Strutural Survey (per mortgage request)

smcqis

On the detached garage alone. Would you be happy enough if the vendors were to fit the bill and use their own structural engineer who is a member of the RICS?

G_M

Always instruct your own surveyor. Their duty of care is then to you and you alone. Also any future issue, you have come-back as the contract is between them and you.

I'd also be surprised if the mortgage lender agreed to the seller getting the survey done.

If cost is an issue, ask for the purchase price to be reduced, though that really only applies if the survey throws up problems.

ruggedtoast

If you have anything you want queried you cant go the surveyor as you arent their client.

I would want to know the report I was seeing hadnt been interfered with in any way as well.

No reason you cant instruct your own surveyor and ask the vendors to pay him themselves though. They probably would be more likely to do this if their payment is conditional on your eventually buying the property.

GuidoT

Structural engineers are generally not members of the RICS, SE's have their own institution.

Is there a house associated with this purchase? If yes why is the garage treated separately?

kingstreet

GuidoT wrote: »

Structural engineers are generally not members of the RICS, SE's have their own institution.

Is there a house associated with this purchase? If yes why is the garage treated separately?

There's a separate thread on this. The surveyor spotted possible movement in the detached garage and wanted a separate opinion on it. The main house was fine.

smcqis - chances are this will be okay with the surveyor who carried out the initial inspection. The only problem is the extent. I'm not sure a RICS surveyor will be in a position to dig trial holes if they are found necessary, where if you commission a structural engineer and they have to be done, the engineer can arrange these with the vendor immediately.

You might find you end up with two surveyors reporting, then having to find a structural engineer as well as...

If there are any surveyors on here, hopefully they might be able to advise.

GuidoT

I presume this thread.

I will have a look at that thread.

A chartered surveyor (like me, although I do not undertake domestic valuations) undertaking a survey will not get involved with trial pits.

kingstreet

GuidoT wrote: »

I presume this thread.

I will have a look at that thread.

A chartered surveyor (like me, although I do not undertake domestic valuations) undertaking a survey will not get involved with trial pits.

Yep. Cheers, Guido.

A little off-topic;-

If I get a structural issue on a valuation I've normally headed straight for a structural engineer's report. Is that the right approach from a Surveyor's perspective?

It goes back to the time I had a client have a full structural carried out for the surveyor to come back and ask for a structural engineer's report

Thanks.

smcqis

I have been informed he is a chartered structural engineer and will be looking at the garage this week and doing a report on what he finds, if movement is continuing and possible recommendations if any etc

kingstreet

smcqis wrote: »

I have been informed he is a chartered structural engineer and will be looking at the garage this week and doing a report on what he finds, if movement is continuing and possible recommendations if any etc

Should be fine.

GuidoT

kingstreet wrote: »

Yep. Cheers, Guido.

A little off-topic;-

If I get a structural issue on a valuation I've normally headed straight for a structural engineer's report. Is that the right approach from a Surveyor's perspective?

It goes back to the time I had a client have a full structural carried out for the surveyor to come back and ask for a structural engineer's report

Thanks.

Ignoring the valuation report, two main types of Survey. I am sure you know this, but people get confused about it.

1. Homebuyer
2. Building Survey (used to be called the Structural Survey)

The surveyor that does the Building Survey has a good handle on many aspects of construction, but he does not usually have detailed knowledge regarding structural matters. A surveyor would normally be able to spot a structural defect but may not know about how to resolve it or its wider impact.

In answer to your question there is no one right approach, if depends on the extent of the problem, the lenders request and which initially survey you have requested. If you have purchased a Homebuyer's reports and it highlight a structural problem, then you could go direct to a structural engineers report. In this case I would not then get a Building Survey undertaken as it is likely that that will request a structural engineers report too.

If you have a Building Survey undertaken and that says you need a structural engineers then nothing wrong with obtaining one, although it is starting to get expensive for a prospective purchaser if the purchase does not complete.

I hope that answers your question kingstreet.

GuidoT

Having looked at your other thread, if he is a chartered engineer, then the Nationwide should be okay with a report from him.

I do not think I need to say anything else more, kingstreet has covered it sufficiently on the other thread.