House valuation concerns...please help!

mandgreen

So we have received our valuation report on the house we are buying (approx 88 years old). The good news is it has valued it at the price we’re paying, £269950. However there are a few ‘‘matters affecting value” which concern me, they are as follows -


The property has suffered previous movement but I saw no evidence to suggest this is ongoing

There is evidence of dampness to ground floor walls and timbers in contact may be defective. You should instruct a damp and timber treatment contractor to investigate the full extent in carryout necessary repair work

Parts of the property are thought to contain asbestos material. You should take care when carrying out repairs maintenance or renewal

Door glazing is a potential safety hazard and further advice is required


Can anyone give any advice on how concerned we should be with the points listed and whether we should get a further homebuyers survey done? My worry is that even with that the sellers won’t renegotiate the purchase price or pay for any works because the valuation came back with the price we paid and not any lower.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

davidmcn

The damp is the only thing I would consider investigating further. The other points should just be self-explanatory ones for your information, not things requiring further surveys. A homebuyers' report will in general be more detailed (and likely to flag up other maintenance points), but is unlikely to give you any more detail about these items.

AnotherJoe

Ask what parts re asbestos. Probably artex. Safe unless you sand or drill it and breathe it in whilst doing so.
Re glazing, change it. Probably interior doorsb eing referred to.
Have you had a look where the dampness is coming from. Maybe as simple as soil above the level of the damp proof course (does it have one?)

This is the sort of boilerplate "issues" you'd find on any house of this age.

buggy_boy

Nothing that can't be fixed although the damp problem is the one area that needs to be sorted, I would be inclined to ask the seller to sort it before buying as it could run into the thousands to fix. Saying that it could just be something silly like a faulty gutter but given its on the ground floor I doubt it..

Smodlet

The glass needs to be replaced as it is not toughened glass so could cut someone to ribbons if they broke it. You could replace it or just replace the internal doors if you don't mind not having glass in them.

A house that age could well have asbestos in the ceilings and/or soffits. It was used as a fire retardant back before the health risks were known.

The damp could be simple to fix or not, depending on the cause. If the joists are affected it will not be cheap. Have you checked for leaking pipes? Even if you have to go rummaging through the vendors' cupboards, it would be worth it. Just explain to them that there is an issue and any other potential buyer is going to be made aware of it too so it makes sense to address it. If you are physically able, I would ask to look in the loft as well. Can you see any daylight shining through the roof? Is it lined?

I would definitely either take a builder (cheaper and often more observant than some surveyors) to look over the house with you or commission a HomeBuyer's report. I am assuming you are not in Scotland as the vendor would have to provide one under their laws.

Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

armchaireconomist

The property has suffered previous movement but I saw no evidence to suggest this is ongoing - has it been underpinned? How recent was the movement? Suggest you look into this and consider insurance ramifications.

There is evidence of dampness to ground floor walls and timbers in contact may be defective. You should instruct a damp and timber treatment contractor to investigate the full extent in carryout necessary repair work - take someone with you, 9/10 this is painfully cheap (or even free) repairs from quite frankly negligence/ignorance. Gutters, soil levels etc.

Parts of the property are thought to contain asbestos material. You should take care when carrying out repairs maintenance or renewal - blanket statement on any home over 15-20 years old. When was it built?

Door glazing is a potential safety hazard and further advice is required - if you smash the door you'll cut yourself. Nonsense.

ProDave

you can get safety film to apply to the glass rather than replacing it.

davidmcn

armchaireconomist wrote: »

The property has suffered previous movement but I saw no evidence to suggest this is ongoing - has it been underpinned? How recent was the movement? Suggest you look into this and consider insurance ramifications.

That's a bit of an OTT response - it's pretty standard for surveyors to point out historic non-progressive movement (I suspect some just cut and paste it into reports for any vaguely old property). Not necessary to report to insurers or start worrying about underpinning.

mandgreen

Thanks all for your replies. I am relieved the movement is pretty much normal! I have decided to follow your advice and book a damp and timber survey which is being done Friday this week.

The surveyors want £190 upfront for it, is this normal practice? I'm always a bit wary about paying anything upfront!

davidmcn

mandgreen wrote: »

The surveyors want £190 upfront for it, is this normal practice? I'm always a bit wary about paying anything upfront!

They're probably a bit wary about doing work and not getting paid. Yes, it's normal practice.

dunroving

I had a survey, gas inspection and electric inspection done on the house I am hoping to buy. The first two wanted payment up front, the last one did not. I live 300 miles away, which was given by the gas inspection company as the reason why they asked for up front payment.