Homebuyer Report In - Anything to REALLY Worry About?

anotheruser

Just looked through our homebuyer report. Here's some facts and figures about it:

Purchase price: £140,000, which is exactly what it's valued at.

Out of 26 sections:

10 points are 1 (good)
5 points are 2 (okay)
8 points are 3 (needs attention)
the other 3 are not graded.

4 of the bad parts are simply that there's no safety certificate (Gas, Electricity, Heating, Water Heating), which our solicitor will ensure are provided.

1 of the bad parts are to do with a neighbouring wall, which is leaning. The report suggested it could fall onto our property and cause damage. This was highlighted by the seller when we viewed who said the next door neighbour is an ex-builder who will be taking care of it this summer - no cost required by us.

That leaves just 3 points which need attention. Here's what they've written:

The Main Roof: - Condition Rating 3.
The main roof is covered with plain clay tiles. The roof is lined internally with
sarking felt.

Defects were noted including:-
The mortar to the verges is missing in places. This can lead to damp penetration. This is a risk to the building, see Section J1.

You should ask a contractor to inspect and quote for the work needed before exchange of contracts and we refer you to the page in this report entitled 'What to do now'.

This doesn't sound too major, but it's something we would want to get sorted straight away. It goes on to say:

The Extension Roof: - Condition Rating 2.

The roof to the extension at the rear and side of the property is basically flat with a slight pitch, this is believed to be covered with fibre glass resin. The junction of the roof covering and main walls is weatherproofed with a lead flashing.

A number of defects were noted:-
The lead flashing is loose and requires repair.

We could not see any ventilation to the roof structure. Unvented flat roofs of this type are prone to decay due to condensation forming in concealed areas. When this roof is recovered, you should carry out the works to current Building Control requirements, incorporating ventilation and insulation.

It appears that the flat roof has been recently renewed. Your legal adviser should ensure that any guarantees are assigned to you on purchase.

The last bit sounds okay, providing there is one.

Under the flat roof is a "bedroom" and bathroom. We might look at having some sort of skylight put in the bathroom to help with condensation.

I guess as it's only a number 2, we shouldn't be too concerned?

Main Walls: - Condition Rating 3.

The walls to the original part of the property are of solid brick construction. These are rendered. The walls to the rear extension varying in thickness from 300mm to 450mm and are of rendered masonry construction. The structural condition of the
walls appears to be generally satisfactory and we found no evidence of significant cracking, subsidence or structural movement.

The walls to the side extension/former garage are believed to be of only single brick thickness and do not comply with current Building Regulation requirements.
These walls will be prone to condensation, dampness and high levels of heat loss.
You should consider upgrading to current standards.

I'm surprised the rear extension has varying thicknesses. Do we need to be worried about the fact the old garage (now a utility room) doesn't meet current building regulations? Or is that just like an old car doesn't meet current emissions tests?

Damp-Proof Course: - Condition Rating 3.

The walls contain an engineering brick damp-proof course supplemented by an injected chemical damp-proof course. DPC’s should ideally be 150mm above external ground level. In this case, ground levels are high in some positions and this could lead to bridging, causing dampness to the interior of the building.

External levels should now be reduced as a precaution.
High damp meter readings were recorded to some ground floor walls. This is serious and could lead to timber decay and disrepair.

This is a risk to the building, see Section J1.

This worries me a little. Will the solicitor investigate this?

Walls and partitions: - Condition Rating 3.

The property has solid masonry internal walls. These have been plastered. These appear to be in generally satisfactory condition with no signs of significant distortion or movement.

High damp meter readings were recorded throughout the ground floor. This is serious and could lead to timber decay and damage to the property. This is a risk to the building, see Section J1.

The property was built in 1935, with the extension being added in 2009.

Can anyone help with what action I need to take now?

Despite me offering the market value, would these points call for a small reduction in the price paid to help pay for the work?

Doozergirl

It's all maintenance. Nothing particularly expensive or exciting. Half a day or a day for a roofer is the biggest thing there.

The utility is a bit of a disappointment, but probably expected given that it's a garage conversion. If it is separated from the house by a decent door, it probably still counts as an outbuilding and doesn't actually need to comply to regs.

The solution is to line the walls with insualation, but if it isn't a habitable room, I'd just make sure it's heated appropriately.

Nice to see the usual 'high damp' readings, even with the presence of an injected DPC. Just shows how unreliable readings can be, especially as the survey suggests the ground levels are a bit close but not breaching the DPC.

Could you see/smell any signs of damp?

AdrianC

anotheruser wrote: »

Purchase price: £140,000, which is exactly what it's valued at.

So the surveyor thinks the price is fair, for that property in that condition.

4 of the bad parts are simply that there's no safety certificate (Gas, Electricity, Heating, Water Heating), which our solicitor will ensure are provided.

You can ask. The vendor is under no obligation to get safety certificates at all. Normally, if you want them, you would pay.

1 of the bad parts are to do with a neighbouring wall, which is leaning. The report suggested it could fall onto our property and cause damage. This was highlighted by the seller when we viewed who said the next door neighbour is an ex-builder who will be taking care of it this summer - no cost required by us.

OK, but don't be surprised if it doesn't happen.

That leaves just 3 points which need attention. Here's what they've written:

The Main Roof: - Condition Rating 3.
The main roof is covered with plain clay tiles. The roof is lined internally with
sarking felt.

Defects were noted including:-
The mortar to the verges is missing in places. This can lead to damp penetration. This is a risk to the building, see Section J1.

You should ask a contractor to inspect and quote for the work needed before exchange of contracts and we refer you to the page in this report entitled 'What to do now'.

This doesn't sound too major, but it's something we would want to get sorted straight away.

No, not too major at all. If you're happy with heights, it's perfectly DIYable.

It goes on to say:

The Extension Roof: - Condition Rating 2.

The roof to the extension at the rear and side of the property is basically flat with a slight pitch, this is believed to be covered with fibre glass resin. The junction of the roof covering and main walls is weatherproofed with a lead flashing.

A number of defects were noted:-
The lead flashing is loose and requires repair.

We could not see any ventilation to the roof structure. Unvented flat roofs of this type are prone to decay due to condensation forming in concealed areas. When this roof is recovered, you should carry out the works to current Building Control requirements, incorporating ventilation and insulation.

It appears that the flat roof has been recently renewed. Your legal adviser should ensure that any guarantees are assigned to you on purchase.

The last bit sounds okay, providing there is one.

Flat roofs are a PITA. They always need work sooner or later.

Main Walls: - Condition Rating 3.

The walls to the original part of the property are of solid brick construction. These are rendered. The walls to the rear extension varying in thickness from 300mm to 450mm and are of rendered masonry construction. The structural condition of the
walls appears to be generally satisfactory and we found no evidence of significant cracking, subsidence or structural movement.

The walls to the side extension/former garage are believed to be of only single brick thickness and do not comply with current Building Regulation requirements.
These walls will be prone to condensation, dampness and high levels of heat loss.
You should consider upgrading to current standards.

I'm surprised the rear extension has varying thicknesses. Do we need to be worried about the fact the old garage (now a utility room) doesn't meet current building regulations? Or is that just like an old car doesn't meet current emissions tests?

Yep, just like that. If houses always had to be upgraded to meet current building regs, then there would be CONSTANT expense in all sorts of ways - and it would quite often be impossible without demolition and rebuilding.

Damp-Proof Course: - Condition Rating 3.

The walls contain an engineering brick damp-proof course supplemented by an injected chemical damp-proof course. DPC’s should ideally be 150mm above external ground level. In this case, ground levels are high in some positions and this could lead to bridging, causing dampness to the interior of the building.

External levels should now be reduced as a precaution.
High damp meter readings were recorded to some ground floor walls. This is serious and could lead to timber decay and disrepair.

This is a risk to the building, see Section J1.

This worries me a little. Will the solicitor investigate this?

Your solicitor won't ever even visit the house...

If you want it investigating, get a surveyor to investigate it. But all it's saying is that the earth's got a bit built-up against the walls, and you need to spend a few hours with a spade to get it back down again...

Walls and partitions: - Condition Rating 3.

The property has solid masonry internal walls. These have been plastered. These appear to be in generally satisfactory condition with no signs of significant distortion or movement.

High damp meter readings were recorded throughout the ground floor. This is serious and could lead to timber decay and damage to the property. This is a risk to the building, see Section J1.

Get that spade out. It's just those high ground levels, combined with the usual paranoid electronic wall-conductivity beeper.

Despite me offering the market value, would these points call for a small reduction in the price paid to help pay for the work?

You can always ask... but your surveyor says no, no grounds for reduction, by agreeing with that £140k value.

anotheruser

Thanks for your replies.

I'm glad all are nothing too terrible.

There was a spot of old damp stain on a wall but that had been resolved with a new flat roof. We certainly couldn't smell anything.

There wasn't anything else in the report that we didn't know about but will keep an eye on that new wall. It doesn't look too bad as it is but would be much nicer if it was newly refreshed.

upoiupou

I don't think there's necessarily a need to worry, but if it was me I'd investigate and do a bit more checking. Have you talked to the surveyor who did the homebuyer report? Most will be happy to talk on the phone following the report, and will be more forthcoming than the standard language they use in the written report. Surveyors can also recommend good contractors in the area.

If the homebuyer's report doesn't recommend having a specialist check anything, then it probably isn't a big cause for concern. You could still consider asking a local contractor to visit and quote for any likely remedial work. Usually they will quote for free (be honest about the situation and let them decide if it seems worth their while - since you may use them to do some work after the purchase). Another option is to have someone like a qualified damp surveyor do a check that you pay a small fee for.

You might not feel any of this is necessary, but if you want to do it for information and peace of mind, it could be worth it.