Buyers skipping building survey to save costs

Davesnave

BroncoBill wrote: »

How does this work then in practice? Does the vendor have to give permission for moving of furniture and lifting of carpets etc. I, as a seller, (house is on the market at the moment) would not want carpets lifting and semi-fixed furniture moving nor would I want the surveyer climbing all over the loft.....Not trying to hide anything, just don't want the disruption ......
How do we get around this?

We get around it by saying, " Lovely house. Thanks for your time!" and then say some rude things about you in the car on the way home. :rotfl:

Sorry, but I go in lofts myself, never mind surveyors. Maybe not on a first visit, but even then, sticking my head in the hatch would tell me the basics about construction, which is important if a conversion is a possibility. I ruled out one property like that and it saved a wasted second visit. Quite important, as the place was 120miles from home.

It's also useful to learn about other things besides roof structure, such as wiring and plumbing. I looked at those on my present house and worked out that the bozo who did the decorating and DIY wasn't responsible for the main functional systems. Again, quite significant.

As a vendor, you have a right to say what goes on in your house during viewings and other inspections. As a buyer, I also have the right to regard any behaviour which seems obstructive as a danger signal, either about the house, the seller, or both.

phoebe1989seb

Ivana_Tinkle wrote: »

I've always stumped up for a full structural survey, and always felt massively resentful later at how much they got wrong and just how amateurish it all seemed. I know they can't be experts on everything, so I'm not talking about things like electrics, where they always tell you to get a separate test, but, as arbrighton says, why don't the ones who work in rural areas know anything about septic tanks? Ours didn't even understand the difference between a septic tank and a cesspit.

But then I've only ever bought renovation properties, where I wasn't going to go and ask for money off because I hadn't noticed the boiler was a bit old. Maybe if you're expecting the place you're buying to be perfect and have agreed the price accordingly it's a bit of a different story.

I keep saying that next time I won't bother with a survey, and then I always chicken out and get one anyway...

Like Ivana we also only ever buy renovation properties - ranging from Tudor with 20th century additions, through Georgian to Victorian - and we've not always bothered with a survey, but like Davesnave said, on those occasions when we haven't had a survey we have taken a more knowledgeable member of the family (or a friend) along to assess the condition of the place we are considering.

We did have a structural survey when buying our biggest (in square footage) house (Victorian) that had previously been divided into four flats and that had been allowed to fall into disrepair by the PO, but it was really just a catalogue of obvious minor issues that we could see for ourselves........roof requiring replacement, ancient boiler etc etc.

On our current house - a stone-built Georgian (or slightly earlier) house we didn't bother with a survey - the PO had replaced the thatched roof within the last couple of years, had new oil heating and all timbers either treated for infestations or replaced where necessary. All the plaster had been stripped internally so that the bare stone was visible. The kitchen and bathrooms were very obviously in need of replacing - in fact the kitchen was pretty much non-existent.

The buyers of our last house (the Tudor one) had a homebuyer's report that took 3+ hours - the surveyor couldn't be bothered to venture into the extensive attic and made a catalogue of schoolboy errors in his findings (including stating that the house was built in 1938 ) leaving us rather sceptical as to trusting to a survey ourselves in the future. I doubt we'd bother again.......

Malks

First house I bought, I had a full survey done – never again. It was riddled with get out clauses and issues that the Surveyor missed. Not taking about Electrics, heating, damp or timber issues. But things in plain view the average person on the street could see if they spent a few minutes looking. I also found out that having paid for a full survey he was in and out within about 20 minutes. What can you seriously see in that time?

At a basic level it was full of misleading information, no mention of missing tiles on the roof or sagging joists in the loft. When I queried this I was told he didn’t have a ladder so couldn’t access the loft and the roof seemed OK at the time of the survey. I was aware that buying a Victorian terrace would have some issues, so went in with eyes open and knew about most of the issues before instructing the surveyor, but wanted a full survey for peace of mind and to give me a list of what need to be done, incase I missed something. I wish I hadn’t as I could of used that money wisely elsewhere.

I now just go for the basic survey needed for the mortgage and have a look everywhere myself on the second viewing. If in doubt, I will arrange another viewing with a builder and then go through the place. If this throws up any issues with damp, electrics etc, I will then ask if it is OK for a specialist to look at the issue.

On the property I am currently selling, the surveyor was in there for 30 minutes and this was meant to be a full survey, again he didn’t go into the loft. I even offered to open the hatch and pull down the ladder, and I was informed this was not needed. He seemed to go through the motions, but not really care and wanted to get onto the next one.

arbrighton

Must depend on the surveyor, as our did spend best part of a day looking at this house, did look in the loft (ok, access is tight up there) as he mentioned that the wiring was fitted under the insulation (not a good thing), did at least look at the septic tank even if he clearly didn't understand them, did mention iffy tiles and spalling bricks, and the bulging wall by the outhouse. Mentioned that the brick arch over the window had dropped and might need support.
Commented on the house and its surroundings.

tim123456789

NewHomeExpert wrote: »

I cant help thinking this report was to drum up business for RICS surveyors in the busy spring property buyuing period and at the same time, add even more to the promotional clamour towards badly built small new homes aftre the taxpayers Help-To-Buy was announced in the Budget.

Well of course it was.

The ridiculous statistic that 1 in 5 buyers find a problem with their new purchase is the clue.

Does anybody really believe that 1 in 5 buyers find a "serious" problem that would have caused them to back out, or that it's 1 in 5 find out that the decoration isn't up to scratch?

Dukesy

OH and I have only ever had the minimum survey done on both the properties we've bought, and only because the mortgage company insisted on them. We actually wouldn't have bothered with that level of survey even if we'd had the choice. The people who bought my grandad's old house had the full, bells and whistles survey done which, to my mind, was ridiculous. The faults that were listed were things like 'the gate scrapes on the drive'...

In addition, in our current property, no survey would have picked up the true extent of the structural issues as they were well hidden and only became apparent once render, walls, ceilings and floors had been removed. Things like damp and dodgy electrics are evident to anyone, but other things cannot be found until you really start knocking a place about.

HOWEVER, OH and I buy to renovate. OH is a carpenter and joiner from a family of builders, and so we know what we're looking at when we view a property, and how to tackle it by ourselves. For some people, I suspect a survey is the sensible course as it could hint that there may be further issues than the obvious for those who are not renovation minded.

suestew

arbrighton wrote: »

Must depend on the surveyor, as our did spend best part of a day looking at this house, did look in the loft (ok, access is tight up there) as he mentioned that the wiring was fitted under the insulation (not a good thing), did at least look at the septic tank even if he clearly didn't understand them, did mention iffy tiles and spalling bricks, and the bulging wall by the outhouse. Mentioned that the brick arch over the window had dropped and might need support.
Commented on the house and its surroundings.

be interested to know who you used as we are NW and looking for a good surveyor?

arbrighton

suestew wrote: »

be interested to know who you used as we are NW and looking for a good surveyor?

Will check survey report and send you a PM.
Not cheap though!

danielanthony

If I was buying an old, knackered house, yes. Newer house, home buyers survey.

suestew

arbrighton wrote: »

Will check survey report and send you a PM.
Not cheap though!

great thanks. :beer: Don't mind paying if they are good