Homebuyers Survey Questions

LittleRubyRed

Hello,
FTB here so bare with my lack of experience. Just had the Homebuyers survey done which gave the Heating, Drainage, Electricity and Gas/oil all condition 3, the red traffic light. Heres what he has said for electricity:

'The installation is believed to be relatively modern. I saw no areas of concern however, I have not seen a
current test certificate for the installation. Your Legal Adviser should establish whether there is a current test
certificate. If not then it should be checked before purchase and you should immediately instruct a Registered
electrician to test the installation for safety and carry out any necessary works. Condition Rating 3.'

He said the exact same thing for gas/oil and heating.

This is what was said for drainage, which is slightly different.

'I noted the following Condition Rating 3 items: Where accessible the foul drains are partially blocked by debris
and solid waste. I recommend that you commission a precautionary CCTV survey of the underground drainage
because of the defects seen. In addition the down pipe to the rear extension empties directly onto the surface of
the yard. This should be reconfigured taken into a suitable surface water dispersal system. Condition Rating 3.
Further Investigation.'

The house is older but has recently had a new kitchen and bathroom. It also had small front and rear extensions but I don't know when these took place. My feeling is that he just hasn't been able to inspect those parts and so is covering himself by saying get your solicitor to see if there is a test certificate. The drainage I'm not so sure about.

So, do I ask my solicitor to ask if there are any test certificates for these areas and if there isn't one, its probably ok and that I should get it checked once we move in? Or am I being to casual about this and actually it should be a concern? Also what do we do about the drainage? Is that a common thing to come up in surveys?

Thanks for any help.

AnotherJoe

Giving a 3 because there isn't a not required test certificate that pretty much no home owner would get is *rse covering of the worst kind and puts into disrepute any 3's they do give that are genuinely warranted.

The drainage does sound problematic but I wonder how serious it really is given the ridiculous statements on the electrics. You've probably no real alternative other than to commission a survey now those potential issues have been identified.

dunroving

Not sure about the drainage, but regarding services, I think this is pretty typical. A surveyor is not an electrician or gas engineer. His/her job is to protect the interests of the new home owner (the person living in it and the bank providing the mortgage). All they can do is make a judgement based on what they can see. They don't test the quality of the services installation.

The 1980s house I am purchasing is the same, and I plan to pay for a gas and electrical inspection. First, though, my solicitor is asking their solicitor if there is a safety certificate, because if they do, I can save myself the money..

It's a bit like taking out insurance. None of us wants to pay for it, but all of us wish we had it when something happens. As per home/car/health insurance, your decision will be guided by risk. I note the surveyor said, "The installation is believed to be relatively modern. I saw no areas of concern ..." So you may be just fine without an inspection. The downsides of not having an inspection done are that (a) you may be constantly worrying about the safety of your house and (b) you may eventually have to pay for repairs as and when they happen.

Having said that, when I was a FTB, money was really short and I don't think I even got a full survey (on a crumbling Victorian semi!). But then I knew I was going to have to spend a fortune completely ripping out and doing up.

dunroving

AnotherJoe wrote: »

Giving a 3 because there isn't a not required test certificate that pretty much no home owner would get is *rse covering of the worst kind and puts into disrepute any 3's they do give that are genuinely warranted.

The drainage does sound problematic but I wonder how serious it really is given the ridiculous statements on the electrics. You've probably no real alternative other than to commission a survey now those potential issues have been identified.

Yes, I should have said something similar in my post. Presumably, the report would be changed from a 3 if the buyer locates the certificates ... if not, there are questions that should be asked.

I think I paid £150 more for a survey than I would have paid for a Homebuyer Report. It was the best £150 I could have spent, gave me peace of mind, was chock full of the tiniest details. However, I am not sure a survey would give any more detail about the drainage than a Homebuyer Report ...(?)

fromtheshires

I purchased a three year old house. Gas and electricity got a 3 as no current certificates to hand. In fact on every purchase I have ever made it has always been a 3. I tend to ignore them and take the risk if the fuse box looks OK and the boiler isnt ancient when I looked at the property.

The drainage issue is also probably an !!!! covering exercise if im honest as im pretty sure my survey said something about they couldnt open the drain and that needed lookig at as well.

Smodlet

How old is the house? The surveyor and the vendor should surely have some idea. Just knowing its age would help determine the probable state of the electrics.

The report states the drains are partially blocked. I would be more inclined to call a plumber than commission a drain survey but you can, of course, do both if the survey reveals problems.

If you do not know a modern-looking RCD (residual current device or "fusebox") from an ancient one, do you know anyone who does? Not a dig at you, OP; I remember a (happier) time when I did not need to know this either. Do you have any friends/colleagues/family members who have an electrician among their acquaintances? I would definitely try to get someone knowledgeable to look at the electrics for free or very little before spending £150+ on a report to tell you what is probably obvious to anyone who has moved house half a dozen times.

A caveat to the presence of a modern RCD is that the wiring could still be old and need replacing. Some people just replace the RCD. If you can see any metal light fittings, this probably indicates the wiring is not that old as there will be an earth on the lighting socket. Once upon a time (1960s-ish) these were not provided so any metal fittings would have been live!

How many plug sockets are there? One or two per room or more than you will ever need? The vendor should know if the place has been re-wired and have a certificate to prove it.

If the house is 70+ years old and still has bakelite sockets (the first ever plastic, I believe) it definitely needs a re-wire. Bakelite is black and brittle rather than white and not prone to shattering like modern sockets.

Same with the boiler. If you cannot see one, it is probably an ancient back boiler behind a gas fire. If it is a shiny, new combi on the wall which makes hot water as soon as you turn the tap on, you will probably be OK.

Could you ask the vendor to have the boiler serviced if they do not have a certificate to prove it has been within the last 12 months? (£40 - £80 unless you are buying a mansion) I would have thought any responsible vendor would do this as a matter of course before putting their house on the market.

Sorry if this is TMI and HTH.

LittleRubyRed

Thank you all for your great responses.That helps to clear some things up for me.

The house was built approximately 1880's so is old but has been renovated.

I will get my solicitor to ask if they have any certificates.

Thank you so much :T

silvercar

A caveat to the presence of a modern RCD is that the wiring could still be old and need replacing. Some people just replace the RCD. If you can see any metal light fittings, this probably indicates the wiring is not that old as there will be an earth on the lighting socket. Once upon a time (1960s-ish) these were not provided so any metal fittings would have been live!

Or the current owners are conscious not to swing from the chandeliers with wet hands!

Smodlet

silvercar wrote: »

Or the current owners are conscious not to swing from the chandeliers with wet hands!

Yes, thank you so much for that, silvercar.

OP, as silvercar so correctly states, any metal fittings could actually be live... Which would make changing a lightbulb a hair raising experience, literally. :eek: :rotfl:

Please come back and tell us how you get on; there are many FTBs on here who could benefit from your experience and I want to know how the story ends. TIA.