Survey results - what do I do next?

basilsauce

Just got the results back from the survey (homebuyers report) on the house I'm hoping to buy, and it has flagged up a number of issues, and I'm not sure what I need to do next.


Should I send the survey to the estate agent so they can forward it onto the vendor? Having talked to a few friends, the general consensus seems to be that the vendor either needs to get the issues sorted before the sale proceeds, or they drop the price accordingly so that I then have the money to do the work once I've bought it - is that right?


Any advice very gratefully received, as I've never done this before so have no idea what I'm doing!


Many thanks.

rosie383

What issues? If you are wanting advice you will need to be more specific.

richy999

I am not sure that it is necessary to send the survey to the vendor… unless they specifically ask for it as proof of an issue.


Assuming you still want the house, get quotes for what needs to be done and reduce your offer accordingly.

Can I ask what issues have been flagged up?

Nobbie1967

The vendors may have priced the property based on it's condition and therefore being unwilling to drop the price. You're not buying a new house here and should expect the survey to show up some issues of maintenance. If however it turns out that it's got dry rot in the roof or subsidence then clearly there will be a negotiation to be had. Don't just send the survey report and expect the vendors to cough up for everything.

G_M

As a general rule, asking the vendors to 'sort out' the issues is a bad idea. Even if they agree, they have no incentive to do a proper job, and will do it as cheaply as possible.

IF you intend to reduce your offer, based on the survey
a) you'll need to decide by how much
b) you'll need evidence of the cost of the work required (builders quotes?)
c) you may choose to send the survey (or relevant parts of it) to the vendors (via EA?) to back up your reduced offer

You will also need to decide what you will do if they refuse to accept your reduced offer.

But the key here is whether the issues found

a) could reasonably have been foreseen ie should you have noticed the blown double glazing when you viewed

b) whether the property was priced anyway for its current conditipn

What are the issues.....?

basilsauce

Thank you for the replies.


The main issues are:


One of the chimney stacks is cracked, weathered and the flashing is leaking.
Evidence of wood-boring beetle infestation in the timber cladding.
The boards on the front of the property are weathered, rottena nd cracked.
The surfaces of the chimney stacks in the roof space are damp, spalling and deteriorating.
High damp meter readings recorded to the ceiling in the main bedroom and in the first floor chimney plaster.


There are numerous smaller things to, but the ones listed above are things that the surveyor has marked with a 3 rating - defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.

G_M

basilsauce wrote: »

Thank you for the replies.


The main issues are:


One of the chimney stacks is cracked,
could need £100 for re-pointing. Could need £5000 to rebuild. Speak to surveyor and/or get a builder to quote
weathered and the flashing is leaking. Minor. £100
Evidence of wood-boring beetle infestation in the timber cladding.
Active? Needs treatment. Historic? Irrelevant.
Is there a warranty or receipt for previous treatment?

plus 'cladding' is cosmetic so no big deal.

The boards on the front of the property are weathered, rottena nd cracked.
If these are weather boards they are (probably) cosmetic, so just replace when you want
The surfaces of the chimney stacks in the roof space are damp, spalling and deteriorating.
well, durrr! the chimney flashing leaks. Fix the flashing and the damp will dry out!
High damp meter readings recorded to the ceiling in the main bedroom and in the first floor chimney plaster.
Cause of the damp? Ask surveyor. (probably the chimney - is the damp ceiling near the chimney?)


There are numerous smaller things to, but the ones listed above are things that the surveyor has marked with a 3 rating - defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.

.................................................................................................

basilsauce

G_M, thank you.


I think receiving the 30+ pages of the report, with everything in black and white, just freaked me out a bit - knowing nothing about this process I didn't know what to expect!

bris

The big question is however the valuation, has it valued at the agreed price? The vendor may and probably does know about the problems and may have priced accordingly.

AlexMac

GM's analysis is spot on, but, if as seems likely you're buying a period property with old brickwork and 'Kentish weatherboarding' the bad news is that you can inevitably expect a bit of minor damp and aging.

The good news is that it all sounds eminently fixable; and probably at affordable cost. The even better news is that if it is a period property, these are tremendously durable- there's one locally which is well over 300 years old, restored in 1995 by the local Preservation Trust, and looking as good as new:
then
http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/greenwich/assets/galleries/charlton/poplar-cottage-1920
now
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenjonbro/5395437509/
So after you get more precise costs to repair, lets hope you're a good negotiator because even if the place is only 100 years old or so, the vendor probably expects the buyer to have to do a bit of routine making good, and may well have priced it accordingly

basilsauce

The mortgage valuation said it was built in 1930, and the homebuyers report reckoned it was 1925.


I wasn't expecting it to be in perfect condition, I know a house of that age is never going to be, but the report just made it all seem very daunting, and I'm very scared of making a costly mistake!


Should I speak to the estate agent to see if they/the vendor were aware of any of these issues, and therefore whether or not it was priced accordingly? They certainly hadn't mentioned anything, and there is nothing similar in the area for me to compare it to.


I will start the process of getting quotes tomorrow. Thanks again for all the advice so far, it is very much appreciated!