Issue Identified During Survey

TheGame21

Hello,

We have had the results of the survey conducted on a house we are purchasing and there have been a few 'serious' issues identified such as damp in a few areas and leakage from the WC. The seller is denying there is anything wrong however we have now sent over the survey's report which lists the issues clearly. The seller's last response was the house is brought as seen:eek: What would be people do in such situations? We have asked that if there is no such issue, then a report be undertaken by professional paid for by the seller to state this.

I would be grateful for everyone's opinion as this is driving us insane!

Thanks

enjoyyourshoes

Is the property valued above or below what you have offered?

Is the value of the property inline/above/below exiting completed sales of similar properties within the same area?

How serious are the serious issues? (did you notice the damp, is it in certain rooms and within certain small areas of rooms ?)

What would the estimates of repairs be to the serious issues raised within the report?

Is the gross amount of purchase price plus repairs within the general range of your proposed purchase price?

Hopefully doing a bit of thought yourself may assist in answering some of your concerns and may lead to alternative strategies with the proposed sale?

tykesi

TheGame21 wrote: »

Hello,

We have had the results of the survey conducted on a house we are purchasing and there have been a few 'serious' issues identified such as damp in a few areas and leakage from the WC. The seller is denying there is anything wrong however we have now sent over the survey's report which lists the issues clearly. The seller's last response was the house is brought as seen:eek: What would be people do in such situations? We have asked that if there is no such issue, then a report be undertaken by professional paid for by the seller to state this.

I would be grateful for everyone's opinion as this is driving us insane!

Thanks

Where are you bringing this house?

What the seller is actually saying is that the asking price reflects the issues the survey has identified. If the house hasn't been down-valued then the surveyor agrees and you have no cause for reducing your offer and the vendor certainly has no reason to reduce or get any work done. Nothing to stop you trying but be prepared for them to say no.

Was it actually down-valued?

DaftyDuck

Sounds like a lot of FAFF over very little. Leakage from a WC? A new bog can be had for fifty quid, most of the fittings for under a fiver, so that isn't exactly major. Anyway, leaking where? Could even be the overflow....

Damp in a few areas? If the house is under thirty years old, it is probably curable with a spade, or clearing a gutter. If it's over a hundred years old, you were lucky it's just "a few"...

What would I do? If I were selling, I'd tell you to pay for any more investigation yourself... I'd tell you to get a move on, and I'd also demand you bring my house back from wherever you dragged it off to!

If I were buying, I'd buy a book on DIY. Oh, and a dictionary!

TheGame21

Obviously I clearly meant bought! Having spoken to the Surveyor, he has said the valuation does not include the problems he has identified. We have gone by the Surveyor's report and he has outlined the problems in the most serious and needs 'urgent repair' category. He has also said after a further conversation that after consideration of all the works involved, he recommends a further £1,000 be reduced from the asking price.

We have phoned round and have a company lined up to the assessment however have disagreed on who should pay for it. Sounds like the advice is to pay for it ourselves? The Surveyor has also identified issues such as the damp may have effected the electrics and the boiler hasn't been serviced.

If serious issues (Level 3 in Homebuyers survey) are identified, do people do the work themselves or ask for money off the asking price?

tykesi

TheGame21 wrote: »

If serious issues (Level 3 in Homebuyers survey) are identified, do people do the work themselves or ask for money off the asking price?

They negotiate with the worst case scenario being that they pay, best case the vendor pays or they agree to meet in the middle and share the cost.

Sounds like your vendor isn't going to entertain a discount so you need to decide whether to pay or walk away.

shortcrust

There are no 'rules' about how these things work. It's a negotiation. A seller who's eager to sell might lower the price, pay for further investigations etc. A seller who's in no rush and knows they have a marketable home might give you a flat 'no' and consider putting the house back on the market in the hope of getting an more relaxed buyer.

JoJo1978

In terms of getting gas and electricity safety certificates we were advised by our solicitor as sellers we didn't have to provide these legally prior to exchange. Surveyors will always point out gas and electrics because their remit doesn't cover those tests. But as we said to our buyer, do you really think we would have knowingly lived in this house for so long if we believed it was dangerous. We amicably went Dutch on the cost and all good no drama, meant we could keep the sale progressing.

I agree about the toilet issue, fairly easy and inexpensive to solve yourself and doesn't sound dangerous, perhaps damaging, but that's different. As for damp was it identified as rising, penetrating or condensate? The last is very common and easily got rid of with ventilation etc.

On the face of it nothing sounds that serious. Is £500-£1000 plus the extra assessment cost worth holding up the transaction or making the seller think again about you as a buyer?

AdrianC

It's very simple - you can ask for whatever you like. The vendor may or may not agree. If they don't, you can walk away.

DaftyDuck

Who are you getting to do a survey of the damp? An independent surveyor who has nothing to gain from finding nothing or telling you how to sort it yourself, or a firm who specialises in injecting damp proof courses who does [STRIKE]sales pitches[/STRIKE] surveys prior to telling you your house is virtually submerged and will float off unless you $$$$$$.....

If you pay for it, you have some recourse should it prove inaccurate. If the vendor pays, they can provide a partially redacted report, and you have no come back if it's wrong.

PasturesNew

No house is perfect.

All houses are priced on "what they are or appear to be" - which usually means "for it's age it's still standing ... there'll be bits and pieces of course - and preferences of the buyer to change things". It's up to the buyer to make an offer and for the seller to accept/decline an offer.

Then there's a survey and it's up to the buyer to decide if they'll pull out, or make a lower offer, or negotiate with the seller. The seller might just not wish to do anything and feel the house is priced correctly at the agreed price because all houses have something wrong with them.

The seller doesn't have to do anything or pay for anything.
You have to choose whether to proceed, or try another negotiating tactic.

Damp isn't always damp - often it's "damp because a man who earns a living fixing damp says it is".