Non Traditional Construction

VioletSkyblue

Hi Everyone,

Me and my partner are looking to buy a property in Dundee and found a lovely 3 bedroom house that was made 65 years ago and is considered a non traditional property. I've been told by the agency that it would be very hard to get a mortgage and was wondering if it was worth going for it anyway? According to the Home Report it's in great condition (has 1s on every section) and the Mortgage Valuation Reports states that: The subjects are of a non traditional "Blackburn" construction. The main walls are of traditional cavity brick and roughcast construction while the roof over is of pitched steel type overlaid in lightweight sheets of Decra.

Under 'Roofing including roof space' it comes in Repair Category 1 with Notes: The original roof covering has been renewed in the past and this generally
appears in fair condition consistent with age. This is of a non traditional type and
ongoing maintenance should be anticipated.

Is that going to be a problem in the long run? I wonder because the home report seems to say everything is perfect (of couse we'll have a surveyor judge that as well) but the fact that most mortgages companies wouldn't agree on that makes me wonder.

Thank you

Cakeguts

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4652509 There is a thread on this subject.

VioletSkyblue

Thank you Cakeguts,

I've seen that thread prior making this one, but since it's 3 years old and doesn't specify much about the property I wanted to ask myself here

alumende27

If you can get a mortgage and buildings insurance on it, you'll be fine. My last house was an ex-council prefabricated concrete thing (albeit with a traditional roof). I recall that nationwide refused to lend on such properties but we had no issues with Lloyds.

But I don't understand what you're written. On one hand you say the estate agent says it'll be hard to get a mortgage but on the other hand you say you've got a mortgage valuation. If you have a mortgage valuation then I would assume the lender is happy to give you a mortgage, so then your only concern is whether you can get insurance.

davidmcn

dsdhall wrote: »

But I don't understand what you're written. On one hand you say the estate agent says it'll be hard to get a mortgage but on the other hand you say you've got a mortgage valuation. If you have a mortgage valuation then I would assume the lender is happy to give you a mortgage.

Ah no - Home Reports in Scotland (i.e. the seller's pack) include a pro forma mortgage valuation - doesn't mean that any particular lender will accept it and if it's of doubtful mortgageability the surveyor will say so.

alumende27

Thanks for that, I did see the reference to Dundee but it didn't register. I'd agree that if the agent thinks it will be hard to get a mortgage they know what they're talking about. It should be easy enough to get confirmation from a lender/insurance company though.

VioletSkyblue

Thank you both for your advice Dsdhall, may I ask how long did you stay in that non traditional house and if you had any problems with it?

The fact is that my mother is selling her house and if we manage to arrange the times of her selling and me getting an offer accepted for this property, we won't need a mortgage to purchase it. I'm just wondering if it would be a mistake to buy this particular property since mortgages companies are unlikely to give a mortgage for it. I cannot find many informations about Blackburn's type of properties except that at first they have been build to last 10 years (but this one has been standing for 65 years). Anyway I would like to settle with the owner for a better price since it would be hard to sell for them as not many people can afford to buy without a mortgage and they want it to be sold by february 2017.

alumende27

I had no problems with it at all but it wasn't the same type of property that you're looking at (albeit non-traditional). I would strongly advise seeking the advice of an impartial professional though. You may have luck finding someone on the RICS website.

Even if you manage to bypass the mortgage requirements by buying it outright you'd still need to get insurance, and it would be a very brave person that thinks they can do without buildings insurance! And yes, you have to assume that the lenders might know something if none of them are willing to lend on such a property.

Finally, you have to consider how difficult it may be for you to sell in future.

However, for first steps, finding out whether you can get a mortgage and insurance and the opinion of a surveyor would be a good first step. You may find a surveyor would be willing to say whether or not that type of property is a non starter in an initial phone chat which might save you some money.

Mortgage_Moog

I came up against the same issue and it turned out to be no problem at all. I got accepted for the first mortgage I applied for and the buildings insurance was no problem. Around 80% of all properties are made of non-standard construction so non-standard is actually standard!

missmoose

Hi
We are currently looking for a house and found a NTC property we liked so when we got our mortgage promise we asked if the lender would lend for a NTC and he rang the estate agents and found out what type of build it was and the official name of it and was able to tell us if they do lend on that type of property, it is worth contacting the estate agents it's listed with finding out the official type and then contacting a mortgage advisor where ever you have your mortgage promise and asking them what the deal is with that style of house.

Davesnave

Mortgage_Moog wrote: »

Around 80% of all properties are made of non-standard construction so non-standard is actually standard!

I don't think this is the first time you've written this nonsensical statement, or the first time I've questioned it.

What, exactly, do you mean?

It clearly isn't what the rest of us understand by the term, 'non-standard construction' and you're muddying the waters.