HELP! - Failed Survey - Single Skin Brick

strikesy

Hi, I was wondering if anyone is able to help me with the results of a recent survey that has been completed as I am trying to buy a property.

The property has been rejected for the following reason :
'It is not possible to recommend the property as a suitable security for a mortgage because a significant part of the three storey structure is constructed of single skin brickwork'

The estate agents we have been dealing with are apparently dumbfounded by this and claim it shouldnt have been an issue, especially as it was built in 1826 and many buildings of this age have this particular issue. Needless to say this information has put serious question marks over the property for me, I have tried to speak to the surveyor directly, but a request needs to go through our mortgage lender, who will then contact them on our behalf, before coming back to us.

The estate agents claims that they sell a large number of properties built with this single skin brickwork, and have told us that they know a lender who will have no issue with lending to us on such a property. They are very keen to move us along, to the point of coming across as pushy, telling me that the vendors will even pay for our next survey, as well as the charge for using the estate agents. However my request that the problem be rectified has been rejected, so if we were to move forward with the property it would have to be under these terms.

I'm not sure how simple it would even be to resolve the issue, as the property itself is grade 2 listed.

Put simply, I would love to know if anyone can shed any light on this problem and offer any advice as to what to do. I am scared that I could end up buying a property that is unsafe, or could present further problems in the future, especially when it comes to selling the property myself. Any information on this would by greatly appreciated!

propertyman

The agents may sell them and there are lots of these houses around.

But the problem is that some lenders are only prepared to lend on more recent forms of construction and materials, by which I mean late Victorian onward, and which are in state of repair that gives them security for a mortgage.

They are looking for "average houses for average borrowers".

You will have to speak further with the lender or find another lender. Your agent may recall earlier sales that x bought with a mortgage with Y but be careful that the lender is for you.

Asking for the problem to be rectified is going to be rejected. You are frankly rebuilding the house* when the problem is that it clearly has a value, is saleable, as evidenced by other local sales, but not through some lenders.

* Either a new brick skin externally or new internal walls with insulation vapour barriers etc, and re skinning the outside. None of which is likely to get past the grade 2 listing!

strikesy

Thanks for the information, so would that mean that the surveyor is being told to specifically look out for this as a reason to recommend to not lend? Because after the survey result the mortgage lender then held their own review before coming to a final decision.

propertyman

strikesy wrote: »

Thanks for the information, so would that mean that the surveyor is being told to specifically look out for this as a reason to recommend to not lend? Because after the survey result the mortgage lender then held their own review before coming to a final decision.

Not as such no. Each lender has a lending policy and guidance on a particular types of construction. The surveyor has a degree of discretion looking at the particular property as to security. They may be prepared to go into further detail as they know the building. Two issues might be structural integrity or just the fact that the u value ( how insulating it is, or rather isn't) would be of concern.

kingstreet

As the OP has cross posted on here and on the M&E board it would be a good idea to post in one thread only. OP?

Hoof_Hearted

strikesy wrote: »

The estate agents we have been dealing with are apparently dumbfounded by this and claim it shouldnt have been an issue ...

The estate agents claims that they sell a large number of properties built with this single skin brickwork....

Lesson 1 -- estate agents will tell you anything to make the sale.

You need to consider two things:

1) The house will be expensive to heat with no cavity unless there is internal insulation.

2) One day you will want to sell the house and it may be difficult as the same problem will arise.

For clarification, by "single skin" do you mean the walls are one-brick thick or a solid wall two bricks thick (nine inches)? The latter is very common in older houses. The former is commonly used for garages, but not habitable rooms.

Slinky

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

For clarification, by "single skin" do you mean the walls are one-brick thick or a solid wall two bricks thick (six inches)? The latter is very common in older houses. The former is commonly used for garages, but not habitable rooms.

Three storeys on a single skin, I'm surprised it's still standing! More likely to be solid with no cavity.

capeverde

Im not aware of many houses being built with single skin walls. Solid 9" yes with a running bond, but not a 3 storey building with 4" brickwork. Wouldnt happen as far as Im concerned. The only time I have come across it in the 80's a friend had an end terrace that was once a mid terrace, ie the properties to one side had been demolished. This left its gable wall as single skin and he couldnt sell it. Ended up underpinning it and building a wall on the external elevation. It wasnt a massive job but youre still not imo going to find a surveyor willing to recommend a mortgage on a property like this. Estate agent is talking out of his backside.

ognum

We narrowly avoided buying a home with single brick (4inch) rear wall in the 80s I was sad that we had to walk away at the time but we found a better house and to my knowledge that house is still standing but it does seem difficult to sell!

alanmilstein

Sounds to me like another mortgage valuer who is talking out of an entirely inappropriate orifice!
Like the house I surveyed the other week where the valuer said that the bay window was solid brickwork and likely to be damp etc....except it was timber frame!
Have you had a proper survey?
I assume this is just the valuation that you're talking about.
If it was a more complete survey then it's outrageous that you can't speak directly to the surveyor. You've paid for the survey and should be able to discuss it with him in detail!
I would suggest that you need a full building/structural survey on a listed property of this type and age. That will tell you everything you need to know about the wall construction. And if the valuer was wrong (as I would think he is!) then you can go back to the lender and put them straight.
As another poster has said, it is extremely unusual to find single 4" brickwork on a multi-storey property.

teneighty

The term "single skin" here is causing confusion. Technically it means a solid wall with no cavity.

A single skin wall in itself is not a structural problem for older properties, but it depends how thick it is and how it is tied together. At the risk of over simplifying things, for 3 storeys I would expect to see 13" on the ground floor reducing to 9" on the upper storeys although other configurations are possible.

The surveyor/valuer needs to clarify why the single skin brickwork is a problem.