What kind of survey - 40s brick built ex council house

JudeMay

We've made an offer on a 4 bed brick built 40s ex council house. It was constructed immediately after the war in the first swathe so has the higher standard of space/construction etc than the houses that came later.

I'm wondering what type of survey we need/should get. I owned a property previously which was a c.1900 2 up 2 down terrace. At that time I paid around £1000 for a full structural survey which revealed rising damp and the lack of a dividing wall in the attic space with next door (both of which were also noted on the mortgage valuation survey as doing works was a condition of lending) and then basic things that were visible to us anyway like wooden single glazed windows needing replacement etc. It didn't cover things like electrics or test the boiler (which I believe is standard) but those are the sorts of things you need to know about as well.

I'm struggling to see the benefit of paying £1000 odd for a survey that will either tell me things I can see for myself and not check out the things that I've identified may be of concern or costly to rectify. We're on a tight budget, I have budgeted to pay for a full structural survey if needed but its more that I'm not convinced this type of survey will actually help me target the specific areas that could be costly. Its important that we have a realistic idea of costs needed to sort the house as there is a certain figure above which we wouldn't be able to raise funds for work, even if the vendor were to reduce the price.

The house is currently empty so I've been able to get a good look around without furniture and people in the way. Areas I've identified are:
Damp - downstairs toilet and utility room are only a single skin and are basically an 'outbuilding' with evidence of rising damp - that obviously needs sorting out but I don't think damp extends to the rest of the property (I'm pretty good at identifying damp, working out where the water's getting in and how to fix it as I've lived in so many shoddy rentals). Damp is obviously something they've considered as there are appropriate ventilation bricks where damp/condensation would form throughout the rest of the house.
Electrics - pretty sure its an old fusebox that needs replacing with a modern one but the light switches and sockets are modern.
Asbestos - I know the garage roof will contain it but am aware that properties of this age may also have low risk stuff in the walls and ceilings, obviously we need to be aware before drilling into walls etc.
Roof - I have no idea about roofs other than standing in the road and looking at it and the neighbouring ones to see if they've done work - this is something I'd like professional guidance on as it could be a hugely expensive job if it needs re-roofing.
Boiler - boiler is new, looks like its been installed within the last year. Radiators themselves are tired but don't need replacing immediately.
Windows - older double glazing, probably done within the last 20 years, a couple of units have got condensation inside but that's simple enough to sort on a case by case basis.

Any suggestions of other potential issues in this type of housing?

Would a lower cost home buyers survey rather than full structural survey tell me what I need to know? Would it even be potentially better to pay to have specific report done on the areas I'm concerned about by an appropriate person e.g. get an electrician to do an inspection? Is that dangerous territory as they'd be tempted to advise works not essential in order to get a job for themselves?

I can't ask anybody I know because I'm a millennial and all my peers are too busy with avocado toast and flat whites to be buying houses :rotfl:

sal_III

JudeMay wrote: »

I'm struggling to see the benefit of paying £1000 odd for a survey that will either tell me things I can see for myself and not check out the things that I've identified may be of concern or costly to rectify. We're on a tight budget

The question here is can you afford to pay for repairs you weren't able to spot yourself, but would have been spotted by a professional?

Some of your observations are naive, for example just because the electric outlets and switches are new, doesn't mean the wiring is up to standards and supports modern day loads. For example the wiring to the kitchen might not account for some modern hobs that can use 4KW+ of power.

Do you have the expertise to spot potential crack in the foundation cause by say Japanese knotweed?

JudeMay

sal_III wrote: »

The question here is can you afford to pay for repairs you weren't able to spot yourself, but would have been spotted by a professional?

Some of your observations are naive, for example just because the electric outlets and switches are new, doesn't mean the wiring is up to standards and supports modern day loads. For example the wiring to the kitchen might not account for some modern hobs that can use 4KW+ of power.

Do you have the expertise to spot potential crack in the foundation cause by say Japanese knotweed?

Okay - maybe I worded my question badly, but this is not what I'm asking.

The list of things I've identified is what I am able to see as a basic overview, not claiming that because that's 'all' I can see they will be fine.

My question is what kind of survey and/or professional advice would be best suited to finding out the kind of additional information you describe that I cannot spot myself.

Again, its not that I don't wish to spend the money, it is that I wish to target the money specifically for the right kind of survey/advice in order to not miss huge potential issues that I can't identify for myself. If full structural survey will do that then I am more than happy to pay for that.

I don't understand the tone of your reply at all. My post was simply saying 'this is what I do know, now help me out with what I don't.' There being a figure beyond which we cannot pay for repairs is exactly why I am trying to make sure I know what the cost of any repairs would be and don't get any surprises.

Arthritic_Toe

In my experience, the full survey isn't worth toffee. They don't look at anything they cant easily get at, state the obvious and caveat absolutely everything to avoid any comeback. You will get a thicker report, but it is just full of padding.

JudeMay

Arthritic_Toe wrote: »

In my experience, the full survey isn't worth toffee. They don't look at anything they cant easily get at, state the obvious and caveat absolutely everything to avoid any comeback. You will get a thicker report, but it is just full of padding.

This is my concern - electrics could be one of the biggest and most disruptive issues, yet if surveys now are like the one we had on the old house, they won't cover electrics anyway beyond saying 'looks old'.

Arthritic_Toe

JudeMay wrote: »

This is my concern - electrics could be one of the biggest and most disruptive issues, yet if surveys now are like the one we had on the old house, they won't cover electrics anyway beyond saying 'looks old'.

Yep. The last one I had pointed out that there was no banister on the stairs but completely missed the dry rot...

the_quick

The survey will not check electrics, but you can ask electrician to do electric safety test - last I did it costed me £170 and show few small issues. You can do same with gas installation (boiler and such).

Homebuyers report will tell you general state of the house, but will not check details and spaces they get into easily. Most of that can be spotted by anyone with bit of DIY experience imho.

JudeMay

Arthritic_Toe wrote: »

Yep. The last one I had pointed out that there was no banister on the stairs but completely missed the dry rot...

That's shockingly bad - I don't really know what to say :eek: Were you able to take any action or did they write it so as to totally cover their own backs?

martinthebandit

If you have concerns, and it appears you, try getting a quote and then a survey from a proper structural engineer, not a house surveyor!

You will get a much better and much more informative report, which, in my experience will be cheaper than a full survey from a house surveyor.

JudeMay

the_quick wrote: »

The survey will not check electrics, but you can ask electrician to do electric safety test - last I did it costed me £170 and show few small issues. You can do same with gas installation (boiler and such).

Homebuyers report will tell you general state of the house, but will not check details and spaces they get into easily. Most of that can be spotted by anyone with bit of DIY experience imho.

Thank you for replying - we had an electrician do a periodic inspection (which we paid for) in our old house to determine what was needed when we replaced the old kitchen and it told us exactly what we needed to know/do next. That's the sort of thing I was thinking of.

I'm still no further on with what I should do - all the guides are claiming different things about different types of surveys; the only thing that seems the same is that on a homebuyers they won't look behind/under anything. Various sources are claiming that the full buildings survey either will or won't test electrics, will or work look under or behind things, will or won't go into the roof space. Its also unclear how extensive checks for asbestos would be. The guidance is also varying as to whether this type of property would really need a full building survey - some are saying anything older than 50 years needs one regardless of condition, others are saying its only necessary if you're planning extensive works (we're not) or extensive works have previously been carried out (they haven't) or the house is in particularly dilapidated condition (its not).

The other issue is that all the RICS surveyors in my area either have no online reviews or bad reviews and I'm struggling to get a local recommendation.

My gut is saying go for Homebuyers and pay someone to test the electrics but I don't have enough experience to really trust that. Why is doing things properly such a pain? *whinge whinge*

JudeMay

martinthebandit wrote: »

If you have concerns, and it appears you, try getting a quote and then a survey from a proper structural engineer, not a house surveyor!

You will get a much better and much more informative report, which, in my experience will be cheaper than a full survey from a house surveyor.

Thanks for your reply. I don't actually have concerns about the structural integrity of the building - its not really been changed since it was built but don't have the budget for getting a nasty surprise of something I haven't though of that a survey may pick up.