Homebuyer report questions

class2ldn

Hi all, just had an email with our homebuyers report.
Got a couple of queries.

The windows are of double glazed timber framed construction. The windows require general overhauling including repairs to some areas of decay. There is a tape flashing to the underside of the living room window sill. This flashing is inadequate and should ideally be replaced as necessary with a suitable lead flashing

What is the flashing? Its only got a 2 but is it something we need to action soon?

This is for other joinery and finishes

This comprises uPVC fascias, soffits and bargeboards as well as fibre cement verge support boards. These appear generally satisfactory but a closer inspection may reveal areas of wet rot behind guttering. Condition Rating 1. Bearing in mind that the plastic roof level joinery is likely to have been fixed over the original elements, some repairs may well be found to be necessary when routine maintenance is carried out. Materials were found to the verge support boards which may contain asbestos. These appear to be in satisfactory condition at present and should present no health risk if undisturbed. However they should not be cut or worked in any way, and specialist advice must be sought if they are to be removed as this could prove costly. Further advice is available from the Health & Safety Executive - https://www.hse.gov.uk. The presence of asbestos is a serious concern to many people and could adversely affect the future value of the property. As a result you may wish to give serious consideration to removing the material now.

Asbestos???? Only got a 1 rating but if we want to do any work i take it this could cost us a bit of money??

Access to the roof void is from the hatch within the first floor landing ceiling.
The roof structure is formed of trussed rafter construction.
From the limited inspection available we saw no signs of significant deflection or
movement.
Insufficient insulation is provided within the roof void. You should ensure that
insulation is provided here to current standards and does not interfere with
ventilation.
Condition Rating 2.
Whats the best action for this?

F2
Ceilings Ceilings are of plasterboard.
These appear to be in generally satisfactory condition, with only minor hairline
cracking which can be repaired as part of the next internal redecoration cycle.
Condition Rating 1.
A textured finish has been applied to the ceilings. It is now known that such
finishes may contain low levels of asbestos. These appear to be in satisfactory
condition at present and should present no health risk if undisturbed. However
they should not be cut or worked in any way and specialist advice must be sought
if they are to be removed as this could be costly

Again asbestos? Safe now but what about the future and the costs?

F9
Other Not inspected.
In a property of this age asbestos based components are likely to have been used
in many areas, some of which are hidden within the structure. This should be
borne in mind when undertaking any works to the property. Should asbestos
based materials be found then they may need to be dealt with by specialist
contractors and this could prove expensive. Further advice is available from the
Health & Safety Executive - https://www.hse.gov.uk.

All the gas, electric etc came back as 3 but i understand this is common.
Do people generally get these tested before. The goods etc all work but obviously it can add up getting all the bits checked. What do people advise?

3
General The boundaries are in fair condition where visible although some repairs are needed.
The paths and drive etc., are in fair condition where visible although some repairs are
needed.
There are trees approximately 8-15 metres from the building on suspected shrinkable
subsoil. Trees can cause damage to buildings and services but none was seen.
Arrangements should be made for the trees to be kept regularly pruned to prevent them
from increasing in size. Your legal adviser should advise in respect of trees on
neighbouring land. See Section I3.
Some of the retaining walls to the rear of the property require some localised repairs. We
also noted that these walls are not provided with any edge protection and there is a risk
that people could fall within this location

J3
Risks to people E8: Joinery - asbestos;
F2: Ceilings - possible asbestos;
G1: Electricity - requires safety check;
G2: Gas/oil - requires safety check;
G4: Heating - requires safety check;
G5: Water heating - requires safety check;
H3: General - missing guard rail to retaining wall;

In my opinion the current reinstatement cost of the property (see note below) is:
£105,000
The valuation has come back the same as we've offered at £246000.

Anything we really need to worry about?
The asbestos is an issue as im worried about the financial cost of getting it taken out.
We've got plans to extend could this be an issue .
Whats the generul rule for asbestos, its been rated as 1 but its still a worry.

This is our first home so want to make a good decision, anything we should be bringing up with the sellers?
Its a probate so they didnt live there, we realise some of the stuff is just wear and tear etc like gutters and we wouldnt necessarily expect them to repair them as they are not urgent as such but what about the other stuff?
Anything we should be bringing up?

Sorry for the questions just want to make sure we are not buying a dud lol

Cheers

class2ldn

Also it says it's had previous structural movement but appears longstanding and not progressive. I assume this has to be told to the insurance company??

Hoploz

If you are so unsure of what is written in the report, I suggest it might be an idea to phone the surveyor and have a quick chat so he can explain the implications to you. A lot of this is really pretty basic maintenance and you don't seem to have any knowledge in this area.

Re the asbestos, as it states in the report, it MAY (or indeed may not) be present. If it is present then it poses no risk if left undisturbed. This material was very widely used in years gone by so this sort of thing gets written in to reports of houses of a certain age all the time. If the items possibly containing asbestos are to be removed or worked on then discuss it with your builder, but it is unlikely to be anything unusual for him to deal with.

Presumably you are going to to some refurbishment and were aware that this was your intention when you agreed the price? I say that as this is often the case when it's a probate sale.

If you want an assurance that the electrics and gas appliances are safe for you to move into (a good idea if the property has been empty) then you should arrange to have your own safety inspections done prior to exchange of contracts.

Hoploz

class2ldn wrote: »

Also it says it's had previous structural movement but appears longstanding and not progressive. I assume this has to be told to the insurance company??

Answer the questions the insurance company ask. If they ask directly whether there has been any historic movement identified you'll have to say yes, if they ask if there is any ongoing movement you say no and keep schtum!

AlexMac

With luck, G_M will come on with one of his (her?) wonderfully detailed, point-by-point commentaries, but nothing here would worry me.

The flashing merely refers to the waterproof layer or seal between the window structure and the brickwork below ('flashing' also describes the protection at potentially leaky areas such as roof/chimney stackes, above doors & windows...) and I guess when the windows were replaced last, a plastic rather than a lead strip was used - but no big deal, and it will probably outlast the woodwork. Ditto- any softwood which has been in place a ferw years will show minor wet rot unless redecorated every few years; easy to do a minor wood repair or fill (some of my past Victorian windows had more filler than wood!)

Asbestos used in things like fascias is safe and stable, unless you satrt sanding, drilling or machining it; and even then, it's much safer than the old toxic 'blue' asbestos lagging. My current 1986 house has asbestos fascias and soffits. If plastic ones have gone over the old wood they might well conceal some worn or slightly rotten bits; but wait til they fail or fall off in 20 years to sort it, unless you can see obvious signs of overflow or leaking in the form of damp or darkened strreaks on the brickwork below.

The note that the roof structure is good, is great- and no-one can have enough loft insulation!

Textured celings not only look naff, but in some cases used to be painted with 'Artex'. This, a while, did contain asbestos fibre; so the wisdom, to protect against negligible risk, is not to take a power sander to the ceiling (who would) but to paint over it, skim it, or board and skim it, live with it or, in extremis have it ripped down and re-boarded (which few do)

And the outside sounds fine- although I love the fact that the surveyor helpfully points out that people can fall off walls (who was his last client; Humpty Dumpty?)

And I wouldn't mention inactive 'historic' movement to an insuraer; every house in our part of London (and beyond) moved a bit in the great drought of 1976, and Hitler's bombs didn't help 30-odd years before that

So deffo not a dud; sounds good!

AlexMac

Oh- I didn't answer the Q about loft insulation; google it; it's an easy DIY job, and unless you want to store stuff up there, just lay the new stuff over the old. Or do waht we dis and latch on to one of the enrgy companies' subsidised schemes if still available. We found that while only claimants or those with absolutely no insulation got it free, British Gas did ours for £250; better than me jerking about in the loft. And if you board the loft for storage get the fitters toinsualte 1st...

but before you start storing stuff in the loft think about it; in our experience, the only time 'stored' stuff comes out of the loft is 10 years later when you next move, or when it goes to the tip... so maybe cut out the middle stage?

class2ldn

Thanks for all that guys, has put my mind at ease a bit. Just did some quotes on comparethemarket and if I answered yes the cheapest quote was £256 and only 4 would quote. We got a quote from our broker from l and g and it was quite good but obviously that was without the structural movement. The house is only 25 years old.
Having done a bit of research it appears most of the stuff mentioned isn't a massive issue. Like I say we'd possibly like to extend but that would be upwards in the form of a loft extension.
The ceilings are artex which to me looks ok but if it can just be sorted out with fairly reasonable low key work then I'm happy with that.
Must say I did find it funny about the falling off the walls lol.
Will have a bit more of a dig into the insurance.
Cheers

class2ldn

Just checked on legal and general and it says they won't cover us unless the structural movement was over 15 years ago. How do we know?

class2ldn

Right reading through it again I've just found this which is sort of contradicting

Outside

Main wallsThe walls are of cavity masonry construction, part rendered to the front elevation.The structural condition of the walls appears to be generally satisfactory and we found no evidence of significant cracking, subsidence or structural movement. The main walls all appear to be satisfactorily straight and true to the eye, and generally well pointed.The rendered wall surfaces appear in basically satisfactory repair, although subjectto some cracking and loss of key in a number of areas. This is due to shrinkageand general deterioration of the render material. Damaged render can causedampness and these areas will need to be made good prior to the next redecoration.The property has been affected by past structural movement, evidenced by some localised cracking to the mortar joints to the wall surfaces. From a single inspection the movement appears to be long-standing and does not appear to be

???

class2ldn

Progressive I should have added to that

class2ldn

Bit stuck as to what to do now, most insurance companies are saying that any movement will mean they won't quote or need a special quote on tge phone where obviously they will bump the cost up.
The resale value is going to be an issue aswell. It's only a 2 bed house so although we'd like to maybe extend we are also open to moving again relatively soonish (5 years) for something bigger if the need arises ( more kids).
Will ring the surveyor tomorrow but at the end of the day it's not going to change the difficulties with insurance.
Hmm what to do??
If we are having doubts and issues then the same will happen when we come to sell.