Cracked brick Lintel on survey

vicstick86

We are in the process of selling and buying a new a house.
Everything was going ok untill the survey came back.
It has advised that there is cracking in the brick lintel above the front door and for us to get a structual engineer to look at it.
We are going to do this before cont. with the sale, it this something the vendor normally pays for, or would we pay for it?

Im a complete dumbo when it comes to building stuff. I was just wondering if anyone had an experience of this...
The brick linitel im talking about is an arch above the front door, so can they fail without there being movement to the whole house??
In the report its stated that the guttering and downpipes all need to be replaced as they have been leaking, could this have lead to the problem...
The house is approx 1930's with a large double extension the the rear.
Cheers then

anselld

You pay for the engineer to advise on the solution.
You get quotes for any work required.
You negotiate with the vendor based on these costs, but the vendor is under no obligation to reduce the price and you might have to either bear the cost or walk away.

Fire_Fox

Can't speculate on the cause of cracking, too many possibilities from build quality to replacement windows or roof to subsidence or heave ... Buyer pays for any reports they want to assure themselves they won't be purchasing a turkey.

G_M

How old is the property?

Gutters and downpipes are pretty basic in terms of maintenance. Not that skilled worked, and materials (if pvc not original old iron!) are cheap. The damage done by leaks though can be significant in terms of penetrating damp.

Repair to a lintel also not that difficult/expensive, though the question of why there is cracking is important. Without seeing it, no one here can comment! That's why you ask a Structural Engineer.

As an aside - not directed directly at you! - threads here often amaze me:

a) surveyors put stuff into their reports of such a niggling nature I often wonder how any property ever gets sold
b) buyers seem to expect their survey to come back showing zero defects, and panic at the sight of the above niggles

Houses are large constructions; they stand there for years, decades, even centuries. They withstand the elements. Like anything, they need maintenance, but often of a very slow nature. The roof does not suddenly 'fail' - it deteriorates very gradually over years, so if at the point of sale a couple of slates are cracked or slipped, it's not a surprise (or shouldn't be) - it's just a bit of maintenance to be done.

(sorry folks - rant over!)