House Survey

The_Palmist

Hi Folks,

I am read mixed reviews about worthiness of house surveys and am now contemplating getting one done.

My bank got a valuation survey done and have pointed these two things out which I am not sure if they are just generic wording.

"Flat roofs have a limited life span and are prone to sudden failure. This has been reflected in the Mortgage Valuation. The general condition of the property appears consistent with its age and type of construction. Ongoing maintenance and repairs will be required."

"Properties of this age can suffer from problems of cavity wall failure. The risks of such problems is reflected in mortgage valuation"

Which one is the most comprehensible survey and where do I find a decent surveyor.

All advice gratefully received.

Thrugelmir

Owning a property will result in you incurring maintenance costs. Doesn't appear that the valuation survey considered these issues to require immediate rectification. However in the medium term expect to have to deal with them.

The_Palmist

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Owning a property will result in you incurring maintenance costs. Doesn't appear that the valuation survey considered these issues to require immediate rectification. However in the medium term expect to have to deal with them.

Thank you.

I am reading online and homebuyers report has mixed review, is building survey the most comprehensive survey one can get.

Smodlet

Yes, they are generic terms. That does not mean they are not true, obviously. They are basically @$$-covering catch-alls. Home buyers reports are full of caveats having said which, we dodged a serious bullet from having one done.

The house was of an age when coal fires would have been the only heating when it was built. It had no chimney breast on the first floor. What was holding the chimney up? No certificate to prove an RSJ was installed and a civil engineer's report would have cost £3000+ then. That, coupled with several other issues, not the least of which was a compromised damp proof course (pricey to correct) told us to walk away.

I, too, have read numerous posts on here about the pointlessness of Homebuyer's reports and that surveyors take 25 minutes to do these. 25 minutes is the time it takes to do a valuation, imho, and I temped for a RICS surveyor for a while. This hardly makes me an expert but I did type up an number of these reports and Gary routinely spent 2 hours in a 3 bed semi property and produced reports of between 30 and 50 pages with 10+ photos. I guess it really does depend on the surveyor.

Mickygg

Personally I would always get a full buildings survey done.

Why? On my last property purchase this discovered damp on a concrete floor where I was able to get money off the house price.

I also used the survey to help get quotes to fix things. On one particular point I would have had to get a survey report on anyway.

Yes it may come back with nothing major. It's a win win situation where you are buying a property and can continue without the what if scenario in your head. If it does find something like subsidence it could have been the best £800 or so money ever spent.

The_Palmist

Thanks guys...how do I find a decent surveyor.

Smodlet

Same way you find a decent anything else: Ask around. Word of mouth is always better than the yellow pages.

The_Palmist

zero luck on word of mouth. The best advice I have got is to contact the bank !!!!

I will check on the good old tinternet.

Owain_Moneysaver

The_Palmist wrote: »

"Flat roofs have a limited life span and are prone to sudden failure.

They're not particularly prone to sudden failure if they're inspected and maintained with the roof covering being renewed before it fails. Slated/tiled roofs are possibly more likely to lose a slate or tile in high winds.

The_Palmist wrote: »

"Properties of this age can suffer from problems of cavity wall failure.

What age? Is there any particular indicator of risk of the cavity wall failing -- and what does that mean anyway? Damp bridging the cavity, or wall tie failure.

The_Palmist

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

They're not particularly prone to sudden failure if they're inspected and maintained with the roof covering being renewed before it fails. Slated/tiled roofs are possibly more likely to lose a slate or tile in high winds.



What age? Is there any particular indicator of risk of the cavity wall failing -- and what does that mean anyway? Damp bridging the cavity, or wall tie failure.

I have posted exactly what it said on the report.

Built in 1965 or thereabouts

I am in West Yorkshire if anyone wants to PM recommendations.

Smodlet

The other thing you could do is ask a *builder to go around the property with you. With a bit of charm and the offer of a few quid to cover his travel expenses and time (maybe offer to buy him a nice pub lunch) you could get a good idea of the state of the property and how much any faults would cost to fix, something no surveyor will be able to tell you. Sorry I did not think of this sooner.

* Word of mouth again; should be easier to find than a surveyor.