Building Survey has come back - can we negotiate?

LandyAndy

Agree with the others. that is a great maintenance 'to do' list.


Start with getting the guttering and down pipes up to scratch and then work your way through the rest.


Sorting the rainwater goods and that blocked gully may well resolve the damp in the living room too.

chappers

mhj wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

I am a first time buyer, so please excuse any naive or confusing questions.

My new husband and I put an offer in on a house on 23 September. Searches have been done, mortgage approved etc. Getting close to exchange. In fact the sellers agent messages us today to encourage us to follow up with our solicitor about paying the deposit to them as soon as possible so that it's already with the solicitor when exchange happens so that completion can happen quickly thereafter. The is no chain so things are moving quickly.

As well as the mortgage lenders valuation report, we paid for a full independent building survey and we got the 24 page report back today.

I picked out the following concerns:

The report states:

Summary of Repairs

• Upgrade Insulation to roof frames-not sure what that is
  
• Clear gully to front area-easy no cost
  
• Investigate and eradicate dampness to front left corner of living room could be caused by issues below in list, how extensive is it. Cost unknown but sounds minor
  
• Overhaul and repair rainwater goods and waste pipes
• Overhaul and repair decked areas as below
  

Then, throughout the report amongst all the descriptions, and what have you, are a myriad of things...

• Rear gutter is misaligned and more prone to overflowing. quick realignment maybe a bracket, is it actually overflowing. may not need anything doing The PVC rainwater pipe to the dormer appears to discharge on to the rear roof slope. normal practice, almost certainly no action needed
  
• Taped joint to the top entrance lobby rainwater pipe. Must be taken apart and reformed with proper joint. is it leaking if so then fix if not ideally fix but not emergency
  
• Some of the seals to some of the windows are deteriorating something to sort in time but not urgent
  
• External doors generally fair although seals are deteriorating as above
  
• Some internal doors requiring easing and adjusting couple of hours for a handy man
  
• Evidence of past water damage to the ceiling in the rear right corner of the kitchen, indicating there may have been leaks to the bathroom fitting at some point. is it still leaking if so fix if not, stainblock and repaint
  
• Main water external stop valve hatch cover is broken. nothing
• One bracket on upper section of bathroom waste pipe should be re-fixed. if it's not leaking don't worry
  
• Number of piping joints have been taped indicating leaking in the past. Pipes should be replaced in due course. maybe in due course, if they're not leaking then not anywhere near an immediate issue
  
• Risk of decay to timber decking which could not be inspected fully. what does that mean, is it rotten or not if not no problem
  
• Front lobby: cracked tile and loose grouting, not really an issue just cosmetic damage to door seal as above attend to in time
  
• Hall: Underside of stair possibly lined in asbestos board undisturbed not really a problem, maybe paint to seal it , Could actually be fibre cement
  
• Kitchen: Damage to seal of external door,as above attend to with windows and doors carcass of unit showing age that's age for you, it shows
  
• Downstairs WC: flushing mechanism to cistern not operating correctly simple hour for a handyman
  
• Bedroom 1: Air vent to rear painted shut
• Bedroom 3: One double glazed panel failed. really cheap fix Casements require easing, water staining to base of sill. maybe attend to in time if you replace windows and doors
  

Are these required repairs and issues things that we could negotiate on price about?
If so, how much would be realistic to ask the seller to deduct?

If we do negotiate a reduction is purchase price, do we have to apply for a new/different/lower mortgage?

Thanks,
Michelle

All of those issues are really sold as seen things, the vendor would reasonably say you saw general state of the windows etc
If you want my opinion the surveyor was struggling to find issues with the property, the windows aside I doubt there's a £1000 worth of work in the whole list. Don't bother holding up the process, get the deal done, get moved in and enjoy your new home, most of those jobs are totally within the realms of your first forays into DIY and home maintenance

dmt491

as another poster said, that looks like a worthwhile survey!

also interested in who you used for the job? Could you PM me?