Unlucky in buying??

Stephyk

My partner Nd I have already had to withdraw from a property and after the disappointment with that we have carried on and managed to find another property that we love, we agreed on a price with the vendor and had a survey done. The homebuyers report listed a number of things as 3's, including high damp meter readings and a possible leak in the chimney breast, more worryingly they have found a crack in the outside wall and are concerned with a big tree in the next door neighbours garden, they have suggested a structural engineers report and said they value the property at zero until a report is done, is this common? I'm really worried and gutted this has come back like this the surveyors have recommended a company for the structural report, how else can u find a reputable engineer? Anyone have a crystal ball I can borrow because I'm reLly struggling to decide whether to pay another £500 on top of the 400 already paid for the survey??!!

bluebell2014

It really depends on how much you want the house whether you want to entail so much costs before its even yours. The leak in the chimney breast could be something as simple as there not being the correct chimney pot on top as this happened to us previously. I would be more worried about the outside crack. I dont know how easy it would be to start a relationship off with potential neighbours with having to request that they possibly remove their tree. Im guessing it would be an old tree if the roots are that far reaching. There is a really good company we used before called Peter Cox who did a free survey and report for us and then they also do a non-obligation quote. I dont know if they are a national company but if you google them, and if they dont cover your area, perhaps they know a similar company who do. Their report was very detailed and was excellent in helping us decide whether to proceed with the purchase. I hope this helps.

Kind regards

Stephyk

Thanks bluebell

TheSpaniard

Wouldn't overly worry and right it off straight away, had a similias issue myself recently and ultimately boils down to how much you like the house and potential outlay.

We got a damp and timber expert out who conducted a free survey and took a look at the cavity wall ties too (potential issue with the crack?)

Rang a structural engineer and got them to tailor a quote specific to a few bitsour HB survey highlighted (£200) and a roofer to look at the "roof that will need replacing imminently" to be told its got 5 plus years left in it!

Cant help on the tree issue tho! Based on my report I get the impression it was my surveyor covering his own tail and requesting specialists for anything they didnt want to signoff on.

Risk vs Reward at the end of the day...hopefully get the house i want for added piece of mind for an extra £300!!

ACG

they have valued it at £0 as it could fall down tomorrow if the tree/damp has caused enough damage.

If the report says no damage then your laughing, if it says damage then you have saved yourself however many tens of thousands.

AdrianC

What's the exact wording of the sections which are causing you concern?

Any photos/measurements of the cracks/tree?

ruggedtoast

I would prolly ask the vendor to pay for the report.

cinnamon442

I was trying to buy a flat back in January and the homebuyers came back with exactly the same problems. Big crack in the wall, damp, leaky roof etc. They also valued it at 0, which our estate agent had apparently never heard of before.

We ended up losing the flat because the mortgage lender found out and refused to even consider lending on it, whether we got quotes for it or not, because they deemed it too big a risk. Just something else for you to consider!

Stephyk

Adrianc it say- there is significant cracking on the front of the property which is considered serious. Further movement is possible. In addition the gable wall has bulged slightly which is indicative that significant structural movement has taken place. Cracking was noted above windows. We believe this has been caused by insufficient lintel support. Also considering the proximity of large trees to the property, further investigation is recommended. As this is serious you should instruct a structural engineer to investigate the property and report on the structure

Damp was found inside caused by the porous masonry at first floor level and some repair/upgrading will be necessary.
As this is serious you should instruct a Property Care Association registered company surveyor to inspect all areas of the property for damp and report to you before exchange of contracts.

dirty_magic

I think this would scare me away. I wouldn't touch a house with structural issues, and if like Cinnamon says the lender won't lend you've wasted the money anyway.

Are you prepared to do the repairs depending on what the structural survey says or have you already stretched your budget buying it?

Stephyk

The mortgage company haven't said they definitely won't lend on it, they have said they will consider it once a structural engineer has looked at it. We don't have my money for the repairs so we would be relying on the seller renegotiating with us... I never noticed any cracks when viewing the property (twice) and don't know whether it's the surveyor being overly cautious or whether its so bad we should walk away now! Thanks everybody for the replies