FTB Survey help needed please

patsworth

Hi

My partner and I have had an offer accepted, had our mortgage approved and had the results from the Home Buyer's Report.

The survey has flagged up a number of issues in red which is worrying me. The property was up for £169,995 and our offer of £160,500 was accepted.

The main issues highlighted are:

1. Roof - it says the roof is coming to the end of its life and will need replaced. Can we negotiate the price because of this?

2. Electrics - it states that a new consumer unit is needed. I also think it may need a rewire. The estate agents have said that have a contact and an electrician will do an electrical inspection. Can we trust the estate agents contacts or do we get someone of our own in?

3. Gas - there is no service history with the boiler and fires. They were installed 7 years ago. Should we get British Gas in to inspect these and see if they are in working order?

4. Damp - there is some damp in the dining room and bedroom although it doesn't state any issues with the damp proofing. Again, the estate agents are sending a builder to inspect and quote for the any work. Should we trust this?

5. Asbetos - there is an asbetos shed in the garden. The vendor has said that this type of asbetos is not dangerous and does not require specialist removal. I'm not particularly happy with this response as I certainly would not be happy to remove it without paying a specialist. Can I query this and should I get someone in to quote this work?


The estate agents have suggested that the vendor will be reluctant to negotiate as our offer is lower than they wanted. I feel that if the above needs work then we should either renegotiate or get some of the work completed. Is this along the right lines? If the vendor is unwilling to budge shall we back out? The house seems to need more work than we have orginally anticipated. I'd rather lose £500 than end up with a house that is going to cost a lot in the near future so backing out is a possibility but I'm not sure if we will have a similar situation with any house we buy.

Any advice is greatly welcomed.

Pat

hugoshavez

Were you unaware of ALL of these issues before your offer?

What makes you think it'll need a rewire?

Yorkie1

1. Roof. You can try to renegotiate but I wouldn't expect to be very successful, unless the house is of an age where you wouldn't expect the roof to need replacing (just had mine done after 75 years ... )

2. Get your own inspection; don't trust the EA. Bear in mind that whilst it may indeed need a new consumer unit or rewire, the surveyor is not an expert and / or it may just be that the electrics don't meet the current standards - but are not unsafe.

3. As above. Up to you but it's buyer beware. If there aren't any service records then I'd consider getting it inspected by someone I knew was independent.

4. If no issue with the damp proof course, what suggestions has the surveyor made as to the possible cause? It may be nothing. Is there any mould etc? Again, you could get an independent inspector (not a free survey from a company which wants to sell you stuff) out but it's all starting to add up now.

5. Asbestos. I'd believe the surveyor who, almost certainly (unless you are an expert) knows far more about the different types of asbestos and their potential dangers than you do. As a seller I certainly wouldn't negotiate on this basis.

Nobody here can tell you what to do. Apart from the roof, it may be less than £500 to fix the stuff mentioned. None of it is safety related.

If the sellers won't budge on the figures then yes, you need to decide whether to walk away or not. Only you know a) whether you've got a decent price compared to others in the area, b) what this house means to you & how easy it would be to get another one instead, and c) whether you'd be prepared to do some work as required.

You will never get a house without some problems.

patsworth

The vendor has lived there for 25 years and hasn't had electrics done which is what makes me think it may need some work with the electrics.

We were not aware of the damp or need for a new electrical consumer unit. The roof is something that will cost a lot of money and the survey doesn't go into any detail so I'm worried it will cost us a great deal.

I'm not sure if it normal for a survey to show up this many items. The house appears, on the surface, to be in very good condition.

patsworth

Thanks Yorkie1. I would feel happier if we used our own experts.

I'm a little cautious as the house has been under offer recently and the buyer pulled out after the survey and bought a property nearby. I'm just hoping that they haven't had the DIY insight that we don't have!

Yorkie1

How much do you think a roof will cost? Is it an unusually shaped roof or a standard terrace / semi / detached? Likely to be no more than £4K-£5K tops if no complications. Not cheap but not as much as you might be fearing.

Speak to the surveyor and ask him a few more questions if you want, such as likely lifespan of the existing roof - how many years; what is wrong with the consumer unit (if it doesn't already say).

If that's all the survey has shown up then it's a good survey - it hasn't highlighted much at all. I think it's possibly your expectations which are slightly different from what those of us who have been through the process would have. (No criticism, just that FTBs I think are always more concerned about this - I know I was!)

Out of interest, has the surveyor confirmed the house is worth what you've offered?

patsworth

I might give the surveyor a call and ask them some further questions. It's a semi-detached but that is cheaper then I had anticipated.

My main worry was that all of the items had been flagged up in red or a number 3. We are being cautious but I just don't want to make any big mistakes so feeling relieved reading these comments.

I think the issue with the consumer unit is that it doesn't have have trip switches and other safety requirements.

G_M

patsworth wrote: »

Hi

The main issues highlighted are:

1. Roof - it says the roof is coming to the end of its life and will need replaced. Can we negotiate the price because of this?Pretty vague. 'End of its life' when? Next year? within the next 5 - 10 years? Roofs last a long time and don't just suddenly collapse. Either it is sound, but old, or it has issues (missing/cracked slates etc). This sounds like a surveyor saying "you do know you're buying an old house that will need maintenance in the future don't you?"

2. Electrics - it states that a new consumer unit is needed. I also think it may need a rewire. The estate agents have said that have a contact and an electrician will do an electrical inspection. Can we trust the estate agents contacts or do we get someone of our own in? Get your own inspection done. The EA works for the seller, not you.

3. Gas - there is no service history with the boiler and fires. They were installed 7 years ago. Should we get British Gas in to inspect these and see if they are in working order? Up to you. 7 years is not old, but no service history so it might have problems. Either pay for (your own0 inspection, or save the money and hope the boiler is in good nick. Does it work? Does hot water come out the taps? Does the central heating keep the property warm? That's a pretty good sign!

4. Damp - there is some damp in the dining room and bedroom presumably found using an electrical meter Read here. although it doesn't state any issues with the damp proofing. Again, the estate agents are sending a builder to inspect and quote for the any work. Should we trust this?No. Never. See above. Use your own contractors/experts.

5. Asbetos - there is an asbetos shed in the garden. The vendor has said that this type of asbetos is not dangerous and does not require specialist removal. Is the vendor an expert and will he put this statement in writing? Thought not! I'm not particularly happy with this response as I certainly would not be happy to remove it without paying a specialist. Can I query this and should I get someone in to quote this work? Having said that, lots of sheds have asbestos and it's perfectly safe - till broken up/moved. Do youplan to demolish?


The estate agents have suggested that the vendor will be reluctant to negotiate as our offer is lower than they wanted. I feel that if the above needs work then we should either renegotiate or get some of the work completed. Is this along the right lines? If the vendor is unwilling to budge shall we back out? The house seems to need more work than we have orginally anticipated. I'd rather lose £500 than end up with a house that is going to cost a lot in the near future so backing out is a possibility but I'm not sure if we will have a similar situation with any house we buy.

Any advice is greatly welcomed.

Pat

Doesn't actually sound like a huge lot of work, but if in doubt get specialist tests/quotes.... yourself.

Yorkie1

I have just spotted that it was the seller who said the asbestos was safe. I had mis-read your original post, and thought that the surveyor had said it was safe. Disregard my specific comments about this, and go with G_M's comments.

lca31

Re: your gas and electrics, this came up as red in our homebuyers survey as well and we are buying a house that is only 8 years old. I suspect (although not 100% sure) that unless the surveyor is able to confirm the certificates, they flag this as red since they cannot verify the safety. We have elected to go ahead with our sale and get and get these checked out when we move in.

Can't comment on other issues I'm afraid, but I would be weary of getting the EA to arrange someone - do it independently if possible.