Which survey should I do for 1960's house?

HappySad

I am buying a 1960's house. It has been empty for 6 months as the elderly lady who used to live their died. It has mould in one bedroom along the wall & carpet and also mould on the window sill of that same bedroom.

Do you think I should get a full structural survey or a medium survey?

Your information, web links and advice most welcome.

richy999

The structuralsurvey.org site gives a pretty decent explanation of the three common types of property survey.


If you don’t want to shell out for a full survey then perhaps go for a Homebuyers Survey and also have a damp survey to get to the bottom of the damp problem.

Fair enough, the house has been empty for 6 months, but from what you say, the mould is localised to that one area so there is some underlying issue that I’d want to get to the bottom of and get an idea of what needs to be done to put it right before going any further.

I would personally go for the full survey in this case. This reallymoving.com site promises ‘Instant home survey quotes emailed to you in seconds’.

(as a new user I can't post direct links but hopefully with a little help from google, you can find the sites i've tried to list above).

artyclarty

I have just had a full survey carried out on a slightly older property than yours (50s ex local authority). In all honesty I was recommended a medium survey but my other half insisted.

It brought up a minor structural issue that wouldn't have been picked up on a medium so it came up trumps for me.

Personally I would consider the full survey as it has been empty and was owned by someone who is likely to have been unable to maintain the property at that age.

On the other hand, it could be something trivial like guttering or poor ventilation of the room

It really depends on if you have the extra money and if you think that the problems you suspect are there would be picked up in the medium.

Running_Horse

A lot has changed in house construction in the last fifty years, and a lot could have happened to this property during that period.

HappySad

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have gone for a full survey. ��

ACG

You could get a basic valuation and pay for a separate damp survey on top?
Chances are you will need to get a damp survey regardless of which report you go for.

trailingspouse

Just a thought - you already know that there is a damp problem. What would a damp survey tell you that you don't already know? Might you be better off saving the money to go towards remedial work?

ACG

If damp gets brought up in the valuation/survey/homebuyers etc then the lender is most likely going to request a damp report. Depending on the outcome of that they offer the mortgage with a retention (which could be anywhere from a couple of thousand up to a full retention).