Survey nonsense?

Lookingforamove

Dear all,

Today I received my very first Homebuyer's Survey. After inital worry and disappointment, my reaction soon became one of annoyance after some internet searching, incuding on this site. Here's my gripe:

In 2005, a member on here posted the following from their own survey...

"Dampness is affecting lower wall areas throughout the flat. I suspect this is due to a failure in the original damp proof course. Concealed timbers may be defective and the lower wall areas affected by damp which adjoin a timber floor should be opened up and fully investigated.
You now need to instruct a damp proofing/timber treatment contractor to carry out an investigation to identify the fully extent of the problem and the necessary repairs required, together with an estimate of the cost."

Today mine read like this....

"Dampness is affecting parts of the walls throughout the ground floor accommodation. I suspect this is due to a breakdown of the damp proof course. Concealed timbers may be defective and should be opened up and fully investigated.
You now need to instruct a damp proofing/timber treatment contractor to carry out an investigation to identify the full extent of the problem and the necessary repairs required, together with an estimate of the cost."

Almost word for word an exact copy. Just what exactly have I paid for? Apparently an indemnity protecting both the lender and surveyor.
A 'woodboring insect infestation' was also noted, along with a few other items, none of which I feel I can really trust. I do of course have a number to call the surveyor on, and many questions to ask, but looking at those questions I find myself looking more like a defensive seller rather than a worried buyer.

Apart from that phone-call, what should be my next step? How can I sort the survey wheat from the chaff? I don't really want to walk away from this one...

Thank you.

00ec25

you book a second viewing,
you take the survey with you
you look for yourself now that you know what to llok for
you make up your own mind
you decide to either wing it or to call in a specialist for a specific expert opinion


of course surveys read the same, just like anyone else he is not going to reinvent the wheel every time he writes a report. A survey may seem a lot of moneyto ypu but just like any other worker he will use what he's already got to make his life easier and to get most money for least work
hence people educate themselves so they can do their own survey when buying a basic property (other types of property excepted)

Fire_Fox

Welcome! Probably RICS standard phrases, used when damp is found that is probably rising but needs further investigation. Don't understand why having standard phrases is a problem, its the same in many fields including legal and pharmacy. A Homebuyers Report is quite general and not super detailed, a full structural is more in depth, and specialist reports (structural engineers, independent damp specialist) are more in depth still.

princeofpounds

A homebuyer survey is basically a check list. This checklist generates standard phrases in a report. Thar's why it is cheaper- low effort to write. If you speak to the surveyor you should be able to find out where they spotted various issues; then you can investigate further yourself.

kingstreet

Lookingforamove wrote: »

Just what exactly have I paid for? Apparently an indemnity protecting both the lender and surveyor

The lender does not get a copy of your Homebuyer's Report, so nothing to do with them.

The surveyor is bringing to your attention issues which are, or which may become a problem in the future. He is a GP - not a specialist, so you've been referred to someone who does specialise in such matters so you can establish what exactly is wrong with your potential purchase.

Where there may be timber & damp, roofing, wall tie, structural, electrical or gas appliance issues, you would be advised to seek specialist independent help.

In the case of timber and damp work, have a look here for someone in your area.

http://www.independentdampsurveyors.co.uk/

It's highly likely the damp is a result of a simple problem, like soil bridging the dampcourse, or leaky rainwater goods. Avoid having reports done by DPC contractors as they often have an interest in doing any remedial work and that "free" report often works out a lot more expensive.

robatwork

At the bottom there's probably the phrase "thank you for your custom. Here's some old rope"

Lookingforamove

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

"The lender does not get a copy of your Homebuyer's Report, so nothing to do with them."
I didn't realise this, as the Surveyors are actually a subsidiary of my lender, and as they were waiting for the report before making a formal offer I presumed they would see it. It must just be the Valuation they are interested in.

I shall defer to the experience on here; having it pointed out I can understand the difficulty in stating the same thing in different ways, continually. That does however make it hard to see where real problems might lie.... i.e. is that particular section just a stock phrase to cover many possible eventualities or is it actually quite specifically tailored to this individual property?

It doesn't help that under the catagory 'Electricity' he stated "the elctrical wiring may not comply with current standards in that supplementary bonding facilities need improvement and upgrading may be required.."
The previous occupant before the present vendors was an electrician, who only moved out last December and ran his business from the house. (I have confirmed that the sellers are not moving out themselves because of the work that needs done, just in case anyone wonders!).

Fire_Fox

Stop trying to read between the lines and actually read the wording! You are trying to 'diagnose' problems from phrases which are simply advising you to do further research or commission additional reports. Not all phrases are used on all properties otherwise it would be pointless having a surveyor, but some phrases are very common because some issues are very common.

Kingstreet gave you an excellent analogy, you don't always expect a firm diagnosis from your GP in ten minutes flat. Sometimes you need a raft of blood tests or to see a hospital specialist - and the possible diagnoses range from minor to sinister. If you are referred for further investigations you are pleased your GP is being thorough and professional.

It's tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of pounds you are spending here. Assume nothing, be cautious: just because you were told the previous occupant was an electrician doesn't make it a fact, doesn't mean they were not retired or no longer practicing professionally, nor does it guarantee they were up to date on the latest certifications and regulations, nor that they actually rewired the whole property. Ask the vendors what documentation they have on the electrics.

propertyman

POINT MISSED

While you can inspect, have your solicitors check the lease as repairs to walls, and in many cases the joists, are very often the landlord's responsibility via the service charge.

You may need landlords consent to do any works to those walls - bluntly they are not yours to touch- work required may extend to other flats, or move the problem onto them, which you may be liable for.

The landlord may refuse and insist as they can to have it done via the service charge and this will take some time to arrange and raise finance from other leaseholders.


I understand the old rope argument but on the other hand it's also

a; quicker, to get them out to you

b; it's not an RICS phrase but individual and foirm/company wordings for a and risk management

c: it clearly communicates the issue and resolution without an omission

Dictating the same advice after having done 5 Victorian houses in a morning all with similar issues is tedious, and you can make mistakes or just muddle the response.

kingstreet

Lookingforamove wrote: »

as they were waiting for the report before making a formal offer I presumed they would see it. It must just be the Valuation they are interested in

Yes. The lender will receive only a copy of its mortgage report and valuation. The Homebuyer's report is yours alone.

ViolaLass

I would rather pay the surveyor to get the survey right than pay them for their expertise in wording the same thing in 20 different ways i.e. what does it matter whether they've used stock phrases? Perhaps it's a standard problem.