Home Survey didnt mark the roof as red

pot_holer

Hi, Id really appreciate any advice.
I just bought a house and it completed a week ago. Two months ago I got the middle type of survey done on the house, not the basic one. Comments were categorized as red (serious/urgent repair), amber (needing repair but not urgently-should proceed as normal) and green(ok).

The survey didnt show up any Red issues which were concerning. The roof was listed as amber and was in need of some repair and the bedroom ceilings were listed as the same.

I got my keys last week and took a builder round as I needed some joinery/plastering and laminate flooring put down. He was very concerned about the roof, he also pointed out the main bedroom ceiling was bulging in one corner (I didnt notice that in May when I first viewed it) and he was able to put his finger into the bed room ceiling as the wood is that damp/rotten. He went into the loft and advised that there is a fllod in the valley of my roof.

He came back with a quote advising that the roof needed to be repaired which would cost at least £700 and then additional for the ceilings- as the ceiling in the other bedroom isnt looking too good either.

Should this not have been red on the survey??

Help!

G_M

If he's right then you have been let down by the surveyor - who should have indemnity insurance.

1st, get a 2nd opinion form another builder. Free for a quote. remember builders are looking for work so it's in their interest to 'find' problems.

2nd, contact your surveyor, initially informally by phone to see what he says, but then in writing

3rd, if disputed, then get a new survey done so you have a formal. written statement by a surveyor.

sonastin

As a matter of interest, what was the weather like when your survey was done? If it took place during the long dry spell we had earlier in the year, the issues would be less apparent than they are now after the recent monsoon-like rain.

This doesn't entirely excuse your surveyor so you should follow G_M's advice, but it might be worth asking the next surveyor for an opinion on how obvious all this would have been had it not rained recently.

ic

By "middle type", I assume you mean "homebuyer". I had this done on my house, and tbh was unimpressed with what I got. It checked only items that were visible without moving anything (i.e. shifting furniture, lifting carpets, drilling, etc), and regardless of what they saw, had a get out clause on everything that suggested I get a qualified professional to check. I recall for my own that it said the roof was not visible from the ground, so they couldn't check it. Daft thing is that if you stand at the back of the garden, you can see it! For me I actually had no problems, but I suspect you may struggle to get a come back on the homebuyer survey - check closely how any coverage in the report on the roof is worded. They did flag the roof as amber, its quite possible that its condition has deteriorated in the time since the survey was completed?

LilacPixie

usually the vally troughs flood because the guttering or downpipe is blocked. Is that the cause with yours?

DannyboyMidlands

ic wrote: »

By "middle type", I assume you mean "homebuyer". I had this done on my house, and tbh was unimpressed with what I got. It checked only items that were visible without moving anything (i.e. shifting furniture, lifting carpets, drilling, etc), and regardless of what they saw, had a get out clause on everything that suggested I get a qualified professional to check. I recall for my own that it said the roof was not visible from the ground, so they couldn't check it. Daft thing is that if you stand at the back of the garden, you can see it! For me I actually had no problems, but I suspect you may struggle to get a come back on the homebuyer survey - check closely how any coverage in the report on the roof is worded. They did flag the roof as amber, its quite possible that its condition has deteriorated in the time since the survey was completed?

So can I assume that as a vendor you'd be happy for prospective buyers to come in, move your furniture, rip up your carpets and drill holes in stuff?

If so you'd be the first that I've encountered.

chappers

ic wrote: »

By "middle type", I assume you mean "homebuyer". I had this done on my house, and tbh was unimpressed with what I got. It checked only items that were visible without moving anything (i.e. shifting furniture, lifting carpets, drilling, etc), and regardless of what they saw, had a get out clause on everything that suggested I get a qualified professional to check. I recall for my own that it said the roof was not visible from the ground, so they couldn't check it. Daft thing is that if you stand at the back of the garden, you can see it! For me I actually had no problems, but I suspect you may struggle to get a come back on the homebuyer survey - check closely how any coverage in the report on the roof is worded. They did flag the roof as amber, its quite possible that its condition has deteriorated in the time since the survey was completed?

This is the main problem with surveys when buying a property, virtualy all the inspections are visual and somewhere in the survey will be caveats stating that the survey only covers the day of inspection and doesn't cover things that can't be seen etc etc etc

G_M

LilacPixie wrote: »

usually the vally troughs flood because the guttering or downpipe is blocked. Is that the cause with yours?

That's a good point. If water is collecting in the valley that indicates the problem is more to do with drainage from the roof than flaws in the tiles/flashing itself.

Naturally, if water sits /collects up there long enough, eventually it will seep through somewhere and cause damp inside.

It may be a very simple job to unblock a drainpipe!

Hence step one - get a second opinion on the problem!

Emmzi

DannyboyMidlands wrote: »

So can I assume that as a vendor you'd be happy for prospective buyers to come in, move your furniture, rip up your carpets and drill holes in stuff?

If so you'd be the first that I've encountered.

You're over estimating the damage done by a survey. Carpets can be put back. Holes are usually quite small.

Hmm. Buyer committing £500 - £1000 up front is serious about buying my house. Yes, I'll let them!

poppysarah

Do you think £700 is a lot?


Firstly get other quotes - but if you want an idea of how I'd have interpreted it:

green - no cost although ongoing maintenance probably
amber - some cost - nothing major probably no job more than £1000
red - urgent and expensive. > £1000

You could have had a builder inspect the roof and get you quotes for work BEFORE you bought the house. Or asked for the surveyor to give you an idea of how much repairs might cost.

We've got more rain forecast so I'd get a move on!

pot_holer

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I have 5 roofers coming over to give estimates and also to write on headed paper that its an urgent job and needs immediate attention- as advised by my solicitor. The survey categorises the roof and the ceiling as amber stating that they may need attention and should be monitored, the survey actually states that the ceiling can be "made good" upon decoration but the builder says they both need totally replacing not "made good". I have been advised that I cant move in and decorate until the ceiling ae repaired and the roof fixed- the survey report states that I can carry on as normal.

I gues my concern is that if the survey had said the roof and ceilings are red and need repairing now (which they clearly do), I would have gone back to the buyer to renegotiate the terms of sale but as the survey was, in my opinion, misleading, I didnt and went through with the sale on the understanding that in the future the work may need doing.

I now have a quote of £1,145 for the ceilings and the roof, which isnt alot but it doesnt change the fact that I would have went back and renegotiated if I knew it needed doing before I actually bought the house and with the expense of buying a new house/furniture and the repairs I already anticipated its money that I could use on other areas.