kids to leave it to. I need a home for myself though, plus in retirement.

Many thanks for your help.

Jonbvn

AliceBanned wrote: »

I have spoken to the Housing Assoc who say it is not PRC. It has a certificate from Adams Engineering and it is WAtes Reinstated. They say similar properties and ones on the same street have been mortgaged before by Halifax and a few others. I have looked up "Wates" on the internet and apparently this is a guaranteed structure. I have seen a copy of the engineers' certificate.

Does this change things?

What concerns me is the fact that the surveyor was able to determine the house was PRC by a "drive-by". The normal method of reinstating PRC houses, it to provide new external masonry walls, which means it should not be evident that it is PRC construction.

Are you sure it has been reinstated? If not, please do not waste your money buying this house.

AliceBanned

Jonbvn wrote: »

What concerns me is the fact that the surveyor was able to determine the house was PRC by a "drive-by". The normal method of reinstating PRC houses, it to provide new external masonry walls, which means it should not be evident that it is PRC construction.

Are you sure it has been reinstated? If not, please do not waste your money buying this house.

Hi

Thanks - unless there is some small print or catch that I have missed, I would think that it is. The appearance is brick, the window sills are deep because the extra layer of brick cladding was added to all outside walls so the windows had to be moved further out, if this makes sense. I have a certificate from Adam's Structural Engineering stating that it is Wates reinstated. The whole street was done at the same time by the Housing Assoc. Would they waste all that money rather than pull them dow?! It is not obvious from the outside that it is concrete; to be honest I don't think he even drove by - I think Halifax failed to notify him that it was concrete and once the surveyor realised which type of property it was (they are local, remember so they will already be aware of many of the properties like this) he tried to pull a fast one so that he could get the fee. As I put my foot down they refunded me the fee as he only turned it down based on info I had given to Halifax in the first place (Halifax denied that I told them, but I emphasised the point and always do).

muskoka

This is an intersesting thread. Halifax certainly did used to lend on PRC RTB properties (if you repaired them under the correct license). And you say you have seen the engineering cert to say the flat has been repaired......Find out what Company did the repair, ask them if it was a fully approved repair (sounds like maybe) , then argue this with the surveyors. Speak to the Engineering Company who issued the license. An awful lot of people, including surveyors in my opinion havent got too much of a clue when it comes to PRC & approved repairs. Good luck, but be warned. You will always have difficulty selling this on - even if it is an approved repair & they dont gain in value as would an original standard build property.

AliceBanned

muskoka wrote: »

This is an intersesting thread. Halifax certainly did used to lend on PRC RTB properties (if you repaired them under the correct license). And you say you have seen the engineering cert to say the flat has been repaired......Find out what Company did the repair, ask them if it was a fully approved repair (sounds like maybe) , then argue this with the surveyors. Speak to the Engineering Company who issued the license. An awful lot of people, including surveyors in my opinion havent got too much of a clue when it comes to PRC & approved repairs. Good luck, but be warned. You will always have difficulty selling this on - even if it is an approved repair & they dont gain in value as would an original standard build property.

OK thanks. Your response and other warnings have made me think twice, having had time to mull it over since my first post. I will try speaking to the engineers, and a broker is approaching the Halifax for me today; it might be easier than me going direct as he has lots of experience and contacts.

Really my only reason for buying this property is that it will take me many years to save up for a deposit, although I'm applying for better paid jobs at the moment so things could change. I've also done the place up and spent a couple of thousand so far as I had a view to buy it, but that isn't really much money considering buying a place; I would rather lose that than buy somewhere unsellable. Problem is I am getting mixed messages about the value/quality of the property. I suppose if it won't rise in value and won't be easy to sell I'd be better off buying elsewhere, rather than buying this because it is cheap (wouldn't cost me more in mortgage payments than renting, but even so would that make it worthwhile?! The big rhetorical question for me.)

Thanks again.