Should I buy this Maisonette?

greenhouse28

Hi all,

I am having a bit of difficulty trying to decide whether to proceed with the purchase of this Maisonette. I have had a survey done which says there are signs of possible movement, the signs being a crack above the downstairs window, and the tree in the front garden. The Maisonette I'm buying is the upstairs one. Does anyone on here know the risks if I remove the tree and get the brickwork fixed, is this just going to "cover" the problem etc? The tree is a large willow tree about 5/6 meters away from the property. There is only one crack in the brickwork. Any advice would be very much appreciated! Thank you!

Doozergirl

Removing a tree can cause its own issues. You need advice from a structural engineer about any method you take to try and alleviate something.

Have they offered to lend or have they asked for further information?

greenhouse28

Santander have offered me a Mortgage, the survey which raised these problems was a private survey. I'm unsure whether to take the risk as I'm a first time buyer, but the property is perfect for me and in my price range.

davidmcn

Will "your" property include the tree and the brickwork?

PasturesNew

It might not be your choice. Getting lending might be a problem.

The tree might not be yours. It might be protected.
Who owns the building, who pays for work, how does that get chosen/decided/priced/paid for?
The cost to fix might be prohibitive.
It might cause future problems with you reselling even if you do "fix" it because it'll then have a history of problems.

Lots of research for you to do there..... but, on balance, is it worth all this hassle and future potential hassle, for "a maisonette".... no.

greenhouse28

The issue I have is it is the only one in the area I can afford, and I've already paid a lot in solicitor fee's, surveys and the mortgage application. Santander done their own valuation and have agreed to lend.
The Tree is not protected.
Technically the tree and the cracked brickwork belong to the downstairs owner, but I feel they are waiting for me to fund the fixes as I'll be a new owner and maybe more desperate to get it fixed than themselves.

Doozergirl

It may not need fixing.

Really, I think a conversation with your private surveyor about it and then maybe a structural engineer about the risk would be a good idea for your own peace of mind. All houses move, the valuer hasn!!!8217;t thought it a major issue but a conversation about current and future risk would be sensible.

It isn!!!8217;t a major issue now and if this is what you can afford then perhaps removing the tree is the cheapest answer to get you what you want and eliminate the risk then explore it.

greenhouse28

I'm really hoping it doesn't need fixing.
I've spoke to a structural engineer and he has advised that removing the tree could cause "heave" so punning the tree every 24 months may be the best option. He has also advised getting a CCTV drainage survey done.

pinklady21

If the tree does not belong to you, then the owner can refuse to let you prune or remove it. A drains survey will advise whether the roots are interfering with the drain. If the drain is damaged, then it will all have to be excavated, and repaired or replaced. Is it a communal drain? If it is, you will have to negotiate the repairs with the other owners. Might be tricky, might not.
If this were a detached property, where the cause of the damage to the building is clear cut, and it is within your rights to fix it by whatever means, that would be bad enough. But here, you are dependent on the goodwill of a downstairs neighbour as well. Do they own the property? If not, have you spoken to the owner?
A problem like this has not happened overnight - what has the current owner of the house you want to buy done about this already?

Personally, I would walk away from this, the costs and hassle of putting right the damage to the property could be enormous. It may also have an adverse impact on you being able to sell the property in the future. Sorry.

Doozergirl

pinklady21 wrote: »

If the tree does not belong to you, then the owner can refuse to let you prune or remove it. A drains survey will advise whether the roots are interfering with the drain. If the drain is damaged, then it will all have to be excavated, and repaired or replaced. Is it a communal drain? If it is, you will have to negotiate the repairs with the other owners. Might be tricky, might not.
If this were a detached property, where the cause of the damage to the building is clear cut, and it is within your rights to fix it by whatever means, that would be bad enough. But here, you are dependent on the goodwill of a downstairs neighbour as well. Do they own the property? If not, have you spoken to the owner?
A problem like this has not happened overnight - what has the current owner of the house you want to buy done about this already?

Personally, I would walk away from this, the costs and hassle of putting right the damage to the property could be enormous. It may also have an adverse impact on you being able to sell the property in the future. Sorry.

If it is a shared drain then it is the responsibility of the water company. No negotiation needed with neighbours at all.

A small crack that does not affect one’s ability to borrow does not automatically lead one to the decision that the neighbour is a problem. It might just mean that there isn’t a major problem! The tree could have already been pruned.

Arming oneself with facts rather than assumptions makes it a great deal easier to make an informed decision rather than a relfexive one.

pinklady21

Shared drain might not be the water company - depends where it is. I have lived in properties where the drains are shared up to the boundary, and then the water co is responsible for them.
I agree, it is facts that are needed to be able to come to a sensible conclusion about the right thing to do.
The issues may of course all be minor and the property is a good buy for the O/P. Alternatively, the only property in their price range could turn into a money pit costing far more in the long run in angst and repair bills.