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very bad survey on old house

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  • happypie
    happypie Posts: 151 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts
    Ozzuk wrote: »
    Are you paying cash? If not,what has your lender said? They may not lend if no kitchen, or at least put a large retention on.

    no. i am taking mortgage.
    i think lender's surveyor didn't go inside of property and signed off valuation (probably considering prices of other houses on that street).
  • happypie
    happypie Posts: 151 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts
    davidmcn wrote: »
    I would be inclined to agree with that, given that the other points are ones which ought to be obvious (as far as I can guess). Why for example does your surveyor think the bathroom needs replaced, if you're happy with it? I've never heard of insurance requirements forcing you to replace doors or windows. Adding insulation is (for the meantime) optional.

    actually as i said we didn't look bathroom that much in 10 mins of viewing.
    later when i went there with surveyor i found that its very very old fitting and i will need to replace it before i move (it has two separate tapes for cold and hot water in basin - that must be very old?).
  • happypie
    happypie Posts: 151 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts
    KiKi wrote: »
    What would you have to pay for an equivalent house that was completely up to standard? Would it be £550kish? If so, and you're prepared to do the work, then you're probably still quids in.

    How much do you actually want THIS house, rather than a different one (fixes aside)?

    yeah i think it would value between 525 to 550k once improved.

    i am thinking that 90k doesn't include appliances, cost of living in rented place, cost of effort and time spent to do all of that. so overall am I really getting anything buying this type of property (note that i am a FTB and not property developer).


    regarding my expectation, after survey i was hoping if seller can absorb 10 to 15k of total cost estimated in survey, to make this decision easy for us.
  • TamsinC
    TamsinC Posts: 625 Forumite
    happypie wrote: »
    later when i went there with surveyor i found that its very very old fitting and i will need to replace it before i move (it has two separate tapes for cold and hot water in basin - that must be very old?).
    You can still install basins with two taps - one for hot and one for cold - and in UK houses {especially old ones} it is used to be so because your cold tap in the bathroom often comes from a feed/tank in the loft and so isn't drinking water safe. Before you install a mixer tap make sure you know where your cold water is coming from. Old doesn't mean it doesn't work. Many people prefer old and use them - if it ain't actually broke it doesn't actually NEED fixing.

    Rising damp is a myth as Doozergirl says - see this websitehttps://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/what-is-rising-damp.html
    “Isn't this enough? Just this world? Just this beautiful, complex
    Wonderfully unfathomable, natural world” Tim Minchin
  • happypie
    happypie Posts: 151 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts
    thanks everyone for your replies.

    in my email to EA i mentioned 3 things to be taken care of/reduction of 20k:
    damp (5k), electric rewiring (6k), insulation on walls (9.5k)

    he's now organizing damp survey from a company as he thinks 5k is very high for DPC.
    he says electric rewiring and insulation on walls is part of modernization.

    he's still asking for survey report.
    I don't mind sharing the report if he would be at least considering other issues.
    but what's the point if he is just going to cover damp cost. he knows that there is damp.
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    happypie wrote: »
    surveyor estimated 1500 pounds.

    should i speak to council for cost?
    Nothing to do with the council.


    You are not a native-born UK citizen I suspect?
    And this is your first property?
    And you have little/no experience of property renovation?


    Do not buy this property. Buy a New Build!
  • happypie
    happypie Posts: 151 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts
    let me put some items which isn't estimated as much compare to other things, but i definitely couldn't have seen those:

    chimney caps
    cladding of the eaves joinery including overhaul of the gutters - i honestly don't know what this is but it's estimated 800 pounds so didn't bother much
    replace stair balustrading - 1000 pounds
  • happypie
    happypie Posts: 151 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts
    G_M wrote: »
    Nothing to do with the council.


    You are not a native-born UK citizen I suspect?
    And this is your first property?
    And you have little/no experience of property renovation?


    Do not buy this property. Buy a New Build!

    yes to all three :)

    i heard that new build aren't good quality.
    not that i don't like new build but there are no new build houses in area i am looking.

    i said council as usually they pick up larger stuff for recycling or dumping, charging some money.
  • kay0601
    kay0601 Posts: 76 Forumite
    :rotfl: we just put in single taps to our rented flat's bathroom sink-it's easier for my daughter to use them than a mixer. If the sink, toilet and bath/shower are useable then you can get by for a while. My sister's been in her house for the best part of 2 years and her downstairs toilet (the one everyone sees!) is still a horrible burgundy colour. She's slowly but surely upgraded the rest of the house so it's just there and the spare room to do.
  • ProDave
    ProDave Posts: 3,785 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Hold on

    Your survey says all the things you expected, poor wiring, no gas, needs ne kitchen and bathroom.

    It tells you it is an old poorly insulated house and will cost a lot to heat. It suggests external wall insulation and better doors and windows might help.

    The ONLY "fault" I can see listed is damp. Much of that may be simple to fix or just thew result of no heating.

    You admit it is an old house that needs updating, now you are scared of the updating it needs?

    Now if the survey has said it had subsidence, dry rot, wet rot, needs a new roof, walls are leaning etc I could understand you being worried, but I don't see anything other than old house needs updating.
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