Has anyone bought a non-standard construction Trusteel house with structural probs?

fairylight_2

thanks for the reply. Where have you heard of that being done. We need to build a case of where this has been done before.

fairylight_2

No we told the insurers it was non-standard construction, thats not the issue, but looking at their terms in their 'big book' it then states that if the materials used were faulty it wouldn't be covered. We still have yet to check on Tuesday but are obviously worried.

bunceybuncey

The 1st house we brought was a steel construction property (brought as a tenant from the council) it was a condition of our mortgage that a full structural survey was carried out on the property before the mortgage was offered. The surveyor went into the roof and scrapped a sample from the steel up there and even sent it for testing to satisfy the bank.

fairylight_2

Yes, we have found out that that is what is supposed to have been asked for, by Northern Rock, but wasn't, they just wanted out money as quick as possible we reckon. Some people across the road in the same boat, Northern Rock not asked for a structural survey.

ILW

fairylight wrote: »

Yes, we have found out that that is what is supposed to have been asked for, by Northern Rock, but wasn't, they just wanted out money as quick as possible we reckon. Some people across the road in the same boat, Northern Rock not asked for a structural survey.

Why do you think it is others fault that you did not get a survey done?
You were the buyer.

silvercar

fairylight wrote: »

Yes, we have found out that that is what is supposed to have been asked for, by Northern Rock, but wasn't, they just wanted out money as quick as possible we reckon. Some people across the road in the same boat, Northern Rock not asked for a structural survey.

Lenders ask for valuation to prove that the property is good security for the money they are letting you borrow. Its up to you to make sure you are happy with the property. Only if the valuation suggested that the building should be investigated further would you be required by the lender to get a structural survey.

Although the valuation is for the lender's benefit, if this is something that should have been spotted by the valuer you may have a claim against him. If it isn't something that he would have been expected to identify then there is no liability.

I would get onto your council and see what they say. It may be that they have a scheme to help you. In my area some houses were found to be faulty construction and they were offered some deal. I can't remember the detail and can't find it online, but it was something like the owners had to pay a proportion of the cost and the council arranged the work at the same time as they were doing the still council owned houses. I guess a few home owners refused with because they couldn't afford their contribution or they never intended to sell and couldn't be bothered.

Steve_Andrea

Hi,

We bought our BISF house in 2010....

We had a standard survey done on it and Santander where happy to lend us the money on it.

We took out buildings insurance with Directline and thought everything would work our in our new home....

How wrong we both was.....

Not only have we had to spend alot of time and money on the actual property (over-boarding walls and ceiling, re-wiring, new kitchen, new bathroom... the list goes on)

We've just found out that even though we told Directline our property was of a NON-STANDARD construction when we first took out the policy, they do not cover these properties....

They have told us that in the event of a claim they would have to listen to the original phone call to see if we disclosed this and if its not in the call we will not be covered.

They have also revoked there renewal offer and told us that we will need to insure else where.

I have called the following compaines and found out that NONE of them cover BISF:

• Morethan
• Directline
• Halifax
• Norther Rock (although they did say they use to)

Santander will cover us but it will cost 3 times what we are currently paying.

Ive spoken to a few brokers and they have come back with quotes which are still quiet expensive.

We are starting to regret ever buying a BISF....

Any suggestions?

moneypuddle

* oops sorry posted in wrong place *

Richard_Webster

Here is an extract from a note that I send to anyone requesting a conveyancing "quote" for a purchase from me:

"It is important for you to understand that the property that you are buying is sold in its present state and condition with any defects that you may not know about. Unless the seller deliberately deceives you, and you can prove this, you will have little or no comeback against him.

It is therefore up to you to satisfy yourself about the structure and condition of the property.

If you are getting a mortgage you will pay the lender for a survey. This is carried out only for the lender's benefit and because it is relatively cheap does not go into very much detail. Except in rare cases you will not have any rights against the lender's surveyor.

There is always a risk in buying property that there will be a defect of some kind or the other. In general terms, the older the property the greater the risk. Properties built in the last ten years will usually have the benefit of NHBC protection, which whilst it does not give total cover, is still worth having.

You can minimise the risks by instructing a surveyor to carry out a structural survey of the property. This typically costs from £400 upward. Slightly cheaper is a Homebuyer's Report that gives quite a lot of detail but does not involve the surveyor in such a wide responsibility.

If you are getting a mortgage your lender will often be able to arrange for the surveyor who does the survey for them also to do a structural survey or Homebuyer's Report for you.

The important thing is that you understand that you always take a calculated risk as to the state and condition of the property. This principle also holds true with regard to such matters as the electric wiring and any central heating system. The degree of these risks will vary with circumstances and can be reduced by investigations of various kinds."

I would imagine most solicitors issue warnings of that nature. So I do think OP should see it was up to him/her to be satisfied as to the condition of the property. If Northern Rock were happy with it that's a matter for them.

fairylight_2

Hi there,

Don't you think its about time that some massive comeback on these councils should be brought - it is not our fault that all these problems are now occurring - yes, you may to a certain extent take responsibility for not knowing about the potential problems with these houses, but in no way should we be taking the flack and responsibility for the councils irresponsibility in selling these houses in the first place and certainly not for the fact that they are now uninsurable virtually, there needs to be a massive public outcry on this I feel. Most of these people buying these houses are working class people, who are trying to provide for their families, we would all like to live in lovely houses in nice places, but we don't all have the chance or means to do so. Why should we have all our money taken by councils who have sold these houses on at the same price as other properties, when they are faulty in construction, if we all go bankrupt its going to be their fault!