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Home buyer report
first_time_buyer.....
Posts: 37 Forumite
Hello
I have received the home buyer report and requested some information from the EA on Monday(05/01/15) and received the following replies.. issues(level 3) stated in the report in black and comment from vendors in red. The vendor has instructed a builder yesterday 06/01/15 and the builder has replaced part of the flashings around the chimney(no guarantee/no invoice/evidence)
1.There is one brick chimney stack which was found to be in acceptable overall condition.
However a section of flashing is missing and should be replaced as a matter of urgency.
We are unable to comment on the condition of the cement at the top of the stacks as this
could not be viewed from ground level. It is not unusual to find such cement fillets are
defective and so repairs should be anticipated.-The vendor will instruct a builder to replace the missing flashing around the chimney stack and have a look at the general condition and repair if necessary, this will be sorted sometime this week.
2.The main roof is of dual pitch construction covered with slates laid on battens but not
underfelted. Generally the roof lines were found to be true and even with no evidence of
significant disrepair.The mortar bedding and pointing to the ridge tiles is deteriorating with some areas being
worse than others. In order to reduce the possibility of wind uplift, it is recommended that
the ridge tiles are lifted, cleaned off and then rebedded on new mortar. Roofing contractor’s
quotations should be obtained for this work.– No action on this point.
3.The flue to bedroom 1 has been blocked up and not properly vented. There is no dampness
on the chimney breast but redundant flues must always be vented both at the top and the
bottom of the flue, to prevent dampness due to condensation within the flue. At the base of
the flue and air vent must be installed..-The vendor’s solicitor has a copy of a gas safety certificate, which incorporates a smoke test for the gas fire; this was found to be clear and the vendor said there are no issues with damp/condensation on the chimney. We will request a copy of the certificate be forwarded to your solicitor for their perusal.
4. Cracking was noted in the wall surfaces. Distortion can be seen in the shape of some internal door frames, caused by internalsettlement and shrinkage of floor timbers. Readings to the rear wall of the kitchen indicate that the damp course may be starting tofail as these were higher than desirable. Enquiries should be made regarding the availability
of any guarantee for previous damp proofing works. - The vendor advises, this is due to long standing movement NOT ongoing; the property has benefitted from Damp proof course and the installation of wall ties; however he bought the property as a repossession so there is NO guarantees for this on file.
Any advice what I should be aware of? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you
I have received the home buyer report and requested some information from the EA on Monday(05/01/15) and received the following replies.. issues(level 3) stated in the report in black and comment from vendors in red. The vendor has instructed a builder yesterday 06/01/15 and the builder has replaced part of the flashings around the chimney(no guarantee/no invoice/evidence)
1.There is one brick chimney stack which was found to be in acceptable overall condition.
However a section of flashing is missing and should be replaced as a matter of urgency.
We are unable to comment on the condition of the cement at the top of the stacks as this
could not be viewed from ground level. It is not unusual to find such cement fillets are
defective and so repairs should be anticipated.-The vendor will instruct a builder to replace the missing flashing around the chimney stack and have a look at the general condition and repair if necessary, this will be sorted sometime this week.
2.The main roof is of dual pitch construction covered with slates laid on battens but not
underfelted. Generally the roof lines were found to be true and even with no evidence of
significant disrepair.The mortar bedding and pointing to the ridge tiles is deteriorating with some areas being
worse than others. In order to reduce the possibility of wind uplift, it is recommended that
the ridge tiles are lifted, cleaned off and then rebedded on new mortar. Roofing contractor’s
quotations should be obtained for this work.– No action on this point.
3.The flue to bedroom 1 has been blocked up and not properly vented. There is no dampness
on the chimney breast but redundant flues must always be vented both at the top and the
bottom of the flue, to prevent dampness due to condensation within the flue. At the base of
the flue and air vent must be installed..-The vendor’s solicitor has a copy of a gas safety certificate, which incorporates a smoke test for the gas fire; this was found to be clear and the vendor said there are no issues with damp/condensation on the chimney. We will request a copy of the certificate be forwarded to your solicitor for their perusal.
4. Cracking was noted in the wall surfaces. Distortion can be seen in the shape of some internal door frames, caused by internalsettlement and shrinkage of floor timbers. Readings to the rear wall of the kitchen indicate that the damp course may be starting tofail as these were higher than desirable. Enquiries should be made regarding the availability
of any guarantee for previous damp proofing works. - The vendor advises, this is due to long standing movement NOT ongoing; the property has benefitted from Damp proof course and the installation of wall ties; however he bought the property as a repossession so there is NO guarantees for this on file.
Any advice what I should be aware of? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you
0
Comments
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Don't see anything of concern here.
What age is the property?0 -
Seems OK to me. Wouldn't hurt to get some vents put into the chimney breasts when you move in, shouldn't cost much. Get a quote for the roof line repair but doesn't sound major. Don't put too much stock in the damp meter readings - keep on eye for signs of internal dampness and check to see if ground levels outside are well below the existing DPC (should be at least 2 bricks).
If that's the only major issues flagged up, great!0 -
The house was built in 1935
In the survey they said that the kitchen back wall had higher than desireable moisture levels and that the DPC might be failing please can you advise on this as im not sure how expensive it is to sort all of this out. Im not sure how high the moisture levels are but any moisture higher than desirable i can assume is bad?0 -
Do a search on how unreliable damp meters are for detecting damp in masonry walls. If there is no visible signs of damp, there might not be a problem. You should check for obvious causes of damp - high ground levels bridging the DPC, condensation, penetrating damp due to damaged pointing etc.
If you get a damp company in to do a free survey I can guarantee you they will find "rising damp" and say you need a new DPC.
0 -
EA said that because Ive paid few hundred for homebuyer report and therefore the surveyor cant send me a report with no problem at all. That’s why he needs to put down some level 3 issues eventhough there’s no trouble.. is that true?0
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first_time_buyer..... wrote: »EA said that because Ive paid few hundred for homebuyer report and therefore the surveyor cant send me a report with no problem at all. That’s why he needs to put down some level 3 issues eventhough there’s no trouble.. is that true?
Not really, but it is normal for surveyors to do a certain amount of covering their backsides, so they don't get sued for something they didn't mention. But you need to try and distinguish between genuine serious problems and things hat are just normal property maintenance (e.g. Some repointing or repairing defective flashing).
There are also certain things a surveyor can only give a general, high level view on like gas and electrics. They may be able to make comments about how old the electrics might be or if the boiler has a service record but they will always recommend a proper inspection by a qualified professional.0 -
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first_time_buyer..... wrote: »The house was built in 1935
In the survey they said that the kitchen back wall had higher than desireable moisture levels and that the DPC might be failing please can you advise on this as im not sure how expensive it is to sort all of this out. Im not sure how high the moisture levels are but any moisture higher than desirable i can assume is bad?
Since this is the kitchen are there any hot, cold or drainage pipes near this wall. Any could be leaking or leaked in the past, or allowing rain to bridge the gap to the inner wall. Even a window could be causing the problem, however, its all minor stuff.
Indeed the lack of major items in a 1935 house is good.0 -
The solicitor suggested me to obtain a report from a cavity wall ties specialist and a report for damp proof course. Does anyone know how much I need to pay for these reports and whether this is necessary?0
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first_time_buyer..... wrote: »The solicitor suggested me to obtain a report from a cavity wall ties specialist and a report for damp proof course. Does anyone know how much I need to pay for these reports and whether this is necessary?
Free if you want to get a local "specialist" out who will no doubt find work.
About £200-300 if you want to pay an independent specialist to do a survey I'd say.
You only need a report if you think it's necessary unless this is something your lender has stipulated.0
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