Can I do this with a house I don't own?

2016housebuyer

[SIZE=-1]I'm currently a tenant in a house which I may be interested in buying from the landlord. It's not up for sale but the landlord has indicated they may want to sell.

I have discovered a very large crack in the attached garage (built at the same time as the house approx 20 years ago) which I've only recently noticed as I very rarely go in the garage. Having moved furniture inside the house I see that it extends all the way through to the kitchen (other side of garage wall) and one of the upstairs rooms in a vertical line. Having googled subsidence I see that leaking drains can be a cause and there is a downpipe from the roof guttering which is cemented in to the ground just a few feet away from where the crack is.

Before I start negotiations with the landlord about a purchase price I would like to get a chartered surveyor to come and do a survey as if it is subsidence then I'm not interested in purchasing and don't want to go through with the faff of starting mortgage applications etc only to be scuppered by the subsidence issue. If I know it's subsidence from the report then I will of course inform the landlord immediately about the crack (but not that I've had a survey done) but I wondered if there was anything stopping me from getting this kind of survey done even though I don't own the house (and don't want the landlord to know I've had it done) - basically I just want an expert opinion on whether it's worth buying the house.[/SIZE]

G_M

No problem at all.

You can invite anyone you like round to your home, to do anything (legal) you want, providing they don't cause damage.

Hoploz

It would be useful for you to mention the crack to the landlord regardless of whether you want to buy it or not. He is probably not aware that he has an issue that should be addressed. He needs to know, whether he is selling or keeping it.

G_M

Hoploz wrote: »

It would be useful for you to mention the crack to the landlord regardless of whether you want to buy it or not. He is probably not aware that he has an issue that should be addressed. He needs to know, whether he is selling or keeping it.

Good point. You have an implied legal duty to act in a 'tenant-like manner' which includes reporting problems with the property.

2016housebuyer

Hoploz wrote: »

It would be useful for you to mention the crack to the landlord regardless of whether you want to buy it or not. He is probably not aware that he has an issue that should be addressed. He needs to know, whether he is selling or keeping it.

I will definitely tell the landlord, it's just that I wanted to get my own structural report done first (which I don't intend telling him I've had done) - if it's not serious I'll tell him about the discovery and still go ahead with purchase negotiations and if it's serious I'll notify him that the crack has been discovered and say that as a result I no longer want to buy the house. Either way I'll be telling him about it.

Ms_Chocaholic

I'd tell the landlord about the crack but I'd not instruct a surveyor until you're sure that the landlord is planning on selling (your first post indicated they "may" want to sell). If they decide not to sell, then you've wasted your hard earned cash for nothing.

kinger101

Er.....tell the landlord. Get them to investigate the problem. That way, you might find out what the problem is, and what they intend to do to resolve it, at no expense.

You might spend £1,000 on a structural survey to be told it needs further investigation by a structural engineer.

moneyistooshorttomention

No reason why not to do so - but...yes...you are risking your money for nothing if the landlord decided not to sell after all.

Whilst I was in process of searching for current house - I had the chance to do whatever surveying I chose to on a house I was considering buying and duly did so. In the event I decided not to buy that particular house for other reasons...but it was useful to have the choice to "put the house under a microscope" to start with.

Elfbert

I'd tell the landlord, and then kindly offer to be in to show whoever he sent to look at the problem what was what...and then ask them loads of questions

2016housebuyer

Thanks all, for various reasons I'd like to get my own report done - from googling it looks like a structural engineers report would be best suited...

If your home is showing signs of subsidence or heave in the foundations, movement or cracking of the walls or sagging of the ceiling or the roofline, you may need a Structural Engineer to carry out an inspection. If the problem is confined to one area and you do not require the Structural Engineer to inspect the whole building then you will only need a Specific Structural Inspection. If you would like the Structural Engineer to inspect the structure of the whole building then you will require a General Structural Inspection.

An SSI (Specific Structural Inspection) looks to be around £260 in my area which I'm more than happy to pay to give me peace of mind as to whether to go forwards with the plan to buy.

eddddy

In your position, I would phone a structural engineer (a small firm or 'one-man business') and explain what you want.

Essentially, you want the engineer to have a look and just say to you either:

A) That's not subsidence, or
That looks like it may be subsidence and needs further investigation

At this stage, you don't need a written report.

If the answer is 'B', I assume you would walk away.

If the answer is 'A' - but eventually your mortgage lender says a structural engineer's report is required - you then get the engineer back in to do a written report.