Homebuyers Report Issues- Next Steps?

jamesperrett

The one that I'd be worried about would be the flashing as this could mean that the roof is leaking. Ask around your friends/family for recommendations for local builders who could come and take a look. Builders tend to have a more practical attitude than surveyors and will often be able to suggest ways of doing things in the cheapest way.

Damp issues are fairly standard findings in a survey. Again, a builder might be helpful but probably half the people I know who have bought houses have had to add air bricks to keep the surveyor happy. There's a damp expert who sometimes posts here - hopefully he will see this and be able to give a more expert opinion.

I wouldn't worry too much about the asbestos unless you are planning on removing the parts affected.

James.

rachel31a

We are FTBs and just had our homebuyer's report through a few days ago and had the same concerns. We decided to get a homebuyer's report done by a local recommmended company and our mortgage company are doing a standard valuation. Similarly we had loads of grade 3 issues on there - chimney stack, damp, rewiring, chimney vents, lintels, possible cavity wall issues.

It's a 1930s semi that has been lived in by an older person who has gone to live with family. When we viewed it (along with both sets of parents) we thought that it was not a renovation project but will need doing up. We feel it's liveable and are planning to stay there for a while so are not concerned about doing everything immediately. We expected the survey to bring up some of these issues but were shocked initially by the extent of the grade 3s. Like yourselves we didn't know whether this was to be expected in a property of this age, do the surveyors over emphasise issues etc. I went out again to the property with a friend of my father in law who is a builder and he saw no big problems so we are no longer worried about the house. We just now need to see what the mortgage valuation comes back like and whether they will want to put a retention on the mortgage.

I have come to the conclusion that any property of this age especially if it has been lived in by an elderly person is going to present some of these issues. I suppose it depends what kind of house you are after. We wanted a family home, that we can do up but not a huge renovation project. We decided that if we pull out of this property then perhaps we are looking at the wrong type of property and should be looking at something that has been completely renovated - but then that's not what we wanted... Hope this helps!

DannyboyMidlands

Beware the wife with a nesting instinct.

amblondon

Hi
This is what I personally would do (admitting that all I know about the situation is what you have posted!):

1. Actually call the surveyor and speak to him / ask him the questions you want answers to - and do it soon (they do hundreds of houses so best to do it when the visit's fresh in his mind). For example, what does he mean by there is "possibly" asbestos present? I got on the phone for 45 minutes to the guy who surveyed the house we're buying and he was really helpful. Since what the surveyor puts on paper is to some extent there to make sure he doesn't subsequently get sued, what he says on the phone may provide you with more comfort - or not!
2. Wood infestation - most likely extinct, even if current it could be related to damp conditions which could be sorted out by better ventilation (airbricks). I'd get someone out to have a look - it's probably not that expensive to sort out.
3. I'd get a builder who I know and trust out to check out the damp and roof issues in particular (again, I had similar comments on the survey about the flashing etc.. The builder I know told me that he didn't find evidence of damp and the roof was fine). Re the roof, access the loft if necessary to see whether there is water ingress. The surveyor will not have clambered into the roof void (assuming there isn't a loft conversion).


And possibly get an asbestos specialist out if that still concerns you after you have spoken to the surveyor, although if it is in the garage roof and ceilings only, you'll probably never need to touch it (in which case, if it's intact, it's perfectly safe). There's asbestos in lots of houses in the UK and most people don't even know it's there.

Cheers

Doggy_B

Thank you for all the replies. You have all been very helpful and it's good to hear from Rachel in a similar situation. We definitely don't want to jack this house in (especially as it took so long to find one we loved, and given my wife's pregnancy), and even though we did expect some issues we were surprised ourselves by how many there are. Again, we didn't know if this was normal or not in a house this age.

We will probably start by taking a friend of ours with us who is a builder for a quote of some of the general repairs, and either free quotes or an independent quote for the damp/roofing issues. If we are talking lots of money then it will be renegotiation, and walk away if neccessary.

barrisroofingltd

We offer roof surveys that detail defects with the roof in PDF form and are supported with photographic evidence. There is a charge, but as I do not want to appear as spamming/selling on the forum, I won't say any more.

Just a hint to maybe search for 'roof surveys **area** or something in google? I know of quite a few companies doing them.

pinkqueen

barrisroofingltd wrote: »

We offer roof surveys that detail defects with the roof in PDF form and are supported with photographic evidence. There is a charge, but as I do not want to appear as spamming/selling on the forum, I won't say any more.

Just a hint to maybe search for 'roof surveys **area** or something in google? I know of quite a few companies doing them.

:spam:
You are promoting your business, and have your company name as your username and a link to your company website..you are not APPEARING as selling, you ARE selling!

charleyroo

OP, as a generalisation, the survey always appears to be horrific on first read.

I'll echo what others have said - actually talk to the surveyor, you will hopefully get a lot more helpful pointers and descriptors from him/her over the phone.

A copy of my survey was sent to the solicitor for review - they will advise on some issues too

I assume the valuation came in ok, and your lender has not held off funds on condition of getting certain works done.

Best to find a good builder who you trust (family friend normally best) to have a look at the report and walk around the house; they sometimes offer a more 'real world' approach - not dismissing surveyor opinions, but they do need to err on the far side of caution when writing up the reports.

G_M

Doggy_B wrote: »

Hi, we are FTB who are buying an end of terrace house built around 1900, and have just had the homebuyers report through. A lot of the report is graded 2- adequate, which is to be expected on a house of this age, but there are several things graded at 3 which "require urgent attention":

-the lead flashing between the southern parapet and the roof has come away from wall and should be repaired. "Due to potential access problems, could be costly"

-possible asbestos in garage roof and textured ceilings, and asbestos cement gutters and downpipes

-damp has been found in the south-east corner of lounge due to lack of effective damp course. "Could be costly"

-poor quality of sub-floor ventilation. High damp meter readings recorded in some areas. "More detailed floor structure examination needed. Could be costly."

-air circulation beneath suspended ground floor as not enough ventilation openings in external walls. Sub-floor ventilation needs to be improved.

-some wood boring insect infestation. Could be old, guarantees needed on work

-gas and electric need professional testing


My question is that as FTB, we are feeling that this part of the process has left us on our own and we're not sure who can advise us on what our next steps should be and how to go about them. I would just like to know if my thoughts below are agreed with by people.

From reading other threads, I have found an independent surveyor through PCA who could check all of the damp/ventilation and wood issues for a couple of hundred pounds. I could no doubt do the same regarding the roof issue.

Do I commission these myself, and liaise with the EA for access by the surveyor? If all the issues are to be looked at, it will prove expensive if different people are needed.
Should I share with the EA the specific concerns immediately or keep them under my hat?
Should I show the EA the report if they ask (the valuation said our agreed price was "reasonable provided you are prepared to accept the cost and inconvenience of the various repairs reported")- would this affect any possible renegotiation?
Are these issues as serious as they sound and is there anything else we need to consider?
With quite a few grade 2 problems too (eg loose chimney pot, bad guttering, old boiler/water tank etc) is this house going to be more trouble than it's worth?

I don't think this is anything like as bad as it sounds. There are 4 issues:
1) roof
2) damp
3) wood infestation
4) asbestos

1) yes, you'll need to renew the flashing etc - get a roofer/builder to quote. May be a couple of hundred £. If a lot more, get other quotes to compare and if necessary negotiate off the purchase price.

2) damp. Airbricks (very cheap to fit). Chances are this will solve the damp ("due to lack of effective damp course" VERY unlikely. Damp (if it genuinley exists read up on 'damp meters') is usually caused by defective gutters etc at roof level, poor pointing of walls, earth/raised driveway/raised flowerbed etc against external wall at ground level breaching the dpc, or poor ventilation below ground (air bricks). These are all easily/cheaply resolved. But if you ask a damp proof company in for a survey, they'll recommend...... a new dpc!)
Read here re damp.

3) wood. Woodworm attack new/fresh wood. ie in the first 5 years of building. Or damp wood. Dry out the wood (see 2 above - airbricks) and the woodworm will go elsewhere. They can't eat dry wood. But chances are what he saw was holes - made 20 + years ago by worm that are long gone! See here.

4) asbestos. widely used in the 50s/60s. Only dangerous if disturbed and you get airbourne dust particles eg when taken out. So if you plan to remove it, yes, you need a specialist. But if left alone, it's usually fine.

As for the gas/electrics - well, the survyor is not an electrician or gas engineer so he puts a recommendation for further checks in all his reports!

Doggy_B

Thanks for the latest replies

I spoke to the surveyor, who was very helpful and we spoke for a good 15 minutes on the phone. We went through everything and his general opinion was that there are things that will always flag up for a house of this age, but there are also things that should have been maintained but haven't been. He reckoned that the cost to rectify everything could be thousands not hundreds- the cost escalating because of the difficulty of access and probable need for scaffold.

The woodworm is extinct, and we have subsequently received papers from our solicitor which include a guarantee for that work years ago. The asbestos as some of you have stated isn't a problem unless disturbed.

The damp is indeed (in his opinion) due to an external wall breaching the dpc, and the sub floor ventilation can, as G_M said be rectified easily with air bricks.

The flashing is definitely a problem as he said that daylight is visible from the loft where it has come away from the wall at the back of the house. The guttering is rotten throughout, and needs replacing.

So I have spoken to a colleague whose brother in law is in the trade (unfortunately just moved away from roofing into solar panels but can recommend another good roofer) and we are going to get a quote to see how much all of these issues will be to sort out. We will get a quote for the damp problem too.

I agree that the problems don't seem quite as daunting as the day we first got the report through, and I would like to thank you all again for your replies. More than anything we don't want to buy into a house that will end up costing us the earth, and I think we are taking the right steps to make sure that doesn't happen.

And the valuation was fine and the bank are happy to proceed with the mortgage