Survey concerns

houseworrier

Hi

So had our homebuyers survey back and a few concerns but no 3s which is great. Got a few 2s. Would any of these put you off buying a place? We got the seller down 9k on price so I don't think they will come down again if any work needed.

It's a 3-bed house built in 1935, freehold property.

Roof
- moss deposits
- flashings on extension 'sub par' compared to rest of house
- loft insulation needs upgrading to meet 'current standards'
- roof/attic has poor ventilation, needs vents apparently

Wall
- There are signs that the building is affected by wall tie failure, which can be serious. "Specialist investigation and remedial work is now required".

Ceiling
- one bedroom ceiling has a textured finish, apparently some of these have low levels of asbestos.

Gutters
- all in working order but some old cast iron ones have signs of corrosion.

What do people think?

Wall tie repay is apparently £1k to £2k which I'm happy to pay for rather than renegotiate and risk falling through especially as we got seller down on price

houseworrier

Forgot to add - surveyor valued the house bang on the price we agreed - is this normal?

Mortgage provider seem happy to proceed without any work being done

Davesnave

You've answered your own question about the only potentially substantial issue, which will need investigation, giving you time to save for it, if necessary. The rest is maintenance and waffle.


For a 1930s house, that's a pretty good report.

Chimpy9

I've just had a survey on a 1930's house and had quite a lot of 3s on it. Mainly the roof but I've had it checked out by a contractor and it's no where near as bad the survey was making out.

Parkingfines

There is nothing wrong with a bit of moss on a roof!! We have a north facing roof and it has moss on clay tiles!! Not worried at all

G_M

Only one potential issue here

houseworrier wrote: »

Roof
- moss deposits so what? Either ignore, or climb a ladder and remove the moss.
- flashings on extension 'sub par' compared to rest of house but presumably water-tight or the survey would have said so and advised replacement.
- loft insulation needs upgrading to meet 'current standards' Thousandsof properties don't meet 'current standards' in thousands of ways. If you want to make your house cosier (I would) spend £20 at B&Q and lay more insulation the 1st Sunday after you move in
- roof/attic has poor ventilation, needs vents apparently vents cost about £5 each. Man on ladder for half an hour......?

Wall
- There are signs that the building is affected by wall tie failure, which can be serious. "Specialist investigation and remedial work is now required". I would want to know more about this.

Ceiling
- one bedroom ceiling has a textured finish, apparently some of these have low levels of asbestos. Do you like the textured finish?
If yes, do nothing - any asbestos (if present) will be no threat if undisturbed.
If no, skim the ceiling with plaster to make it smooth. Again,
any asbestos (if present) will be no threat if undisturbed.

Gutters
- all in working order but some old cast iron ones have signs of corrosion. Personally I love the old cast iron ones. As long as they are not actually leaking, what's a bit of rust? Clean them up and repaint if you want to preserve their life.

What do people think?

Wall tie repay is apparently £1k to £2k which I'm happy to pay for rather than renegotiate and risk falling through especially as we got seller down on price

Surveys should not be just seen as helping buyers decide whether to buy and whether to re-negotiate price.

They should be seen as providing useful information about the property you are buying, and as providing a 'to do' list for the first 6 months.


You now have a useful 'to do' list.

Bossypants

I would get an couple of quotes in for the wall tie work. When I had it done on my three bed semi last January, the total was just shy of £5,000, and that was competitive for the area.

Sibz

Not long sold a house built around the same time - there are always going to be 2's on reports for buildings of that age. The 3's are where you have to worry mostly. Have you contacted the surveyor to ask them to elaborate on the wall ties?

houseworrier

Thanks for settling my nerves on most of this and for advice

I spoke to surveyor on wall tie failure. He said he couldn't be sure there was wall tie failure just that there were signs on the building that it may be affected by it. He didn't seem overly concerned but being a first time buyer I'd never heard of it so was quite worried. He advised that repair would be about £1k to £2k.

I believe they have to drill into the wall to check for failure? I can't see the seller being happy with this?

I am happy to go ahead with purchase and save up for repair I think.

societys_child

He said he couldn't be sure there was wall tie failure

So, just speculation.

I believe they have to drill into the wall to check for failure? I can't see the seller being happy with this?

Neither can I. I'd want more evidence than the surveyor just covering his backside. It's not such a big job, there's even equipment available to DIY

PhilE

Just the wall. If the artex ceiling is in good condition, nothing to worry about.

Moss should be cleaned off once per year, over time it can start to get under tiles. Can also get in drains and clog gutters. But if the surveyor has looked at the condition of the roof and given no indication of damage, it should be ok.

As for his price value equaling what you offered, in my experience they usually do this.