Valuation report recieved-concerns

mrdee0

Well on initial reading of the report I was a bit unnerved when reading the bit about structural movement –‘evidence the property has suffered minor structural movement. However this movement appeared to be of some age and is not considered to be serious or progressive’.
The house was built in 1935 so im assuming this is probably the house settling in? ive read posts here and it suggested that most of the reports mention some structural movement.

What concerned me was the reference to damp and timber decay- ‘appears damp proofing work has been carried out, but indications of dampness and timber decay persist’. It goes on to recommend I obtain estimate for remedial work and associated repairs as necessary.

Also it says the roof is nearing the end of their useful life and will need re-roofing during the mortgage term.

Does it appear like I will be spending a lot of money in the next year or so to remedy the mentioned problems or am I making it appear more serious than it is?

Im thinking of paying for a homebuyers report-would it be money well spent or am I better saving my £400 towards repairwork? By the way any recommended homebuyer surveyors that could do a property in the B69 area?

huglebear

Get a homebuyer's. My valuation turned up very little of use and a few problems re. structure that the homebuyer's surveyor said were not even worth mentioning. Don't forget that your mortgage co is basically interested in whether the house will fall down and you'll run off, so their valuation is a bit skewed. Your homebuyer's would give more detail and highlight where action could be taken, and where it really should be taken. If you are really concerned you could go for a full structural survey, but homebuyer's probably a good start - with the 400 quid you'll save from not having a structural, you could then pay any experts you needed to come out. Make sure you get an RICS surveyor. I used Habitus.co.uk who use surveyors round the country and all are RICS and familiar to your area. Their rate was reasonable and I was very happy with the result and with the surveyor's follow-up call. If poss go round the house with her/him for peace of mind. Re the roof, the house I'm buying needs a reroof; this was flagged by the homebuyer's so I got three free quotes done by reputable roofers (sometimes they don't even need access if they can see roof from the street), discovered it would cost about £3300 which TBH is not much given that the rest of the house is in good nick, negotiated 1k off the house price and now feel I have peace of mind and a roofer lined up to start in 2 weeks - assuming I then own the house...

courtjester

Structural movement is only a problem if it is current and progressive (i.e moving now). Many older properties have moved at some point in their lives.

Properties in and around metropolitan areas built in the 1930's may well have suffered wartime bomb damage and cracking or evidence of now stagnant 'movement' is common. Providing there is no evidence that the foundations are moving or cracks are recent, the older damage can be ignored, but you need an expert survey to establish this - the 'valuation' report for the lender does not seek to review this, but it is positive in the sense that their surveyor did not consider it would affect their mortgage valuation.

Similarly, many such properties will have solid brick footings /no cavity wall with no damp-proof course, or a damp proof course which has failed - more recent damp-proofing work undertaken, would generally use the process of injecting the brickwork with a water-impermeable chemical, hence there would be evidence of holes at regular spacing possibly internally or externally. This work has often been done in the past as a DIY job and repairing or replacing the damp-affected finishes like plasterwork may not be comprehensive.

Nevertheless, damp and timber decay are what you would expect in a house of this age and presumably the price reflects the current condition.

Jorgan_2

mrdee0 wrote:

What concerned me was the reference to damp and timber decay- ‘appears damp proofing work has been carried out, but indications of dampness and timber decay persist’. It goes on to recommend I obtain estimate for remedial work and associated repairs as necessary.

Have you enquired if there is any warranty's in place for work that has been carried out? A homebuyers would certainly give you more info on the overall state of the property.

Johnhowell

Mrdee0,

If you are really concerned but still want the property then get a full structural survey done rather than the intermediate Homebuyers survey.

Regards,
John

mrdee0

Thanks-it hadnt occured to me the issue of wartime bombs. I shall get myself a homebuyers survery-and followup if needed. Thanks for the link to habitus!