Bad Homebuyers Report. Help

Fed

The £225 I spent on a independent damp survey was possibly the biggest waste of money i've ever spent. It recommended 5k worth of works including re-plastering half the house in order to damp proof it. The only visible signs of damp were in the bedroom but that looked like old staining. The vendor refused to renegotiate on price.

When we moved in I noticed an old down pipe resting up against the front of the house covered in leaves which would certainly encourage damp. Then I spotted the fittings running up the wall where the old pipe had been, funnily enough it coincided with the damp staining in the bedroom. So in all likelihood the vendor fixed this problem but the report didn't mention any of this. I haven't spent a penny carrying out the recommendations and despite the cold and wet weather haven't come across any damp

Do the walls feel damp, is there any mould, is the paint new and could be hiding anything, is there anything on the outside of the house propped up against it? The damp on the outside wall could be as simple as fixing some guttering

You'd hope you could rely on these expensive surveys but in some cases they seem a complete waste of time

ddoks

pinklady21 wrote: »

What would worry me is that you are currently offering to pay 309k for a house with issues that may or may not be expensive to repair, and the valuation after the issues are fixed is still 309k. Does not sound like a great deal.
As others have said, how much do you want it?

I picked up on this same point and have contacted the surveyors. I'm still waiting for their response. I do like the property, but I am trying hard not to attach any emotions because I will be moving in with children (2 under 5), and I don't want to get entwined in avoidable bills. it's also my first experience, which is why all the comments here are invaluable.

I wrote this to the surveyors:

[Truncated qoute of the survery's summary]

The after works value of the property, I believe is what the property is worth AFTER fixing all the problems that were identified in the survey. Question is, if you're unable to provide the Market value of the property due to the cost that may (or may not) be associated with fixing the extensive damp problem and other amber issues, how then did you arrive at the AFTER WORKS value of the property? Did you mean to write BEFORE WORKS value?

I'd like some clarification on how the £309,000 value was deduced to be sure it's not a coincidence with my offer.

I am only adding this much detail to help anyone who may find themselve in my shoes in the future. I will update this thread with their response.

jonnygee2

Most of what they've said is just !!! covering. There 'may' be beetles. There 'may' be asbestos. They are probably just putting this here so that in the off chance it's true they don't get in trouble. Surveys are full of these caveats, I wouldn't stress about them.

However for the level of survey, both the damp. and the floor support indicate this might be a place that is going to need a bit of work at some point or another. There's also the fact that the boiler has no service history (how old is this boiler? I'd check) and the chimney stack sounds like it will need work soon.

Two approaches:

1) Accept the risk / fact that you are going to encounter some problems, AND use the homebuyer report to know a bit of money (10k?) off the price so you have a bit of money free to cover issues.

2) Get a building survey, and one which gives a recommendation for the cost and price of works needed, so you have a better idea of exactly what will come up, and use that to negotiate the price but also understand better what you are likely to encounter. (I wouldn't just get a damp survey because it sounds to me like there might be none-damp related problems too)

Personally, I think either approach works fine. Although there are wobbles, I don't think I'd be pulling out at this point. If you are in the market for properties around this age / type, this is probably about the level of problem you can consider normal.

Also:

I'd like some clarification on how the £309,000 value was deduced to be sure it's not a coincidence with my offer.

Generally they value the property between £1 - £Offer price. They don't normally value it higher and only value it lower if it's very different to what's being offered.

Bass_9

Davesnave wrote: »

At best, a damp meter is a crude device, but surveyors love 'em. Quantifies. Can't argue with a high reading!

But what is the cause?

You need a report from an independent timber and damp surveyor (not a company that offers surveys "free") to determine the reason(s) forthe high moisture readings.

It could be one of the things labelled "such as," or none of them.

Exactly, do this.

Keep an open mind until you have an independent specialist survey because even problems which sound horrendous can actually be sorted for a few grand. Best case scenario it may be nothing or just a condensation problem.

Once you receive the report you can make your decision, but don't be afraid to pull out if you're uncomfortable with what it says. Many people on this forum would potentially take on quite big problems to fix but that doesn't mean you should.

For what it's worth, I have seen much worse reports! Good luck OP.

Davesnave

Bass_9 wrote: »

Exactly, do this.

Keep an open mind until you have an independent specialist survey because even problems which sound horrendous can actually be sorted for a few grand. Best case scenario it may be nothing or just a condensation problem.

Re the condensation possibility, we had lots of after-market extra ventilation in our property when we bought it, which clearly wasn't added to the house for fun.

After living here for a while and not experiencing any problems, we felt safe to begin removing all these vents. Now we just have vents in the usual places; bathrooms & kitchen.

No idea how the previous occupants lived/created a condensation issue, but whatever problem they had, it didn't affect us.

ddoks

Quick Update. I had the damp and timber report done, and got a £2,500 quote. See details below in [1]

The damp report was forwarded to the valuers, and they gave a final valuation of £309,000 (the offer). See details in [2]

The vendor, however, got his own damp report and decided to fix it by himself, refusing any price reduction. He has also refused a price reduction on other severity 2 issues such as the Chimney stack, lounge window and Roof tiles, with the EA citing that severity 2 issues are non-urgent based on the report.

For those who are experienced with this, do you think this is a fair arrangement? Ideally, I'd like to get the damp issue fixed as I would not cut any corners, but the vendor insisted on him fixing it himself.

[1]"

DAMP CONDITION
The property is a semi-detached type building of cavity wall construction
built we believe in the 1930sdditions and is north west facing
[truncated]
Conductivity meter tests gave patterns normally associated with rising damp (sharp cut-off) in those ground floor walls shown on the attached plan.

(HATCHED IN RED.)
Evidence of "bridging" of the DPC level, by the higher external ground levels was noted, as indicated on the attached plan.
The plaster on the walls marked on the plan (single green line) is decayed. This condition is likely to be the product of residual salts, which may be hygroscopic. For long term durable restoration, all decayed plaster should be removed and replaced with a salt and water resistant plaster system, as per our specification. If plaster is not replaced by us following the installation of a chemical damp proof course any future claim under the guarantee will be restricted and will not include any repairs to plasterwork.

TIMBER CONDITION
It was not possible to inspect the timber floors to the ground floor, staircase, the first or second floor, due to the extent of floor coverings and furniture. We have therefore provided our estimate for the treatment, if it is found to be necessary. In our opinion, the sub-floor ventilation is inadequate. We recommend installation of additional terra cotta air bricks to reduce the risk of fungal decay.
"

[2]

"The property is considered to be a reasonable purchase provided that you are prepared to
accept the cost and inconvenience of dealing with the various repair/improvement works
reported. However, the agreed price of £309,000 is in our opinion too high and you may
wish to renegotiate it on the basis of the cost of the necessary repairs. "

SG27

Who did the damp report? Looks like they are not independent and they will carry out the work they themselves recommend? If this is the case its no wonder the vendor got his own survey.

Either way having the vendor carry out the work isnt a good idea as theres no reason not to do a cheap bodge job.

This looks like the problem, install a french drain or lower the ground level yourself.probably cost up to £1000?
"Evidence of "bridging" of the DPC level, by the higher external ground levels was noted, as indicated on the attached plan."