Do I have a chance?

Danger_Mouse

I've had a home buyers survey done on the house i'm buying and a number of scary (to me anyway) things have been mentioned. I'm looking to get a quote on the work and try and negotiate down BUT the survey valued the house at the same price as our accepted offer.

Some stuff mentioned like 'uneven pathway' I accept are not big things and wouldn't expect a reduction but survey also mentions the below (house built approx 1900). Would you as a seller be prepared to negotiate down or not?

The below were all flagged as needing urgent attention

The property has 3 brick chimney stacks. The stacks are shared with the adjoining
property. These are surmounted by two pots. The junction between the stacks and
the roof coverings is sealed with lead flashings.
A number of items were noted including, for example, the following:-
Several bricks are spalling.
The mortar pointing is weathered and has fallen away in places.
Most chimney pots are open to the elements.
The mortar base (flaunching) to the pots is weathered.
These defects are serious and could lead to damp.

The main roof is covered with slates.
The rear extension roof is flat and covered with traditional mineral felt.
The main roof is lined internally with sarking felt.
A number of items were noted including, for example, the following:-
Several slates are cracked, slipping and held in place with metal straps
(tingles).
The bedding mortar under the ridge is missing in places.
These defects are serious and could lead to damp.
Whilst expensive and comprehensive re-covering of the main roof is not yet
justified, the roof will need more maintenance than normal which could be costly.
Some rain penetration may occur in severe weather conditions.

The original walls are of solid brick construction. The extension walls are of cavity
construction with a brick outer leaf.
There are a small number of air vents to ventilate the air space beneath the ground
floor.
Internally, the external walls have been plastered.
The front walls contain an injected chemical damp-proof course.
The extension walls contain a plastic damp-proof course.
Your legal adviser should check that Local Authority approvals have been
obtained, if necessary and whether enforceable guarantees exist for the damp-
proofing treatment and we refer you to our comments in Section I.
A number of items were noted including, for example, the following:-
High damp meter readings were recorded which, we believe, is the result of
failure of the damp-proof course.
Several bricks are weathered and are crumbling and spalling.

The main roof space was entered through a hatch in the landing ceiling. The roof is
formed with conventional timber rafters and purlins.
A number of items were noted including, for example, the following:-
The roof space is overloaded with household goods and partially floored with
boards.
The roof space is not insulated to modern standards.
The roof is poorly ventilated.

The ground floor is mainly of suspended timber construction with solid flooring to
the kitchen. The first floor is also formed in timber. Where visible, floors have a
mixture of ceramic tile, modern timber laminate and carpeted finishes. Floor
coverings restricted close examination of the floor surfaces.
Ventilation to the air space beneath the timber ground floor is inadequate.
This is serious and could lead to timber decay.
The property has a mixture of solid masonry and timber-framed internal walls.
These have been paper lined and painted.
Internal walls on the ground and first floors have been removed and re-arranged,
but we cannot confirm if loads have been properly redistributed as the work is now
concealed.
High damp meter readings were recorded as reported previously. The wall plaster
along with adjoining timbers in these areas may be defective.
This is serious and could lead to damage and timber decay.

arbrighton

Home buyers report or full survey?

Most of these are 'a**e covering' comments.


as for the damp meter readings, well our surveyor didn't note any damp with those despite a rather significant wet patch/ mould (which we sorted with a bit of pointing and removal of a climbing plant!)
'we believe' basically means we don't have a clue but have to blame it on something...

They're telling you the loft is 'overloaded'? Well a) the sellers should remove all the cr** or b) if they don't, you can! (I'm not even going down the who pays route)

'may be defective' again- we don't really know but want to cover our back side

cashbackproblems

Re-negotiate what it would cost to fix all this, in a falling market like we will be in your don't want to overpay

Davesnave

To be honest, this is the sort of report that could be written about half the Victorian houses in the country, as it's not in the least unusual. If fairly frequent ongoing maintenance scares you, don't buy a Victorian property.

If you want to know more about the damp readings, you can get a report from an independent timber and damp surveyor NOT a company that treats it, as they will find plenty to treat!

If you are concerned about the rearrangement of the upper floor and the possible movement of load-bearing walls, a structural engineer is the person who might report on this, but it depends what they can see. Their work is often invasive and owners don't usually cooperate when it is!

Only you know if the house has been priced keenly by looking at comparables and their sold prices. The surveyor sees no risk to the lender at the price agreed, so overall value for money may already be fine.

One thing in your favour is the huge uncertainty caused by Brexit. The owner may be much more willing to negotiate than they would have been a week ago, but none of us can gauge this for sure.

ellie27

The house was still valued at the offer price even though there may be areas needing attention so it is unlikely you will be able to negotiate on price, but if you dont ask you wont get!


The things mentioned are really things that any older house would have in its survey.