Homebuyer survey results

aas88486

Hi all,

Currently in the process of buying my first property, a 1 bed converted flat under a 166 year leasehold. I've had the offer of £148500 accepted (on condition the property comes fully furnished) and have today recieved the results of the survey. Generally everything is in good order - the flat has just been redecorated so I didn't expect many issues internally - but there are a few red and amber points thrown up that concern me:

1) The render to the chimney stack is cracked and spalled with dampness internally to the living room chimney breast at ceiling level
2) Some gutter joints are leaking and in need of repair
3) External walls have cracks that need to be repaired to prevent water penetration and frost deterioration
4) Timber roof supports in the loft have deflected and need additional support installed. There is also some dampness to the timber, insulation is not up to standard and there is a wasps nest in the roof
5) The garage roof contains asbestos material which poses health risks if work is done
6) External walls show sings of structural movement but this is not thought to be progressive

Just for info the property was built in 1890, converted to four flats in 1988 and the flat I'm buying was redecorated with brand new units this summer.

Do you think these issues are too serious and I should walk away from the property, or could I get them fixed by either the managing agents or current seller and negotiate this into the price? Are issues such as these common in properties of this age?

The other thing I am unsure of is these problems seem to be relevant to the whole building, not just my flat, so I would guess they are down to the managing agents not maintaining the property correctly. If this is the case, can I expect them to rectify these and cover the cost, or are they likely to pass it on to me?

Any help you guys could provide would be massively appreciated - I've never bought a property before so it's all new to me!

Many thanks
aas88486

G_M

aas88486 wrote: »

Hi all,


1) The render to the chimney stack is cracked and spalled with dampness internally to the living room chimney breast at ceiling leve
routine maintenance. Re-rendering is pretty cheap though H&S requirement for scaffolding can push up pricel
2) Some gutter joints are leaking and in need of repair £100 to odd job man but see H&S issue above
3) External walls have cracks that need to be repaired to prevent water penetration and frost deterioration 'crack rings alarm bell. Filling them is easy/cheap, but what is the cause?
4) Timber roof supports in the loft have deflected and need additional support installed. Hmm- this could be the surveyor noticing a minor flaw that's been there for 100 years and covering his !!!!, or could involve addition of structural supports. Ring him and discuss! There is also some dampness to the timber,Why? does the attic need better ventilation? Is there a roof leak. Ring and ask! insulation is not up to standardNot surprising - standards change almost every year! Always a good idea (and cheap) to add more and there is a wasps nest in the roof :rotfl:
5) The garage roof contains asbestos material which poses health risks if work is done so don't do work!
6) External walls show sings of structural movement but this is not thought to be progressive !!!! see 'cracks' above. If in doubt get a structural engineers report.

Just for info the property was built in 1890, converted to four flats in 1988 and the flat I'm buying was redecorated with brand new units this summer. Nice shine new interior means nothing if the fabric is being ignored

Do you think these issues are too serious and I should walk away from the property, or could I get them fixed by either the managing agents or current seller and negotiate this into the price? Are issues such as these common in properties of this age?
Any property that age needs ongoing maintenance. As long as it is done, and budgeted for, it's not a problem. So a lot depends on a) who is managing it and how well b) is a contingency fund for repairs built up via annual service charges (in addition to annual costs), and how big is it c) do all leaseholders pay service charges when required or is it a constant battle to chase non-payers

My advice is to knock on doors and talk to other flat owners.

The other thing I am unsure of is these problems seem to be relevant to the whole building, not just my flat, so I would guess they are down to the managing agents not maintaining the property correctly. If this is the case, can I expect them to rectify these and cover the cost, or are they likely to pass it on to me?
Ultimately leaseholders (you) will pay. Whether the mg agents do the works depends how efficiant they are, who is instructing /paying them, what they are being paid for, and whether leaseholders are paying service charges

Any help you guys could provide would be massively appreciated - I've never bought a property before so it's all new to me!

Many thanks
aas88486

Flats eh? When well managed they remove a lot os stress of home-ownership.
When badly managed.....

BitterAndTwisted

aas88486 wrote: »

Hi all,
1) The render to the chimney stack is cracked and spalled

Not necessarily an expensive job but will entail scaffolding which will be most of the cost. None of which will be borne by the leaseholder of the flat you have seen alone

with dampness internally to the living room chimney breast at ceiling level

Not trivial but dependent upon the freeholder or their agent's willingness to have the work undertaken.

2) Some gutter joints are leaking and in need of repair

Ditto

3) External walls have cracks that need to be repaired to prevent water penetration and frost deterioration

Ditto

4) Timber roof supports in the loft have deflected and need additional support installed. There is also some dampness to the timber, insulation is not up to standard and there is a wasps nest in the roof

Ditto. This would be the deal-breaker for me

5) The garage roof contains asbestos material which poses health risks if work is done

Not particularly worrysome in and of itself. Just needs specialist removal and disposal. Not all forms of asbestos carry the same risk.

6) External walls show sings of structural movement but this is not thought to be progressive

Freeholder's responsibility, costs shared by leaseholders if work is necessary. It may not be.

With repair issues like this you will be entirely dependent on the freeholder's willingness to have them carreid out and the potential costs could be beyond your ability to pay for them. This begs the question of why they haven't been done some time ago.

I'd be seriously considering looking elsewhere.

aas88486

Thanks for the speedy replies. This is starting to concern me as the flat's service charge seems quite high (£1700 per year) but despite leaseholders paying that amount the managing agents are not maintaining these parts of the property very well at all.

Do you think I should just walk away from it and count my losses on the survey and solicitor fees or go to my solicitor or estate agent to see if these issues and the potential costs to rectify them could be incorporated into the final price?

BitterAndTwisted

£1700 a year isn't high and could only cover the cost of maintaining the internal common-parts. You NEED to know whether there is a sinking fund and how much is in it.
You could deduct from your offer an estimate for having all these repairs done but how would you arrive at a figure and how could you ensure that they actually are done?

I'd walk.

TrickyDicky101

You will have a problem quantifying the likely the cost and getting a reduction is not the same thing as getting the problems fixed - which you can't do off your own back as it is freeholder/managing agent who needs to do this. You don't know when they will and whether the problems will get worse before it is fixed.

For me this would seem to be too big a risk and it would definitely make me reconsider.

aas88486

Thanks for the advice guys. Given what you've recommended (and the fact that when I searched the managing agents online it was full of review sites with nightmare stories about having a lease managed by them) I think I'm going to walk away.

It means taking a hit on the survey fee and solicitors fees, but at least it's saved me possibly having a big works bill in the future and risking a lot of money on a property that's not maintained properly by the managing agents.

Back to square one I suppose...

NeverAgain_2

I think you are wise to walk.

One or two bits and pieces are to be expected, but this building has too many problems, several of which have the potential to be big.

The survey fee is not a nice hit to take, but try to look at it as money well spent because it's saved you from making a buying decision you would have come to regret.

botchjob

so on the basis of some random opinions from some random bods you've never met you're going to make a fairly important life decision. Jeez Louise.

What you need to do is phone up the surveyor who did the report and have a nice chat with him about the points raised. He'll stand by what is written in the report but you should be able to get a good sense of how serious - or otherwise - the points are. I've bought and sold a few places in my time and the points raised aren't ones which would be ringing alarm bells. The building is over 100 years old. It's still standing. It will still be standing long after you've moved on.

Of course, I'm some random bloke you've never met before so don't take my advice. But do phone the surveyor...