Building Survey Report

ISCA_3

Hello all, my first post!

I'd appreciate any of your thoughts. I am a FTB and have an offer accepted on a 1930s semi. The mortgage is approved and there is no chain as the vendors are moving to a second property they already own in Portugal.

The survey overall seems OK generally and no work has been advised before exchange of contracts. HOWEVER...

The surveyors have advised various checks are undertaken (at obvious more expense).

1. There have been in the past slipped slate tiles that have been re-fixed and the chimney stack and ridge tiles require some repointing.

2. There is evidence of old and possibly new woodworm (localised) so a timber survey is recommended.

I have asked a roofer and a woodworm extermination company to investigate further. That seems sensible. Though I have a feeling a roofer will just say "yes the roof needs replacing" simply to get a job!

I have also been advised to get the elecctric, plumbing and combiboiler checked out by engineers and the drains checked by CCTV inspection. Are these all standard surveyor recommendations, regardless of what they see at inspection, or should I actually get further inspections done? The solicitor advised the boiler and electrics were checked also...hmmmm.

Whilst I want peace of mind, I also do not wish to spend hundreds of pounds on what may be unnecessary inspections.

Any thoughts from more expeienced people are most appreciated and thank you in advance. :T

Colincbayley

Sounds to me like what you have got is a home buyers survey.
I had one of these done years ago and all it seemed to say was the same thing, get this that or the other checked.

My own view is a home buyers survey is not worth the money and a full survey or just a valuation would surfice.

ISCA_3

It's definately not a Homebuyers survey, it's a full 20+ page Buildings survey.

Colincbayley

ISCA wrote: »

It's definately not a Homebuyers survey, it's a full 20+ page Buildings survey.

Then it seems to be a complete waste of money then.

Get the items listed checked that you wish to check, or perhaps ask the vendor to share the costs of the reports with you. ( They can only say no )

G_M

Surveyers often cover their backsides in areas where they are not expert by recommending you get in other specialists....
:mad:

1. The slipped tiles are fixed. Good! Repointing? £100?
2. Old woodworm? Ask the vendors if the property has been treated for worm, and when (guarantees are usually 20 years). "possibly new" = weasel words covering his ar*e! Ring the surveyer and ask where he saw evidence of this then go and look yourself! Read up on woodworm first, but live worm leaves evidence round the holes, old (dead) worm you just see the holes.

Though I have a feeling a roofer will just say "yes the roof needs replacing" simply to get a job!

Yes - and the worm expert too!

elecctric, plumbing and combiboiler checked out by engineers and the drains checked by CCTV inspection.

Oh dear. Talk about covering his ar*e! Again, ring and ask the surveyer what evidence he saw of any faults/problems. Perhaps he DID see something. But if he just says "I was unable to check these" then don't worry too much.

Go round to the house again: ask for the boiler to be switched on, feel the radiators, turn on the hot taps!
Is there evidence of blocked drains? Flooded driveway?
Are the light switches very old fashioned? (indicating old wiring needing replacing). Is the fuse box a modern one or something out of the ark?

A combination of usinjg your own eyes/intelligence AND talking to the surveyer will answer lots of questions!

ukmaggie45

If there are a lot of trees on the site it might well be worth getting the CCTV drains test done. We just walked away from a house after we found around £1000 of work needed doing on the drains (there were a lot of trees on the site). It was the final straw for us on the place.

If there aren't any trees close to your drains you might feel more able to risk skipping that. We weren't happy to do that. And we're glad we got it done now.

There were other issues too, but the drains were the last straw for us.

Good luck with it all,

Maggie

Edit: I think it was around £100 for the drains test, we're still waiting for the bill

daveyjp

If there are similar houses nearby have their roofs been replaced? This is a good clue.

Surveyors doing house surveys are like GPs (in fact they are called GP surveyors), they give you general advice, but if they identify a problem which is outside their sphere of expertise they will advise you to see a specialist.

They should expand the reasons for asking for experts though. Gas - is the boiler old, electrics do they look old, drains - evidence of blockage or does he have local knowledge from selling houses in the area?

Pay hundreds now or don't bother and pay thousands later? The choice is yours.

ukmaggie45

daveyjp wrote: »

Pay hundreds now or don't bother and pay thousands later? The choice is yours.

I think this is excellent advice!

We are looking for the home we hope to live in for the rest of our lives (me 61, OH 64) so we know we have to get it right. We've paid out for surveys, not necessarily everything suggested - do the one that seems most important first, as if that isn't good news you won't have to do the rest.

Good luck!

Maggie

ISCA_3

Thanks for the useful replies. I guess it is a gamble really what specialist surveys you do or do not have done. I shall stick to my guns, get the roof assessed and the woodworm inspector in but I think that should be enough.

As G_M says, using some intelligence and observation is needed. The vendors like in the property currently and are quite paticular types from what I can see, so if there was an elecrics, heating or drainage problem I would not see them just "living with it".

After watching "New Homes from Hell" on TV last night I am glad i did get a building survey done though!

natman

Personally speaking the first thing I would do is to see if the Survey has linked any work to the mortgae advance.

ie If the surveyor has mentioned the roof as an area to look at , has the survey highlighted to the mortgage company that any money should be held back for this work etc etc.

Then I would get a cup of coffee, and start a priority list
A 1930's building will obviouslly have more concerns than a building that is 10 years old the surveyor will be covering their backs completley.

Speak to the sellers......... Speak to neighbours
check what you can like the boiler, taps, hot water etc etc.

I supose all i am saying is, 99% houses have issues, some that are trivial and some that are serious. Surveyors do not want someone trying to take them to court so they have a blanket policy to say check this, check that - this gets them off the hook.

We bought a house some years back and that had a few issues, from pointing in the brickwork, the garage roof was flat so it might leak, a door was a bit stiff.It also highlighted that the electric consumer unit was and could could be dangerous.

the suveyor highlighted that £1000 be held back from the mortgage offer until this elctrical consumer unit issue was rectified.

I suppose all i am saying is you are buying a 1930s house, its not going to be perfect, its not going to pass a current standard medical. See what major things need a further look at and take it from there!!!!

ISCA_3

Thanks natman.

The survey report does not recommend any money is held back or any work undertaken efore the mortgage is released, which makes me think the surveyor does not have any major concerns.

I drove up and down the road today. There are 20 houses along it, all built by the same builder at the same time (1939) and only 2 have had new slate roofs and both of these had had their loft spaces converted so I guess they took the opportunity while the work was done to replace the slates. So regardless of what the roofer says, I doubt a new roof is urgent. We will see.

I shall go round and check out the utilities closely asap. Generally feeling less worried about it now. Seeing the house again today, even from the street, helped allay some of my fears. I guess a buildings survey can make any house sound like a derelect pile!!!