Homebuyers report - is it worth it?

ssavedge

I'm looking to buy a basement flat that's in a converted Victorian building. The seller has renovated the whole place in the last 2 years to a very high spec and I also have the certificates issued after the completion of the works to show that they were compliant. I have viewed the flat a few times and there is nothing that stands out to us that we should be worried about.

We are potentially looking to get a homebuyers report but I have read mixed opinions on them. Most people say that they sit on the fence and don't actually provide you with any useful information, other than you need to get a specialist in to check anything that's reported on.

Based on the info provided, should I get a homebuyers report?

Soph1988

Hi! I recently purchased a property and paid £400 for a home buyers survey alongside the valuation survey the mortgage company did.

The mortgage valuation said no problems, go ahead.
The home buyers report basically said the house was riddled with damp, the roof was about to cave in, it was horrendous.

We went back and visited the house after the report and looked ourselves at what the report said and what we could see, we used common sense and have been careful with money rather than splashing out on decorating and took a chance.

So far - there is some very mild damp. Damp caused by gaps around bay windows - which has been resolved easily. The roof needed 2 tiles replaced and has no signs of leaking or collapse. The flat roof the home-buyers report said we needed to replace urgently... is absolutely fine, although we will likely be replacing in the next 3-5 years.

I think if you are brand new to buying a house, the homebuyers report can terrify you. It does give you a little insight into what some of the problems might be... but it is definitely a backside covering document from a surveyor.

How old is the property you are buying? We were buying a 1950's house and expected to do some work...!

ssavedge

Thanks for your reply. The building is Victorian and was built in 1871. But the building has now been converted into flats. We have the basement flat. So the surveyor will only be able to look at our flat.

pkmid

Personally I felt it was a good back up should anything bad happen. Obviously they have no electrical experience, can't go on the roof etc so it feels like alot of "I'm not an expert in this area so it could be ok but could be bad so I'm going to give it a 2/3". They definitely err on the side of caution on most aspects. We had the mid-range one which provided some detail but not as exhaustive as the more advance one. I would get one just incase since you're making a huge investment anyway, a few hundred more won't make a huge difference.

hazyjo

Soph1988 wrote: »

I think if you are brand new to buying a house, the homebuyers report can terrify you. It does give you a little insight into what some of the problems might be... but it is definitely a backside covering document from a surveyor.

If you think a homebuyer's survey is bad, try a full structural lol.


OP, you might as well have one. I doubt you'll be able to get a full structural on a flat, the bottom one is just a valuation, so that just leaves you with the homebuyer's.

I've always found them pretty comprehensive - although you have to read between the lines and know when they're @rse- covering.

JennyP

I never get one. I get a structural engineer to look instead. To make sure the place isn't falling down.

The surveyors who do homebuyers reports cover their own backs. If something bad goes wrong, the contracts are so watertight you can't sue.

A friend had one - against my advice - and they failed to spot a major structural problem with her house. As she's a solicitor , she thought she'd sue for the £20k it cost to fix. But she said the contract was wordedto protect the surveyor and it wasn't worth trying. In the end, she needed a structural engineer to sort the issue and wished she'd just had him from the word go.

cybervic

Is the flat recently converted flat or just a renovation inside? Survey does not look at fitting and fixtures like kitchen bathroom but may spot/flag up problems you never thought of.

Personally I would get a home buyers survey because it's a basement flat in an Victorian building. I am the more careful type and prefers to know all the info in advance and to have that peace of mind even if it's just been done up.

ssavedge

Thank you everyone for your replies. We decided not to get the report in the end. We spoke to a few people, some in the real estate industry and they said it wouldn!!!8217;t be worth doing.

tori.k

It would be worth getting a tradesman in to check anything your concerned about rather than just a generic survey, in this house it was only the 10 year old gas boiler we were unsure about so had a gas fitter check it over.
little things have cropped up but nothing that would have been noted in a homebuyers survey other than general wear and tear maintenance.