homebuyer survey - risks identified, should I be worried?

m1yu

Hi,

I'm a new member and first time buyer. Need some advice, so please be kind and help if you can:).

It is an old Victorian flat. Just got the homebuyer survey report back. A few risks are identified, which is a bit scary. copied below:

Risks to the building:
Exterior Maintenance of the rear of the property will be difficult due to the lack of access.
Environment Agency Flood Risk Assessment is Significant.

Risks to people:
F2: Ceilings: Bedroom 2 Ceiling potential risk of collapse. (this is rated as 3 - should I be worried?)

A few other things are rated as 2.

When I was viewing the flat, I was told it needs a bit of "tidying up".

It also stated that "These deficiencies are common in properties of this age and type." and it worth the pursuing price. - Does that mean I won't be able to get any money off original offer?

Thanks very much

motherofstudents

Is it freehold ? If not, I would think the outside maintenance would not be your responsibility. The fact that the ceiling might fall on you would suggest some urgency, but may not be a big job - get a builder to give you a quote. The flood risk might affect your insurance. As far as getting money off, you could always try but be prepared for the vendor to refuse.

hcb42

sounds like the original offer price was sensible, given the condition

m1yu

No, it's leasehold. Haven't got the lease document yet. But by words of mouth, the roof and foundation are shared. So does that include ceiling??? Whose responsibility is it??

I found all the legal documents very confusing:(

shar46y

"These deficiencies are common in properties of this age and type."

They always say this sort of thing for old properties, and personally I wouldn't expect a 100+ year old house to not have at least some problems.

I currently live in a leasehold Victorian flat and the ceiling is definitely OUR responsibility as it is inside the flat. Whether the external stuff is your responsibility or not probably depends on what it says in the lease - in our house it is the freeholder's.

Back when we bought, the survey also warned that the ceiling in the sitting room might fall down :eek:(original lathe-and-plaster which was blown in one area). If they say it's a 3, perhaps it is a serious risk rather than simply a**e-covering.

Anyway, we lived with the supposedly dodgy ceiling for over 3 years and eventually had it fixed (the blown part cut out, new drylining, reskimmed and the whole ceiling repainted) for a few hundred quid. Looks absolutely perfect now.

Good luck with whatever you decide

m1yu

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

Called the surveyor today about the ceiling and other conditions that rated 2.

He gave an explanation about the ceiling as told by the seller. It was caused by a burst water tank in the roof a few years ago. The tank has been removed but the damage done by it wasn't repaired properly, thus the "tidy up"!! This has results in the rating 3 of the bedroom ceiling and the damage to the living room wall/ceiling, which is a rating 2. He said it's about a 2 day job and DIY will be able to solve it.

Something else mentioned to me was that the seller owns the leasehold and the freehold.... now I'm really confused... Got to ring my solicitor together with lots of other questions.

Any comments are welcomed. Thanks

Richard_Webster

If the seller jointly owns the freheol dwith othe rflat owners and the work is the freeholder's responsibility under the lease then the problem may be getting the others to contribute.

It is all very well having legal obligations in lease documents etc but if someone refuses to pay up there is no magic fairy that will strike them down if they don't pay up so you can end up with expensive court proceedings.

THEREFORE IT IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL:

1. You establish precisely whose responsibility the work is; and if it is that of the freeholder then
2. You talk to the other flat owners and try to make some assessment of their attitude towards these things.

If the other flat owners seem difficult then you may have trouble further down the track and you will be posting some nightmare scenario asking "Where do I stand legally...?" Very often the answer is "In the...." because all you can do is instigate costly time consuming and stressful court proceedings.

When buying a flat therefore always check the neighbours and if the flats are let on short term tenancies - then the actual flat owners as they will be the ones who will pay or not pay for any repairs.

m1yu

Hello,

It's me again. Just thought I'll let u know what's going on.

Called in 2 builders today and had a look at the ceiling and all the other problems pointed out by my surveyor. All problems are more or less linked... to a possibly leaky roof...

With suspicious insurance document and no clear answers on who is responsible for what.... I'm quitting... hack! This is going to be VERY expensive if I carry on buying!!