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Survey: Is this something to be worried about?
CheekCheek
Posts: 14 Forumite
Hi all,
Many thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.
Me and my partner are in the process of buying our first home (FTBs). We're buying a late Victorian terrace which appeared to be in excellent condition when we viewed and our offer was based on this (a lot of interest in the house, which went to sealed bids and we were succesful with our bid).
Due to the age of the property we went for a full building survey to be on the safe side. However, the surveyor has highlighted some 'issues' that are now causing us concern and we weren't aware of when we made our offer.
We are very conscious from research that surveyors can be 'OTT' sometimes and some of the findings you should take with a pinch of salt/the perils of home ownership. However, there are a couple of findings that we need impartial advice on whether they are significant enough to be worried about/renegotiated on:
1. The electrics appear to be pretty old (see photo) with no earthing or rcd. We are hoping to get further advice from some family friends on whether the wiring is needing a full re-wire, or something less drastic.
2. The chimney above the kitchen has quite a significant crack in it (photo attached) and the breast below appears to have been removed underneath (we're unsure if this has been supported). This is shared with next door.
There are a couple of other issues, but these appear the most significant.
Our full written report is due early next week from the surveyor, but we are toing and froing on these issues and working out if the house is still a goer or not. Any impartial advice would be much appreciated at this point!!!
Many thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.
Me and my partner are in the process of buying our first home (FTBs). We're buying a late Victorian terrace which appeared to be in excellent condition when we viewed and our offer was based on this (a lot of interest in the house, which went to sealed bids and we were succesful with our bid).
Due to the age of the property we went for a full building survey to be on the safe side. However, the surveyor has highlighted some 'issues' that are now causing us concern and we weren't aware of when we made our offer.
We are very conscious from research that surveyors can be 'OTT' sometimes and some of the findings you should take with a pinch of salt/the perils of home ownership. However, there are a couple of findings that we need impartial advice on whether they are significant enough to be worried about/renegotiated on:
1. The electrics appear to be pretty old (see photo) with no earthing or rcd. We are hoping to get further advice from some family friends on whether the wiring is needing a full re-wire, or something less drastic.
2. The chimney above the kitchen has quite a significant crack in it (photo attached) and the breast below appears to have been removed underneath (we're unsure if this has been supported). This is shared with next door.
There are a couple of other issues, but these appear the most significant.
Our full written report is due early next week from the surveyor, but we are toing and froing on these issues and working out if the house is still a goer or not. Any impartial advice would be much appreciated at this point!!!
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Comments
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ELECTRICS- This is pretty standard surveyor blurb for 'we take no responsibility for your electrics, they aren't new'. Yes those look old and if you want peace of mind you could get an electrical company to take a look but personally, unless the current owner is an old lady who only plugs her TV in, I wouldn't see an issue (e.g. if the current owners have a couple of laptops, a coffee machine, a stereo etc you're unlikley to overload the system if they haven't.
CHIMNEY- you had a full structural survey, why don't you know if the chimney has been supported? This is their job. They should have brought a nice big ladder and gone in to the loft space and found out. If it hasn't then the chimney either needs supporting as a matter of urgency or removing (which may be hard if it's shared with a neighbour and they have a flue that goes up it) and then 'banding'. It may be something, it may be nothing so I'd get a builder to look at it, shouldn't cost much and most will take any cost of the quote off the cost of the work.
Overall, if those are your two issues I'd say yay!0 -
I wouldn't be too bothered about electrics unless there are signs of actual problems.
That's the rendering which is cracked on the chimney rather than the bricks (though we can't see what's going on underneath). So possibly trivial.0 -
Ref the electrics if you want to be sure, the hard wire test cost me about £100 (midlands) and you can then get a quote to check the costs of remedial work. To give you an idea, there was lots wrong with the wiring in my victorian mid terrace (it had the original fuse wires to start off with) cost to put right 1K.All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.
Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.0 -
Okay well it's good to hear that it might not all be bad!
As I said we're waiting for the full written report (hopefully tomorrow) to come through and let us know further re. the chimney support. I think we will be investigating this with quotes to take it dow, although as already said we will probably have to liaise with next door on this (hopefully they're not using it still...). Otherwise we'll have to look into it being adequately supported.
Hoping the electrics as you said aren't all bad. They've got a relatively new kitchen in the house, which I would assume would've thrown up some electrical issues if it really was that bad?0 -
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may0
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Many thanks for the link - very useful.0
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