Concerns after Homebuyers Report is returned

imran22

Hi members

This forum has always helped me answer really important issues as they arose throughout my life. I am now in process of buying a house and many of us know how stressful this process can be. Now my homebuyers report is returned and it is giving me some concern but I have no idea how serious are the issues marked in the report as level 3. I have already ruled out some level 3 based on searches on this website such as the ones related to Gas, Electricity and Water. But I would like some help on the following especially ones related to Asbestos (Point 1 and 2) and Loose brickwork and mortar (Point 3). I read somewhere on internet that life of mortar is about 50 years and property is about 30 years old. Does it mean that I have a sale-ability issue in few years?

1. A section of soffit on the rear of the property is damaged. As the soffit may contain asbestos this is a risk to persons. The soffit boards may contain asbestos but only a detailed laboratory test can confirm this
2. The textured ceiling finishes may contain asbestos but only a detailed laboratory test can confirm this. In the meantime the material should not be disturbed, sanded or drilled,
3. The brickwork has been poorly in-filled in places where the windows have been replaced, resulting in loose brickwork and gaps in the mortar
4. The garden room is old, of basic construction and of poor quality. The felt roof has deteriorated and some of the timber framework is rotten and needs replacing. You should ask an appropriate person to investigate and report before exchange of contracts
5. The roof space is not insulated to modern standards. Repairs/improvements are needed.

Thank you for your help.

csgohan4

how much will it take to repair the items and could you offset it against the price.


You can always ask, worse they say is no and you find another property.

AdrianC

imran22 wrote: »

Hi members

This forum has always helped me answer really important issues as they arose throughout my life. I am now in process of buying a house and many of us know how stressful this process can be. Now my homebuyers report is returned and it is giving me some concern but I have no idea how serious are the issues marked in the report as level 3. I have already ruled out some level 3 based on searches on this website such as the ones related to Gas, Electricity and Water. But I would like some help on the following especially ones related to Asbestos (Point 1 and 2) and Loose brickwork and mortar (Point 3). I read somewhere on internet that life of mortar is about 50 years and property is about 30 years old. Does it mean that I have a sale-ability issue in few years?

1. A section of soffit on the rear of the property is damaged. As the soffit may contain asbestos this is a risk to persons. The soffit boards may contain asbestos but only a detailed laboratory test can confirm this
2. The textured ceiling finishes may contain asbestos but only a detailed laboratory test can confirm this. In the meantime the material should not be disturbed, sanded or drilled,
3. The brickwork has been poorly in-filled in places where the windows have been replaced, resulting in loose brickwork and gaps in the mortar
4. The garden room is old, of basic construction and of poor quality. The felt roof has deteriorated and some of the timber framework is rotten and needs replacing. You should ask an appropriate person to investigate and report before exchange of contracts
5. The roof space is not insulated to modern standards. Repairs/improvements are needed.

Thank you for your help.

You've missed one important detail from the HBR. How much did they value the place at, compared to your accepted offer?

Kynthia

The soffit isn't a concern as you're hardly going to climb up there and start breathing in the loose fibres are you? At Some point you get someone in to repair it and it's not a big or expensive job but is normal house maintenance.

I wouldn't not buy a house with artex just because there's a chance of asbestos (all old artex has this possibility). I'd get it tested when I moved in and if it did I'd get a campany in to professionally remove it. It's cheaper to plaster over it but I'd want it gone.

So get someone to do a bit of repointing around the windows if it's bad. If it's just not perfect then so is a lot of work done on houses.

This is bigger I think. Is this an extension, a lean - to or like a conservatory. Personally I dislike lean-tos and conservatories so I'd just remove it. However was this space part of why you liked the property and part of its value? I'd want to know more.

So put down some insulation if you want some??? You can do it yourself with some bags of it from B&Q.

imran22

Thank you for your responses

I do not want to hold the process unnecessarily its already taking its toll on me. I am interested in finding out if the Asbestos related issue is harmful in anyway? And if use of mortar is an issue because it has a life of 50 years according to some online article I read but no idea if this is true.

The Surveyor did not undervalue the property and was satisfied with my purchase price. In short

"Surveyor Valuation = Agreed Purchase Price"

bod1467

Artex may contain asbestos? I never knew that. What is the definition (timeline) of "old artex"?

(We used to have artex ceilings in our old house, but I think they were just plaster that was worked. My parents had this done around 1986).

AdrianC

imran22 wrote: »

The Surveyor did not undervalue the property and was satisfied with my purchase price. In short

"Surveyor Valuation = Agreed Purchase Price"

So there y'go. The surveyor thinks that you're paying a fair price for that property, in that condition.

If mortar really DID have an inherent maximum life of 50yrs, then most of the houses in the country would be just a loose pile of bricks and blocks by now. The pointing may need redoing at some point - that's not a HUGE job.

HouseBuyer77

1. A section of soffit on the rear of the property is damaged. As the soffit may contain asbestos this is a risk to persons. The soffit boards may contain asbestos but only a detailed laboratory test can confirm this
2. The textured ceiling finishes may contain asbestos but only a detailed laboratory test can confirm this. In the meantime the material should not be disturbed, sanded or drilled,

Nothing to really worry about. The soffit board is up at top of the building and if it does contain asbestos it's probably the 'safest' white asbestos. Don't spend your mornings up a ladder admiring the eves inhaling deeply and you'll be fine.

However when you get that soffit replaced you may end up paying extra to deal with it due to the asbestos risk. But this shouldn't be significant.

Any textured ceiling may or may not contain asbestos. Just don't drill/sand it as stated. You can have a decorator skim over it to get a flat ceiling.

3. The brickwork has been poorly in-filled in places where the windows have been replaced, resulting in loose brickwork and gaps in the mortar

This may well be fixable in a couple of hours by a suitable person with a trowel. But equally could be more troubling. Someone with more knowledge/experience of brickwork will hopefully appear to comment.

4. The garden room is old, of basic construction and of poor quality. The felt roof has deteriorated and some of the timber framework is rotten and needs replacing. You should ask an appropriate person to investigate and report before exchange of contracts

This is probably the most concerning. Sounds like it may need a new roof or will do soon, is the timber purely the framework for the roof or framework for the walls as well?

5. The roof space is not insulated to modern standards. Repairs/improvements are needed.

It's pretty easy to lay insulation in an attic. Plus not to modern standards doesn't mean it's that bad. If you find the place cold or are spending a lot on heating lay down some insulation.

TBagpuss

The only one of those which would concern me is the garden room one - assuming this is some sort of extension / conservatory you might want to get a builder in to quote for replacing the rotted wood and the roof, so you can plan ahead.

However, as AdrianC says the key question is whether the report values the property at less than your offer. It may well be that it's value 'as is' is what you have offered.

The insulation is fairly common as recommended amounts have been increasing. It's not that expensive or dificult to fit. (if it's loft insulation)

The pointing is general house maintenance but if you get a builder out to look at the garden room they can probably give you an estimate for that as well. Unless there is an issue with damp coming in it's not urgent and again, depending on your level of DIY skills and how accessible it is may be something you can sort for yourself.

The asbestos isn't urgent. It's only an issue if you're drilling or sanding and creating dust.

imran22

Hi All

Thank you for your very useful posts. I therefore felt that I should post the entire comment from the surveyor on the Sun Room which is as follows:

AdrianC

imran22 wrote: »

Hi All

Thank you for your very useful posts. I therefore felt that I should post the entire comment from the surveyor on the Sun Room which is as follows:


There is a rear external addition garden room of timber framed construction with glazed wall  panels and plastic cladding under a felt covered roof. The junction of the addition roof and the
main wall is sealed with a lead flashing. The structure is partly double glazed.
The garden room is old, of basic construction and of poor quality. The felt roof has deteriorated and some of the timber framework is rotten and needs replacing. You should ask an appropriate person to investigate and report before exchange of contracts as repairs may be costly, and we refer you to the page in this report entitled 'What to do now'. Condition Rating 3.
The garden room will not meet building or modern habitation standards and may well be cold and damp at times. It should be appreciated that such structures are not constructed to the same standard and specification as the main building and will ultimately have a limited life. Repairs, when necessary, can sometimes result in extensive renewal which could be costly. Bitumen based mineralised felt roofs have a short life compared with traditional slate or tile coverings. These roofs have a typical life of 10-15 years or even less in some exposed locations. They are also prone to sudden failure and leakage. Periodic re-covering will therefore be necessary. When this is undertaken the supporting structure may also need some attention.

But that was all fairly obvious when you viewed the property, right? You walked into that "sun room", looked around you, and thought "Oh, look, a shabby wooden conservatory tacked onto the side. Hmm. That's not a thing of beauty, and is going to need some work."