Who decided NOT to get a survey on a purchase?

ijrwe

From example HB surveys I've read, and what people say about them, they don't seem especially useful documents - basically just telling you that every possible problem might be present. The more I read about them, the less confidence I have that it's a worthwhile thing to get done, and I'm thinking I'd much rather take a builder round to eye it all up and give me his verdict.

Of course you do get plenty of "I chose to not get a survey and then five minutes later my house fell down."

But just as many, "I paid £800 for a survey and he didn't notice the collapsed roof and the unexploded bomb in the basement."

The property I'm buying is very normal and there are 100s like it around here. It has a uniquely large garden and the interior is non-standard, but the shell of the house is one of many like it. It does have a single-storey extension to the rear, though - but again quite common on these.

Right now I don't have the feeling that a surveyor would do a better job than me and a builder with a pocket full of 20's. Has anyone gone down that route? Or even just inspected it themselves, with limited experience?


Thanks,

Annisele

Will you need a mortgage? If so, your lender will insist on a survey of some sort.

I agree that HB surveys are usually written in protect-my-own-back speak. However, very rarely they say something like "this house is falling down" - in which case they're worth the money!

ijrwe

Annisele wrote: »

Will you need a mortgage? If so, your lender will insist on a survey of some sort.

I agree that HB surveys are usually written in protect-my-own-back speak. However, very rarely they say something like "this house is falling down" - in which case they're worth the money!

I'll be paying £235 for my lender to conduct a valuation, either way. For £415 total they would do a HB survey as well but I thought I'd rather get them separately if I was going to, to keep the results away from the lender. You can get independent HB or Building surveys for about £250 anyway.

Delilah732

I'm buying and have only had a valuation survey from my mortgage lender.

I did bring someone who knows about what to look for when buying a house to my viewing though

pimento

We had a valuation only when we bought our house. We did know the area fairly well and my dad knows the builder who did the extension.

G_M

I don't always have a survey done but

a) it depends on the age, type, and condition of property and
b) I consider myself a reasonable DIYer who can spot a dodgy roof, or serious-looking cracks, or old-fashioned wiring etc

For a young FTB with no such experience/skills I'd recommend a survey. For couple of hundred quid you can save yourself £000s. Even a new house can be a dud.

00ec25

G_M wrote: »

I don't always have a survey done but

a) it depends on the age, type, and condition of property and
b) I consider myself a reasonable DIYer who can spot a dodgy roof, or serious-looking cracks, or old-fashioned wiring etc

For a young FTB with no such experience/skills I'd recommend a survey. For couple of hundred quid you can save yourself £000s. Even a new house can be a dud.

seconded
a FTB without access to the right info then a survey is valuable,
whilst your builder may well have the knowledge they do not have the professional indenmity insurancne to cover themselevs if they get it wrong and the house does indeed fall down

Like GM, and personally speaking, I do not have a survey in all cases becuase i don't need a mortgage and know what I'm looking at in standard cases. I would use a professional surveyor for non standard property though for the reason above

ijrwe

00ec25 wrote: »

seconded
a FTB without access to the right info then a survey is valuable,
whilst your builder may well have the knowledge they do not have the professional indenmity insurancne to cover themselevs if they get it wrong and the house does indeed fall down

That's none of my concern, though, is it. He'd be giving me his opinion with no guarantee, so I couldn't complain about it if it turned out to be wrong. Conversely, I could complain about a surveyor and that's presumably why they're unable/unwilling to commit to any firm opinions about the property.

ijrwe

G_M wrote: »

For a young FTB with no such experience/skills I'd recommend a survey.

But by whom? That's what I'm wondering. I'll be getting a survey in order to find out as much as possible about the property, not just to tick a box on my print-out from some "ten things u obv need 2 do when u buy house" article. From what I've read and heard about conventional surveys, they wouldn't satisfy this.

For couple of hundred quid you can save yourself £000s.

could

I need to weigh it up more carefully than that, by this stage. Any surveyors' website repeats that claim but it's not meaningful in itself. It's like saying that for a couple of hundred quid for a chest x-ray you might end up saving your life. But most people don't need a chest x-ray, most of the time, and it's a superfluous cost and trouble for no benefit. No doubt if there was a private chest x-ray industry they'd be going on about how dangerous lung cancer is and how everyone should get one done every few months just to be on the safe side.

00ec25

ijrwe wrote: »

That's none of my concern, though, is it. He'd be giving me his opinion with no guarantee, so I couldn't complain about it if it turned out to be wrong. Conversely, I could complain about a surveyor and that's presumably why they're unable/unwilling to commit to any firm opinions about the property.

agreed
but its a critical difference between a builder "adviser" and a surveyor adviser

you pays your money and you get what you paid for, your choice.

As i say I don't use one because all their self protecting caveats mean the end result is worse than i can do by myself

Fire_Fox

Despite the fact that I invariably recommend surveys I did not here - a newly converted city centre apartment with building regs in an older office building. Did look at the condition of the windows and flat roof etc with someone I trust.

I would note we have no outdoor space, no trees or water nearby, only have front and back walls because the sides are shared with the adjacent buildings. Low risk of falling down, unless an entire city block went too! Would have been very likely to get a survey if I'd been top floor or basement or if a converted house.

With the benefit of hindsight a surveyor may have been able to spot that the fire escape had not been maintained properly - some of the treads collapsed four years after purchase necessitating a major repair job! :eek: However I didn't pay as the freeholder failed to consult, and sold prices before and after suggest I got a great deal regardless.