Survey back, house is in a terrible state.

BobQ

Properties of this age often have such defects. You just need to get them costed and decide if they are worth the hassle for you.

It sounds like the damp course needs replacing and any damp areas corrected. The end wall probably has rusted wall ties, to correct the lean. Replacing a small number of roof timbers is a significant job but any competent builder should be capable of doing it. Then there are cracks in the wall. Clearly it will not be cheap.

What does your mortgage provider and protective insurer have to say about the matter?

Pandilex

It was a structural engineer that did the report.

At the end of the day the solution is as you say to work out the cost, and beat the seller down on price. If they don't budge, I'll have to walk away.

The property market really really is bad at the moment though. Maybe it's related to the interest rate being so low, or the time of year, etc.

I got the report Friday so I will be figuring out and acting on it all tomorrow. I guess I should send the full report to the vendor via the estate agent, which seems a necessary bonus to them to get them to compromise on price though.

notisis

I had similar when I bought house 10 years ago. However, movement on outside wall was not major -builder confirmed it was due to joists not being fitted correctly in rear (Victorian) 2 storey extension - cheapest fix for few hundred pounds was a new rsj supporting upper floor in the kitchen. Damp proof course around £500. Roof used heavier concrete tiles so extra support in loft - around £250. The surveyor even said I should replaster every single wall - no way was it required. Yes, I had the place rewired and plumbed and then central heating added later. If I'd believed the report entirely I would have walked away. I already knew it needed a new kitchen and bathroom etc. Get a builder round to give you rough costings.

Kynthia

Pandilex wrote: »

nor would excavating the drainage to check it's connected. Hopefully the engineer can shed some light on rough costs, I don't know.

Is that to check the down pipe is connected as I would have thought a CCTV drain survey would do this and check the state of the drains on the property for approximately £140?

Pandilex

Kynthia wrote: »

Is that to check the down pipe is connected as I would have thought a CCTV drain survey would do this and check the state of the drains on the property for approximately £140?

Hello, yes that is what the report says. Perhaps there is a better way to do it!

I guess my question is, what do you think I should do?

I will talk to the surveyor and get some idea of the severity but I guess I will need to get quotes in order to approach the seller. Do I send them the full survey and say this is the deal, figure out how much it'll cost to fix it and knock the price off and that's what I'll pay? Or do I pay for builders etc. to go in and look and get a quote myself? Perhaps I should keep the report to myself and just submit some of it?

I feel so lost at the moment. I really really appreciate all these helpful replies. If open honesty is the best policy I'll probably phone the EA tomorrow and explain the situation immediately, they'll probably want a copy of the report, is it in my best interests to send it?

Kynthia

Do you like the house enough to risk spending some money on investigating further? If yes then I'd verbally tell the EA the main concerns and say you'll be sending round some people to investigate/quote. Then with the results I'd decide whether I wanted to proceed. If yes then I'd use the quotes to attempt to renegotiate and maybe send excerpts from the survey (as they make the problems sound serious) to back it up. I'd only send the whole survey if it valued the property lower than the agreed price.

Unitoons

I would follow the advice given here:
Speak to the surveyor
Obtain quotes for the work
Try to re-negotiate on price with the seller

Depending on the outcome of the above, a clear path may present itself.

Pandilex

I've not been able to contact the structural engineer despite phoning every single day :mad:

I guess he has gone on holiday or something.

I'll keep trying next week. In the mean time I want to update the seller, and get the ball rolling on obtaining quotes for the part of the report that I *do* know the severity of which is a damp problem.

Should I just send the seller the full report? Or could that backfire in any way?

If I want to arrange for a company to give a quote on the damp issues does that cost money? Is that something I should arrange or should I ask the seller if they want to arrange it?

I really appreciate all this help I would be doomed without it :smileyhea

Yorkie1

You arrange for any follow-up surveys, not the seller (who has a vested interest in as little as possible being found wrong ... ).

You need an independent damp specialist firm, not one which surveys for free (and thus is at risk of getting their money back from you by recommending work which is only borderline required).

I *think* that the property care association is one often thought of highly on here, but hopefully others will confirm or correct.

dinofabio

A lot of surveyors reports spook people when they read them. It's a wonder any house sales ever go through!

However, in most cases a call to the surveyor in question usually allays the fears.

Surveyors have to paint a pessimistic picture in their reports to stop any potential comebacks from a buyer. When they are on the phone it's a lot more informal and they will usually give you some guidance on the remedial works etc.

...but sometimes a house is a genuine lemon and a serious money-pit. If this is the case you need to cut your losses and start your search again