Old build roof loft conversion question

Knifeandeasy

Hi, so I'm completely new here and to buying houses, so please bare with me.

My wife and I have been to view a house, the first of our endeavours to buy one and I've read a lot of "what to ask and look for" type things online. A few of them said to ask about the roof, especially if there had been a loft conversion.

The house we saw has had a conversion and is an old build so I asked if the roof had been checked recently and when the it was built and if it had been repaired. The estate agent was clueless and said she didn't know, that the previous owner didn't have any records and hadn't got "building regulations for the loft" but the current owner has got regulations but doesn't know about the roof because the previous owner didn't.

The cynic in me sees this as suspicious, I'd consider the roof a very important part in any house, all things considered. Yet the estate agent told me it was a strange question and people didn't normally ask that so thats why she didn't know.

Anyone had a similar experience or have any advice? As a completely amateur in this department anything will help right now.

Thanks for reading.

Simon.

Knifeandeasy

Additionally, I think the house was built in 1980 and looking at buy and sell records people have lived in it a lot fortunately, however it seems one owner only had it for a few years in 2002 (could be any number of reasons I guess) and the current owner clearly bought it to sell on.

G_M

* I assume by 'roof' you mean 'attic conversion'?
* if not,the roof is easy to check - take binoculars and look!
* any idea how long ago the conversion was done?
* if more than (I think) 4 years, then the LA cannot enforce BRs
* you can also check most LA's online for BRs
* but if "the current owner has got regulations" then what is the problem?
* that just leaves build quality/safety which your surveyor can comment on (ask specifically)
* estate agents would not know any details - don't waste your time asking.
* what type of propery? Some turn over owners faster than others (eg FTB homes)
*

Knifeandeasy

No, I actually mean the roof itself. I could take binoculars and look but what I really want to know is the risk of damp issues up there, there has to be more to it than my eye can see.

AnotherJoe

Knifeandeasy wrote: »

No, I actually mean the roof itself. I could take binoculars and look but what I really want to know is the risk of damp issues up there, there has to be more to it than my eye can see.

Why? Who checks their roof ? (Unless there's been a leak)

The EA is correct, it is a strange question, unless it's a flat roof. Look inside the attic conversion for any signs of damp or any signs of very recent painting of the ceiling.

I think you've misunderstood advice to checkout a roof conversion, by which people mean the attic / loft, for the actual structure of the roof itself.

rach_k

I don't think it's strange to ask on the off chance that the seller has had it looked at recently, but it is strange to expect people to get their roofs checked regularly. We've only had ours looked at when there was a leak. We were told the roof looked fine after a small repair but that was only from the outside.

G_M

There are two ways to spot a problem with a (tiled/ slate) roof. It's not rocket science.

1) visual inspection. Look carefully along each line of tiles/slates up there. Are any missing? Or badly cracked in half? If just a few missing it's a quick easy job to replace. If there are dozens missing/broken, then maybe the roof needs an overhaul/replacement.

2) Inside (ie the attic). Is it dry inside, or damp? If dry, the roof is doing its job!