Do ALL surveys come back with problems?

flickeringmuse

Hi there,

The property we're buying is about to be surveyed, and I'm starting to get worried because it seems as if every survey comes back with problems, which may then affect the amount mortgage lenders will offer.

Do ALL surveys come back with problems? The house we're buying seems in mint condition compared to the other houses in the local area.

Thanks!

suestew

I would say yes, but mostly covering the surveyors back that nothing has been missed. No property is perfect but If property is in a good condition I would not worry as unless it's something major it will not affect the mortgage

Vomityspice

The most likely answer is yes.

My 'Red' highlighted faults (House build in 2000) are;

"Some of the cabling (electric) is underneath the insulation in the roof and this could result in over heating and deterioration. The cabling therefore must be relocated above the insulation layer"

"We are not aware of any service agreement for the central heating boiler and gas fire and your legal adevisor should check the service records with the present owner....."

"The covering (roof tiles) are mostly in satisfactory condition for their age with no serious disrepair evident. However, there is a slipped tile noted to the front valley gutter which needs attention...."

Well worth the extra ££ we paid........

ACG

Surveys always make me laugh...
I once read through a clients survey and there were 2 green points out of 35, the rest were amber or red. You would think the house was ready to cave in.

Double Glazed windows in amber because they have a shelf life of 10-15 years and they expect that they do not have 15 years left in them... no $$$$ sherlock, even if they had been in 6 months they wont have the full shelf life will they!

The roof - The roof looks fine and well maintained but because we could only see it from ground level it might not be = amber!

The best one:
Boiler - The boiler looks modern and well maintained, however we would suggest you do get a separate report done on it = RED!!!

Turns out the boiler had been fitted less than 6 months prior.

flickeringmuse

Thanks for the responses! We don't really have a budget to pay for problems if there are any (major ones, that is) - so we're keeping our fingers crossed. Very crossed!

kingstreet

Are you talking about a survey, or a mortgage report & valuation?

Duskylady

We had 3 reds on ours which I understand is quite low. These seemed bizarre to me until I red the experience of others on this forum

1 saying drains looked partially blocked and this may hide damage.
2 can't guarantee the boiler is in a serviceable condition. (Nearly new)
3 didn't check the smoke detectors work so can't guarantee they do.

I would never have expected the surveyor to check the boiler or smoke alarms so was non plussed when I read this. There are loads of Amber's basically saying you have to maintain your property..... Well duh.

flickeringmuse

Seems like they want to worry you for no reason!

Duskylady

flickeringmuse wrote: »

Seems like they want to worry you for no reason!

Just covering themselves I think. When you get your survey back set aside some quiet time to read it through. I tried to skim read mine and that really didn't work. Also ask someone else you trust to have a look. I sent mine to my parents for a second opinion.

Mallotum_X

If you have a builder in the family ask them to read it.

Full_of_angst

My house recently had a building survey done for my buyers; it is the most horrific document I have ever read. If someone read it without having seen the house they would think it was a right dump. It's not though, it's a lovely house, albeit it's 300 years old, so not perfect... but none the less beautiful.

The house I'm buying - lovely Edwardian town house. The survey I had makes it sound like a damp riddled heap which might spontaneously electrocute you or explode as soon as you walk through the door - if it doesn't fall down first!