Surveyors Report

OlliesDad

Hi,

We are currently in the process of buying a property in Somerset and we found our perfect house and had an offer accepted at £10k below asking price at £235,000. The surveyor has been in and valued the property at £225,000 and now this is the most Halifax are willing to lend.

I have received the Surveyor report and I am a bit lost with it. The following have been marked as 3 - Needs repair or replacement:

Roof Including roof space:

The timber roof trusses have been cut in places (removal of struts i to sections with smaller replacement struts inserted close by). I saw no evidence of movement or distress to the the roof structure. However to prevent movement in the structure the original struts should be re-instated

Water, Plumbing and bathroom fittings:
Seals around the the shower screen to the bath are defective.
This may have caused damage to concealed parts of the structure.

Stains to pipework within the service cupboard indicate previous leaks. Stains were also noted to pipework under the sink.

Heating and Hot water:
The oil fired boiler is dated and replacement parts may be difficult to obtain. The oil tank is near end of life and should be replaced.

Stains were noted to pipework to the hot water tank in the garage.

Celings:

There may be asbestos material with the artex type finish to the ceilings

The property was built in 1998 so I dont believe the asbestos concern should be an issue.

There were also comments regarding the conservatory requiring replacing which we knew anyway. It would also seem that there have been very few sales in the immediate vicinity and therefore the comparable sales he compared to were in a town 5 miles away which is known for being a little cheaper.

Based on the above I would be happy to proceed but would need to renegotiate with the seller - is there anything obvious that I am missing which should cause me concern? I just want to run it by you knowledgeable folk before speaking to the estate agent.

Many thanks.

G_M

I saw no evidence of movement or distress to the the roof structure.

so clearly the roof is about to collapse.

Seals around the the shower screen to the bath are defective.

Doubtless you saw this yourself. But yes, negotiate the purchase price down by the cost of a tube of silicone.

Stains to pipework within the service cupboard indicate previous leaks.

You'll clearly need to replace all the pipework, everywhere, because there was once a leak, somewhere, sometime.

The oil fired boiler is dated

Hmmmmm - maybe if you want a new boiler you should buy a new build house. Strangely as houses get older, the structure and equipment gets older too.

The oil tank is near end of life

So just like me......

There may be asbestos material with the artex type finish

asbestos was not used in 1993.

Davesnave

Mostly bottom-covering, but the valuation is something you can negotiate about with the seller.

If it's Somerset near a 'cheap' town, it could be close to the Levels, so I hope you've checked the flooding potential. Friends of mine have just purchased there in a location where I wouldn't. Lots of 'bargains' out there, now that 2014 is receding from people's short memories!