Homebuyer survey errors/omissions

Christyt

Hi all,

Had a Homebuyer survey sent back and despite the fact that I was in the house while he did the survey, there are several omissions:

1 - downstairs bathroom extension taking in water indicating flat roof is failing (not even mentioned existence of downstairs bathroom)

2 - We tried central heating but did not work - not mentioned

3 - Says no sign of asbestos but there is artex in the downstairs bathroom which could have asbestos. Again - no mention.


Can/should I get him to correct the survey?
I'm particularly peeved about the flat roof issue as it will cost money and needs doing.

ALSO
He hasn't identified anything as URGENT priority 1 but mentions several things as priority level 2.

They are basically rotting woodwork to window frames and cracking indicating possible wall tie failure.

Can I use those things to bring price down or is it just priority one stuff that is taken into account?

He also mentioned in the general 'risks to building' section that there is a bit of damp to front bay because the driveway is built too high and is bridging DPC. But is not assigned any priority.

Can anyone offer advice on any of this please?!!!

poppysarah

Sounds like he was a waste of time... Ask him why he hasn't mentioned them.

You could get a second opinion addressing the particular issues you want to reduce your offer for.

Christyt

I find it odd - I thought surveyors tended to over-mention things to cover their backs. I've left a message for him to call me back. See what he says.

But does anyone know whether Grade 2 priority defects are regarded as grounds for negotiating down the house price?

poppysarah

All defects can be used to negotiate the price down imo.

BitterAndTwisted

You can use any grounds you like and you don't have to justify them to your seller. They might disagree with you and not accept your offer, however. You could be in a stronger position to negotiate them down once you have a definitive answer to the likely repair costs involved.

tbs624

OP - if you are unhappy with your survey, talk to the surveyor himself and/or the practice's managing partner. If s/he is a member if RICS they have a formal complaints procedure.

On the subject of Artex, you don't say what age this property is but Artex applied after the mid/late eighties will not have asbestos within it.

It is though, as you said, usual for a surveyor to cover his own behind by saying that there *may* be asbestos present at points x, y and z and that if the buyer has concerns to get those areas tested.

If the driveway has been set too high against the building then a channel needs to be cut into it to lower the ground immediately adjacent to the property walls: if the driveway slopes towards the property you'd need to combine this with some form of soakaway/drainage

You can try to renegotiate the price but obviously the vendor does not have to agree. Did the property value up at the price you originall agreed to pay? Are there other properties of this type available for a similar or lower price? Is the vendor in a chain & desperate to get sold?

Christyt

Thanks so much for the responses.

To answer - property is 1930s - the artex room looks to be older than 80s to me. My issue with that is he failed to mention that room at all - it's theone which has a leaking roof. Just seem to be completely ignored in survey.

Thanks for the advice on rectifying the level of the driveway. I'll try and get a quote on that.

The house was valued at price we're offering so i'm not expecting a massive reduction, if any.

It is also a probate sale so we're dealing with sellers via a bank. People seem to think it's a reasonable price. They apparently had another similar second offer on it at asking price but we won because I already had a mortgage in place. I just haven't got a huge budget for making lots of unforseen repairs so anything off the price would be helpful.

Christyt

Just to follow up - I'm thinking it's not a complete survey if he's neglected to mention a whole section of the house - ie a small bathroom extension? There was no problem with access!

bris

What type of survey did you pay for, a valuation survey is not as detailed as a structural one so even although the surveyor will point out certain things that are obvious to him he is not going to start pulling artexing apart to check for asbestos. If you paid for a structural survey then he hasn't done a very good job and you are right to complain.

poppysarah

Christyt wrote: »

It is also a probate sale so we're dealing with sellers via a bank. People seem to think it's a reasonable price. They apparently had another similar second offer on it at asking price but we won because I already had a mortgage in place. I just haven't got a huge budget for making lots of unforseen repairs so anything off the price would be helpful.

Win is the wrong word to describe what you've been told. Unless you see the other buyer assume they don't exist. It's a useful thing to invent when you need to ensure a price for something... (I know in some cases not everyone makes up stuff but it happens)

If it's not going to be a bargain then don't bother with it ... There will be plenty more properties on the market that will be cheaper and better.


Probate obtained? Or will you have to wait a long time for it? (It's always slow even when it's simple)

wessexw

I've had HB reports done on two different properties, both of which had rotting woodwork on the windows, and both one which were classified as category 1 - not 2. One of the properties wasn't rotting all that badly - only slight signs. So maybe this should have been a category 1 on yours too?