The Art of Negotiation After Survey

hazyjo

If every house was written off because of damp, we'd have a hell of a lot of empty houses!

Jx

sparklysaver

Good luck with making your decision. I'd be very wary about the deliberate cover up too, but if you're confident enough about the quotes you get and you can get the full amount knocked off then there's no reason why it can't be the long term home you want. And resale value always has to be part of your thinking, but if you're planning on this being your long-term home then I agree that it doesn't have to be at the forefront of your mind. I would be less inclined to meet half way since there's been a deliberate attempt to deceive, but only you know what you'd feel comfortable with.

I fell in love with one house whilst I was looking for the one I have now which had an amazing kitchen - granite worktops, handmade cabinets, absolutely gorgeous tiles. But I didn't even need the survey to point out how dodgy the electrics were - the board was virtually an antique, and the vendor apologised when we went upstairs because switching the bathroom light & fan on made the hall and stairways lights go out! So all that tiling was going to have to come off again anyway for the rewire..... what a waste of money :rotfl:

I'd be interested to know how you get on anyway. Fingers crossed!

Mercurial

horizon 81 thanks the house didn't smell damp even though it's been empty for two years. I've heard that DPC sometimes don't solve the problem. Health is a big consideration for us. Both myself and my boyfriend did not win the genetic lottery and have/had a lot of health problems between us.

hazyjo - that's what most people tell us Victoriation terrace = expect some kind of damp!

sparklysaver LOL! it amazes me that people get taken in by the visuals and don't investigate further.

OK we've just come back from a fab time in Stockholm it's beautiful but v. expensive we stayed in a hostel to keep costs down 2 pounds for a can of coke 8 pounds for a veggie wrap from the market, crazy :eek:


Got the results back from the damp and timber survey. The Building Structural Survey commented there were a lack of air bricks in the property which has meant air circulation has been restricted which has led to the damp problem. They indicate that new flooring was put in the living room may have been built on wet rot (I hope this makes sense as I don't have the report with me to refer to). There is no indication of damp in the living room but they didn't take any floor boards up so to me that isn't proof it's not there.

Would the solution of putting air bricks and opening up ventilation from the blocked up chimneys be a better solution than the dpc? I've read that dpc is not guaranteed to work. The damp and timber report recommended chemical injections in the infected areas. I did question them as to why they are recommending the chemical injections and they said as there were no air bricks in the front of the proeprty it would be a problem.

Apparently, the vendor bought the property from a developer who made the improvements. So they are the ones responsible for the new flooring in the living room.

The EA isn't quite so friendly to us now She got defensive when I commented that I can't understand why a DPC is not in evidence when they spent so much on the visual aspect.................she said there was one but it has broken down. The building survey commented on some blue engineering bricks present but no way could it be considered a dpc.

The vendor is willing to carry out repairs and is getting a second opinion, we are still waiting for the electrical survey to come back, we want all the chimneys which have blocked up to be ventilated, and gutters to be cleared. Along with leaking window to be fixed. If there is anything else that needs to be done we will also ask for it. We won't back down the house is marketed as move in condition and it isn't!

GDB2222

Good grief! There was a problem with damp, but the sellers have not dealt with it, if I understand you correctly. They have slapped in a few new floorboards and stuck the house up for sale. Personally, I would walk away, as I would have no idea what else is bodged up. Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

puddleduck

Mercurial wrote: »

new flooring was put in the living room may have been built on wet rot

This is more important than any is there/isn't there DMC or ventilation question imo.
Do you want to pay to replace all the floor structure now or in years to come? Wet rot (and dry rot) is not something to take on when you wanted something ready to move into.

Have you gone to see the other property on the street yet? Even if the layout isn't ideal, you could probably make it into what you want by building stud walls much cheaper, and for less risk, than dealing with this current what-else-has-been-hidden potential purchase.

Good luck.

Mercurial

It was the developers who put the flooring down and the vendor bought if off them. We assumed the vendor had done the work as the marketing material was misleading. I just got hold of the Building Survey Report and it states

Sub Floor Ventilation

There are an inadequate number of airbricks of sufficient size in the external walls to provide satisfactory ventilation to the under floor void area.

Without an adequate number of properly sized airbricks it is possible dampness and condensation are present in the under floor void which can lead to outbreaks of wet or dry rot.

Without extensive investigations it must not be assumed there are no under floor void obstructions preventing full ventilation to all areas.

We would only question why new floors become necessary in the front living room and it is important to arrange for the under floor void to be checked by a timber specialist particularly as we do consider floor joists may have been built into damp affected walls which can give rise to timber rot

This REALLY concerns me. I've told the agent I'll wait to hear what the vendor says in regards to the repairs but in the next two or three days we will be thinking about if we really want to go ahead with the purchase or not. We wanted to stay in Derby as our families live there but there aren't many properties we like in our budget. Maybe have a look in Nottingham see what is on offer there.

We could get a really nice freehold flat with garden for the same budget in a good area
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34952996.html

Mercurial

I'm also thinking what problems could be lurking in the future. Part of me thinks I am being paranoid as I'm a first time buyer BUT it's the most important purchase of our lives and we've been saving for years to get a good deposit.

At the moment it's a 90% chance of walking away. My gut instinct says it's a bad idea to proceed my bf wouldn't be bothered if the sale fell through.

geoffky

away you go....peace of mind is priceless....you might end up in a nightmare....good luck with your search

Mercurial

I just emailed the EA telling them we won't be proceeding with the purchase. I spent a couple of minutes thinking about it before I hit the send button but now I feel relieved.

puddleduck - exactly we could get the dpc sorted out but what problems are waiting for us for the future? We may take a look at the house on the same street just to see if it could work for us. I think we'll probably stay in our rented flat for another 6 months to see if property prices drop any more.

geoffky - thanks having made a decision feels great.

Thanks everyone for your advice it was a big help