Buying a house - Should I pay for a Sulphate report or ask the vendor to pay?

issueskid

I am currently in the process of purchasing a house.

I ended up in a bidding war and got the house for £1,101 over the asking price.

My mortgage lender sent me a letter the other day stating that the valuer's report has come back and I am required to complete a sulphate report due to there being "uneveness to the solid floor". Due to the nature of this potential issue a specialist surveyor has to come out to the property and remove samples from the floor, which are then sent off to a lab for analysis.

After getting a few quotes the cost will be around £500 and the process will add at least another 2 weeks onto the house buying process.

Although under normal circumstances I would pay for any searches and surveys, should I ask the vendor to pay for this one? Several builders and a surveyor have all said this is a pretty rare serch to carry out and it should be down to the vendor to prove there isnt a problem.

My main concern here is that if I ask the vendor to pay for this search they might pull out of the sale and offer the house to the other party I was bidding against a few weeks back.

Thanks.

moneyistooshorttomention

Have you got any idea what the rival bidder ended up offering?

From the very odd price you state you agreed to pay, then I would imagine they weren't offering much less than you.

Did you "win the bidding war" because you offered the higher amount or because you were deemed the more desirable buyer or a combination of both?

My house was sold in a bidding war and my buyer didn't offer that much more than the other bidder in the event, but was my preferred buyer compared to the other bidder (who was an investor from elsewhere in the country). So my chosen buyer had 2 brownie points over the other bidder (a. local b. wanted it as a home) and that was the main reason they were chosen and not so much the little bit extra they were offering.

issueskid

As far as I understand it (and you have to take what estate agents tell you with a pinch of salt), We both offered the full asking price, then were both asked for a best and final offer. I put my offer in and was told "you have offered the most, we can't tell you what the other offer was but it was extremely close to yours".

As for situation, again the estate agent told me that we were in identical positions. First time buyers with no chain, both ready to go pretty much instantly and both had the money to proceed.

I didn't really think asking the vendor to pay for this search was an option (after all, I have paid for all other serches and surveys) but now a few people are saying I should ask the estate agent to ask the vendor to pay.

moneyistooshorttomention

Well, if you're both offering much the same and neither of you scores any "brownie points" over the other, then your negotiating position to get any money knocked-off the agreed offer price is poor I'm afraid.

If you were local and they weren't...you might manage it.

If you were a home-owner and they were an investor...you might manage it.

In your particular circumstances, from what you say, I think it would be a risk too far. They might well turn to the other bidder and accept them instead.

issueskid

That is what I am worried about.
Thanks for the advice.

kingstreet

Near here, the cost of taking a sample for an SO4 test, the analysis and written report is £164.

I assume the property is in an area and of an age sulphate-rich infill could have been used?

I would pay for it myself and not pass this to the vendor. You want a report for you, by your appointed contractor.

issueskid

The valuer was very vague about the details other than saying "There are some properties in the area where uneven hard floors have become apparent".

I rang a surveyor yesterday who did say that if they dig and take a sample but find a membrane then there won't be any sulpher present and the lab test can be bypassed. I'm not sure how true this is, or if I will still get a report saying no further analysis is needed which I can then pass on to the lender.

kingstreet

Have a read of this page from the firm I use for these tests;-

http://www.blythebuildingconsultants.co.uk/sulphatefloor.php

it's pretty self-explanatory.

The presence of a damp-proof membrane means there is no concern over any sulphate readings.

issueskid

Great stuff, thanks for the help!

Road_Hog

It's always a difficult situation. I'm currently selling a property (not my home) and after the buyer's surveyor report, it needed a further structural engineer's report. Which I paid out for. I considered it an investment on my property.

I retain the rights to this report and it is withheld from the buyer - that may sound rude, but in my opinion, if he wanted to read it, then he should have paid for it and it is there for his mortgage company to approve the mortgage.

The problem with this sort of situation is, you're going through the estate agent. And any discussion is only as good as the estate agent. Having been in sales (management) for a very long time and become quite attuned to people, I know that it is the way you ask, not what you ask.

I'd want to ask the vendor face to face and say, let's pull up a chair, have a coffee and would you go halves on the cost of this. People find it very difficult to say no to this, when faced with a non confrontational situation. They may not want to pay, but they can't find any reason to say no (even if they want to).

issueskid

I think realistically I was prepared to pay for this myself so I'll go ahead. The house is empty at the moment so metting the vendor is not really an option.

As you say, it's an investment in the property and peace of mind to know whether or not the problem does exist.

Hopefully I'll get the report back, be £500 out of pocket but know the house is structurally sound!