Surveyor recomended work estate agent said no need for work to be done.

cmason561

Hello,
I had a home buyers report done on the house I am hoping to buy two weeks ago. In the report it has recommended several bit's of work to be done. Flat roof to be recovered, new lead flashing to be put on kitchen roof, small amount of damp and wall ties and a few various other bits and pieces.

I gave two phone numbers to the estate agent for builders to go around and get a quote for the work that needs to be done. The estate agent said they could get someone to look for me. So I said ok but I also want one of the numbers I gave him to look also. The only quote I got back was from the builder that the estate agent recommended. The quote said the only work that needed doing was the damp at a cost of £550+ VAT.

I phoned the estate agent to complain that this is not what I asked for. I wanted quotes for all the work that was mentioned in the report. The estate agent then said I don't know what I am talking about as the surveyor just looks at work that might need to be done then a "specialist" goes in and checks to see if the work DOES need to be done. He also said the surveyor is not qualified to tell you the work NEEDS be done. Just to pick up on possible problems. He was basically saying the surveyor did not know what he was talking about. I spoke to the surveyor previously and he told me the flat roof covering was a shocker and should be replaced immediately.

Basically the advise I am after is do you think the estate agent has told the builder to just give a quote for some of the work not all of it? Obviously I know you can't give a total correct honest answer but I’m just after advice really. I'm trying to get someone to go and look at the work for me so i will get a second opinion eventually. Has anyone else had problems like this before? What did you do about it if you did? Also if it turns out they are basically lying to me how can I go about reporting them to the proper people.

Sorry about the huge essay.

Thanks in advance.

tootsmyboots

Get the quotes yourself, not through the EA. The EA will want the sale tied up as quick as possible. Find a few companies in the yelloe pages or ask local people for a recommendation. I would not advise getting the EA involved until you go back to them with costs if you are wanting some money off your purchase. The EA is not paid to help you, they are paid to work for the seller to sell the house. Hope that helps, good luck, it's exciting getting your first home.

poppysarah

Why go through the EA? They want a sale. Issues over repairs cause delays and non-sales, so it's not in their interest.

nollag2006

The EA is retained by the vendor to extract as much money as they can from you, and so will attempt to rubbish much of what is in the survey.

You need to approach the builders directly and ask them to quote you (not the EA) for remedial works. I don't understand why you would suppose that the EA could be trusted to do this, on your behalf.

You need to take ownership of this problem.

cmason561

I've been trying my best to take ownership of this problem but i have to go through the estate agent so the builders can organise a time to go and quote for the work. The only way i know of making this happen is to give the phone number of the builders to the estate agent. Please tell me if there is another way around this. I am a first time buyer so i'm new to the property buying game.

nollag2006

Pick the phone up to your surveyor and discuss the points raised in the survey. Much of the survey's language can be quite offputting to a FTB, as they will often highlight the worst case scenario in order to protect the surveyor from being sued later. On the phone the surveyor should be a little more forthcoming about the gravity of the problems.

Don't be shy about ringing them. You have already paid him a lot of money for a morning's work. A ten minute phone call should be fine.

He may also be able to recommend some local builders to address the issues.

Find out from your builders when they can come and assess the remedial works required.

If possible, get a couple of timeslots they could do it.

Call the EA and ask which timeslot works best. Ideally, you should be present with your builder so they can clearly identify the works required.

If the EA continues to be obstructive on this, then you should consider walking away. A flat roof can be an absolute nightmare as they are a real damp trap.

As a FTB, the only card that you really hold is the survey. You shouldn't let yourself be bullied by the EA.

There are plenty more homes out there.

Best of luck - and let us know how you get on

princessamy86

cmason561 wrote: »

I've been trying my best to take ownership of this problem but i have to go through the estate agent so the builders can organise a time to go and quote for the work. The only way i know of making this happen is to give the phone number of the builders to the estate agent. Please tell me if there is another way around this. I am a first time buyer so i'm new to the property buying game.

The normal way to do this is to get your builder to ring the agent and book a time, sometimes they will let builders borrow keys for things like this.

David_Aldred

Hi cmason561,
Your surveyor has raised concerns that in their opinion require further investigation and where applicable quotations from competant persons to resolve these matters. The Estate Agent is there to sell the house for the vendor and not to act for you. The surveyor is qualified and is acting on your behalf to protect your interests given some of these issues can be costly.

You can have a builder / contractor / roofer specialising in these matters to give you a quote or an independent specilaist surveyor in these things do the same though the latter is giving you an unbiased opinion rather than being viewed as looking for work. In either case you instruct these people to undertake their inspections upon your behalf. They should only ask the Estate Agent on your instruction for permission and the method of access be that a key from the estate agent if the property is empty or contact details for the vendor. Do not use contractors recommended by the Estate Agent since there is a conflict of interest.

Of the items you describe the cavity wall tie works have the potential to be the most costly and even relatively modern properties have been known to suffer wall tie problems. Please have a look at my other posts on this forum concerning dampness, condensation, chemical damp proof courses, cavity wall ties, damp meters, dry rot and woodworm, cavity wall insulation, etc all of which may be of assistance for background information during your purchase negotiations. Hope this helps kindest regards David Aldred Indpendent damp, cavity wall tie and timber surveyor

beccad

If the estate agent is being obstructive then threaten to walk away. They want the house sale to go through (they don't get paid for all their work if it doesn't) so it's in their interests to give your specialist surveyors access. Do not go through the agent on this one.

cmason561

Thanks for all your advice, i have someone going round tomorrow to look at the work that needs to be done. I got them to phone the estate agent and they gave them the number of the vendor. So it looks like it should be sorted soon.

Fire_Fox

At best the estate agent will be getting a kickback from the builder for getting the work from you, hardly an independent recommendation. At worst the estate agent will be giving the builder a little backhander to downplay the work needed. The estate agent does not work for you they work for themselves first and the vendor second - never use their solicitor or their mortgage broker for the same reason.