Help with Output from Homebuyers Survey

wazza69

Hi,

We are in the middle of a house purchase and have just received the homebuyers report which identified some issues with the services. I am pretty ignorant regarding the trades and was wondering if anyone could advise on what I should ask for from the trades? I think basically the surveyor is saying that all of the services need modernising but not really sure how that translates into a request for the various quotes?

It is our first house purchase and my ignorance of such things makes me nervous as money is reasonable tight (as it is for all of us at the moment!). Any general comments on how to proceed would be appreciated.

All of the following were identified as a 3 - Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.

Electricity

A ring main is installed within the building. The two small consumer units are positioned in the understairs cupboard and are quite accessible. They have push button and trips provided, but the system does not seem to have been substantially upgraded other than during modernisation of the kitchen or sanitary fittings in the recent past. A Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) is now advised either at change of ownership or on a ten year cycle. Following this works may involve the upgrading the consumer units to a single fitment, the provision of a residual circuit device and other earthing and safety requirements throughout the system to comply with current IEE/BS7671 regulations. It should be duly certificated thereafter.

Water

There is a mains fed system of water supplied to the building. I suspect that the rising main is still run in lead externally underground and this is perhaps the reason for the very slow pressure throughout the system. Ideally one should consider its upgrading with polythene, particularly prior to the relaying of the concrete paths and driveways required in due time.

I would suggest you obtain a plumber's opinion on the overall workings of the system due in part to the slow pressure, but also the rather small size of the copper hot water cylinder and the cold water storage tank in the loft space. I believe these should both be upgraded and perhaps consideration given to replacing the boiler at that time with a more efficient system overall.

Heating

There is a gas fired system of central heating within the building fired by a Potterton Flamingo 2 boiler. This is in excess of ten or perhaps fifteen years of age and is nearing the end of its useful life. Its replacement should be considered in conjunction with further upgrading of the standard water and hot water supplies to the building. The radiators are convectors but do not have individual thermostats fitted. These should be considered to improve heat output and efficiency.

Any help would be really appreciated as we are desperate to get our own place but don't want to make any expensive mistakes.

Thanks,

Wayne

joerugby

You need a Part P accredited electrician to give you a report on the electrical system together with a quote for any work required, split between urgent and non-urgent

You need a gas-safe registered plumber to report on the water and central heating systems and provide quotes in same manner as above.

Once you have these you will be in a position to judge the nature and seriousness of any problems, and if apprpriate to reconsider your purchase, or negotiate a price reduction to take account of the cost of any necessary repairs.

casper_g

The comment on the electrics sounds like it might not be a problem at all, let alone a serious/urgent problem. The surveyor is just saying that you should get an expert to give the electrics a once over at some point. He could say the same about any other house.

He's also pointing out that the boiler isn't new. This was presumably apparent to you when you viewed. You should budget for the possibility of needing a new boiler in the next few years, but then you will always need funds for such contingencies as a home-owner.

The problem with the water - that the pressure is apparently very low - sounds annoying. It could be caused by any number of things and the surveyor suggests one possibility (that the incoming water pipe may be an old inadequate lead one). Read up on the potential health risks of lead water pipes; these are usually worse in soft water areas. As usual, he suggests getting an expert opinion.

For the most part, I really can't see how these comments in themselves represent serious/urgent defects. It's just a list of bits of the house the surveyor isn't really qualified to tell you anything about. As you're not buying a brand new house with brand new services, you would expect comments like these to apply in almost every case.

Jeffrey_Scott

Firstly if you had had a HCS the surveyor would have phoned you and gone through the report.
That aside, what the surveyor is basicaly saying is there are no current certification for your services and they should be checked.
Electrics - push button trip switches are illegal and should be replaced. They had a tendency to feed back when reconected after a trip thus giving an electric shock. an electrician never uses his finger when touching one. In current regulations all services (elec and plumbing) should be earth bonded back to an earth block from the main supply, any electrical instalation over 25 years (and most are) is DEAMED to need replacing.
Low pressure in mains services is rarely to do with the service pipe, usualy down to local conditions or half turned down stop cocks.
The boiler is ineficiant by modern standards probably 40-50% as a new condensing boiler would be 92-95%
Hope this is helpful

Jeff (RPSA,CIOB,RICS surveyor)

wazza69

Just wanted to say thanks for the great advice. Ended up negotiating the £4k reduced valuation of the price we are paying.

Cheers