Survey result concerns...

junebug87

Hi all,

My partner and I had an offer accepted on our first house a couple of weeks ago. We had a homebuyers report done yesterday by e.surv chartered surveyors. I've had the results back today and I'm concerned about the amount of issues they've flagged.

The report was pretty detailed, 30 pages long - but the overview of the repairs needed are below. These were categorised as level 2 (level 3 being urgent repair required and level 1 being no repair required).

It feels like a lot of work is needed, and that it would cost a lot to resolve. As a FTB i just don't really know how to take all this information! Am I meant to work out the cost of all of these issues myself and then inform the seller?

Chimney stacks - repairs needed to brickwork and damaged concrete flaunching slab. Contractor quote recommended.
Roof Coverings - requires an overhaul to ensure no leaks, repointing ridge tiles, metal sheeting needs recovering in due course. Report and quotation for work recommended.
Rainwater Pipes/Gutters - corrosion to cast iron sections, replacement required in near future
Main walls - risk of corrosion to cavity wall metal ties - eventual wall tie replacement should be anticipated
Other joinery and finishes - painted boarding to the soffits is likely to be in asbestos sheeting which is damaged - repairs should be anticipated.
Roof structure - existing ventilation is inadequate and should be improved
Floors - to remedy future dampness, relaying of the floors including a damp proof membrane will be necessary
Fireplace/chimney breast and flue - flue lining likely to have perished, will require renewal
Drainage - old cast iron soil vent pipe is somewhat corroded and will require replacement in due course. It's likely that drainage defects will have developed due to age of drainage system. Detailed drains test recommended.

(I've been advised against putting links of the property on here, but it's a 3 bed semi in Edwalton, near Nottingham - approx built in 1955. Bought as a renovation project by the sellers last July/August, refurbished and sold on).

Any advise would be appreciated. Apologies for the length of the post!

lewishardwick

Lots of maybes.

I had wall ties highlighted in mine at category three. I shelled out another £200 to be told they're fine. :mad:

I've found from reading on here a Homebuyers report is seemingly all doom and gloom!

Got a knowledgeable family friend who can go for a second viewing? They might just give you the reassurance that the place isn't going to fall down the minute you complete...

lewishardwick

And to add... Not buying a brand new home will always highlight some maintenance issues. Rest assured New Build have their equally frustrating problems.

Hoploz

Most of that sounds like general maintenance to me, rather than anything scary meaning the house is falling down. The work on the roof and chimney you might want to get a further inspection/quote for but other than that I wouldn't be too worried - is it a do-er upper or are you expecting to move in and do no work? If you're renovating anyway these are things to do along the way.

dc197

Wow, that's the most bull-sheet survey I've ever seen.
Did he stick his head up the flue? If not, perishing of the flue lining is pure conjecture.
My favourite is the one about a problem that doesn't even exist yet: to remedy future dampness, relaying of the floors including a damp proof membrane will be necessary

junebug87

Thanks all. Appreciate the comments.

It's not a do-er upper - the sellers bought it as one last year and have done it up to sell on (adding an extra £80k onto the price tag!). I was hoping to do very little work to be honest we won't have much money left over to spend on immediate repairs.

It's had a new bathroom and kitchen fitted, its been rewired and UPVC windows put in and all new carpets and paintwork. It appears that they've done the interior up to a decent standard but perhaps neglected the outside and roof..

I'll look into the roof/chimney issues further and see if I can get a (free) second opinion on the other issues. Might need to try and befriend some surveyors on the sly!

junebug87

dc197 - I know! They seem very speculative!! I didn't know if it was normal procedure for surveyors to guess on things like this or if this guy is just trying it on.. Do they even gain anything by adding this sort of guesswork into a survey report??

LEJC

OP... i was going to post a reply along the lines of the house has previously been bought as a renovation project and it is possible that cosmetically inside everything is good ....but it looks like they neglected to hire a scaffold and deal with any possible problems to the roof guttering and facias....

you might have some maintenance to do going forward...you might not for a few years but its something to be mindful of.

We did a renovation project possibly of similar scale back in 2012 and sadly ran out of funds to deal with the roof aspect of the project...it lasted another 3 years and we have just had the property re roofed and chimneys pointed and dealt with...its cost around £4500 but will now last for hopefully another 90 years as the original one did!!!

something to bear in mind for going forward...and possibly plan for some future work when required.

I also see that 2 posts up you may be assuming the same as me!

Hoploz

If it's a recent renovation by 'developer' then definitely look harder and try and renegotiate. They have clearly done the pretty bits without renovating the underneath. That's not fair. If buying a house deemed to be renovated it's fair to expect the job will have been done properly at initial offer stage. Perhaps they are Homes Under The Hammer fodder?

They should have attended to the old cast iron drains as well as the roof & chimney - I revise my earlier suggestion - if they expect a good profit they should do a good job. It is supposedly their 'business.'

Cakeguts

What is the bit about the floors? Does it have solid floors somewhere downstairs? It sounds as if there is no damp proof membrane under a solid floor.

It sounds to me as if the people who did it up only did up the cosmetic bits of the property and didn't bother with doing repairs to the fabric. You will need to decide if you want to pay a lot for a house that still needs a lot of work to be done to it. For example if you don't repair a chimney stack it could fall down and kill someone. They should have repaired this. Drain pipes should also have been repaired because if these leak they could cause water to penetrate the walls and spoil all the new decorations. Corroded soil pipes are something that have to be replaced.

I wouldn't buy this house because I would be worried about what else I might find out about later that had been cosmetically covered over at the moment and you will have paid extra for the cosmetic upgrades.

dc197

Lethally collapsing chimney stacks and leaking pipes is a bit extreme.
All the survey said was "repairs needed" and "slightly corroded". That could merely mean "repointing needed" and "rust visible" respectively.