serious problem found with new house days after purchse - what do do?

spiderkin

thank you for your replies.... i took advice from the legal cover i had on my home insurance and wrote to the surveyor outlining what i had found and saying that i thought he should have picked up on it. he came out and reinspected the property and then wrote offering me compensation worth about 20% of the cost of the repairs. i then took more advice on that and had it pointed out to me that actually there were other points where i could argue he was liable for more than what he was admitting.... so i've written back again outlining my argument as to why i think he's responsible for more of the costs and am waiting for a reply....

so writing to the surveyor very nicely and politely has had a positive outcome thus far! thanks to everyone who gave advice - my family have stepped in and got the money together for me to have the job done (bless them - pensioners taking out loans for me!) so at least i can move in in the new year when the work's finished, but knowing that i'll at least have some money to give back to them straight away is making me feel better about the situation.....