Advice On Where To Go After Survey (Issues with roof, damp & valuation)

ChrisJK88

Hi - First time buyer nerves definitely kicking in, hence the long post below...



We've had an offer accepted on a property (Bristol, "up and coming" area which has had good house price growth in recent years), but given it's age (built mid-1880s) we went for the full structural survey which turned out to be a good idea. The survey threw up three main concerns, with the third being the one that's most concerning for me and where I need the most advice:


1. Roof repairs - The current owners had some repair work done last December/January, however the survey has uncovered some botch jobs (one cracked beam, some patchy sealing and literally a small gap letting in light). I'm less concerned about this because a) the sellers should obviously fix it and b) they have a warranty for the work that was done which I believe should cover this. My concern on this point is whether we should have them use a different, recommended contrator as the one they used was clearly just in place for a quick fix!


2. Damp review and damp proofing - The surveyor has recommended that this work is undertaken prior to contract - Is this usual? My main worry is that because the surveyor has recommended that, they must have uncovered something worrying! I'm more than happy to push this back on to the sellers as well, the price quoted at £2k for everything (review + implementation) seems high but again this is something they should be fixing


3. Valuation - This is the biggest one for me, as there is a £15k difference between our offer (which is in line with similar houses in the area selling recently) and the surveyors valuation. In people's experience is this usual? Do surveyors tend to go on the conservative side when doing their valuation? Given the competition and likely price growth in the area (although I've definitely got Brexit slump fears) and knowing other people who have bought in the area we know we had a chance of overpaying, however this difference seems massive!



I guess part of my fear and my challenge with what to do next is the fact that we're already telling the sellers to part with at least £2.5k to fix the roof and go through damp proofing, and going back with a lower price as well as that seems like a sure fire way of getting a new offer rejected - But knowing that whether they sell to us or anyone else these issues are still going to have to be fixed by them... Leveraging that seems like it could be a way to go...


What do people think?

rococomaiden

Would you mind sharing what area of Bristol? (I am quite familiar with the pricing of Bristol areas at the moment, as I am in the process of buying an older property here too and have completed a lot of land registry searches).

You could always get a second opinion valuation. Have you had your mortgage accepted yet?

Regarding the damp, I would speak to surveyor and ask them why it should be done before completion if they didn't specify. Is it a health risk?

ciderboy2009

I would guess BS5 from the 'Up and coming' comment?

I would always be wary about getting the vendors to do repairs - see about getting some money off instead.

First things first, ask the surveyor why he has downvalued it. Is it due to the repair works or him just guessing.

House prices are still only heading upwards in most parts of Bristol with some areas still showing fairly rapid growth.

Also, what damp proofing work is required? £2k sounds like a lot of work.

Bear in mind that older houses would never have been built with a damp proof course and injecting one isn't always the best option.

m0bov

Your surveyor needs to explain why it needs a damp proof review. What has he found?

I doubt the sellers would pay for the roof, most likely its been bodged for the sale already. Get a couple of quotes, then push for money off.

Valuation, this could be an issue if its for the mortgage, you could explain this to the agents.

quantumlobster

ChrisJK88 wrote: »

Hi - First time buyer nerves definitely kicking in, hence the long post below...



We've had an offer accepted on a property (Bristol, "up and coming" area which has had good house price growth in recent years), but given it's age (built mid-1880s) we went for the full structural survey which turned out to be a good idea. The survey threw up three main concerns, with the third being the one that's most concerning for me and where I need the most advice:


1. Roof repairs - The current owners had some repair work done last December/January, however the survey has uncovered some botch jobs (one cracked beam, some patchy sealing and literally a small gap letting in light). I'm less concerned about this because a) the sellers should obviously fix it and b) they have a warranty for the work that was done which I believe should cover this. My concern on this point is whether we should have them use a different, recommended contrator as the one they used was clearly just in place for a quick fix!


2. Damp review and damp proofing - The surveyor has recommended that this work is undertaken prior to contract - Is this usual? My main worry is that because the surveyor has recommended that, they must have uncovered something worrying! I'm more than happy to push this back on to the sellers as well, the price quoted at £2k for everything (review + implementation) seems high but again this is something they should be fixing


3. Valuation - This is the biggest one for me, as there is a £15k difference between our offer (which is in line with similar houses in the area selling recently) and the surveyors valuation. In people's experience is this usual? Do surveyors tend to go on the conservative side when doing their valuation? Given the competition and likely price growth in the area (although I've definitely got Brexit slump fears) and knowing other people who have bought in the area we know we had a chance of overpaying, however this difference seems massive!



I guess part of my fear and my challenge with what to do next is the fact that we're already telling the sellers to part with at least £2.5k to fix the roof and go through damp proofing, and going back with a lower price as well as that seems like a sure fire way of getting a new offer rejected - But knowing that whether they sell to us or anyone else these issues are still going to have to be fixed by them... Leveraging that seems like it could be a way to go...


What do people think?

Link please

Damp and timber surveys are, for the most part, a CYA exercise. The surveyor will come around, look at things, stab a "moisture meter" into various walls, and declare that you have rising damp.

A moisture meter is nothing of the sort, btw. It detects the ability of the surface to form an electrical circuit, and detects, amongst other things, naturally occuring salts in lime plaster, thermally-insulating wallpaper, and damp. Every time, it detects damp. Magic, eh? And it just so happens that they can recommend a company who will be able to inject a chemical DPC which will solve all the problems!

Apologies if I come off as slightly cynical about these grasping, chiselling charlatans, but the only way to properly diagnose damp (as opposed to a water leak) is to drill out a sample and check it in an instrument that actually detects moisture.

A proper, independent damp survey is intrusive and costly.

ChrisJK88

rococomaiden wrote: »

Would you mind sharing what area of Bristol? (I am quite familiar with the pricing of Bristol areas at the moment, as I am in the process of buying an older property here too and have completed a lot of land registry searches).

You could always get a second opinion valuation. Have you had your mortgage accepted yet?

Regarding the damp, I would speak to surveyor and ask them why it should be done before completion if they didn't specify. Is it a health risk?

BS5 as ciderboy said! Our mortgage has been accepted, and our lender has undertaken a basic valuation which didn't flag anything. I'll be going through the document with our surveyor later today as it really wasn't clear why it was deemed so important

ChrisJK88

m0bov wrote: »

Your surveyor needs to explain why it needs a damp proof review. What has he found?

I doubt the sellers would pay for the roof, most likely its been bodged for the sale already. Get a couple of quotes, then push for money off.

Valuation, this could be an issue if its for the mortgage, you could explain this to the agents.

He found some patches of damp in the entrance, hallway and dining room, as well as questioning the placement of ventilation at the front and back of the property but I'm hoping to get more information today.



I should have mentioned, our mortage offer has come through, with our lender undertaking a basic valuation survey.

ChrisJK88

ciderboy2009 wrote: »

I would guess BS5 from the 'Up and coming' comment?

I would always be wary about getting the vendors to do repairs - see about getting some money off instead.

First things first, ask the surveyor why he has downvalued it. Is it due to the repair works or him just guessing.

House prices are still only heading upwards in most parts of Bristol with some areas still showing fairly rapid growth.

Also, what damp proofing work is required? £2k sounds like a lot of work.

Bear in mind that older houses would never have been built with a damp proof course and injecting one isn't always the best option.

Spot on with BS5!



So with the damp proofing, the £2k is meant to cover a review and any measures they recommend - So a pretty vague summary without saying what the suspected issue actually is.



His valuation explanation did link back to any potential repairs, but I'm going to try and find out whether if these were all resolved it would change the valuation at all. His other concern was the general state of the housing market and any potential Brexit fall out, but didn't speak in detail about how he arrived at the valuation other than listing the negatives I've mentioned.



We're planning on staying in this property for at least 5 years, so all being well given the location I think we can reasonably expect the value to grow - I just don't want to start having over paid by £15k!

ChrisJK88

quantumlobster wrote: »

Link please

Damp and timber surveys are, for the most part, a CYA exercise. The surveyor will come around, look at things, stab a "moisture meter" into various walls, and declare that you have rising damp.

A moisture meter is nothing of the sort, btw. It detects the ability of the surface to form an electrical circuit, and detects, amongst other things, naturally occuring salts in lime plaster, thermally-insulating wallpaper, and damp. Every time, it detects damp. Magic, eh? And it just so happens that they can recommend a company who will be able to inject a chemical DPC which will solve all the problems!

Apologies if I come off as slightly cynical about these grasping, chiselling charlatans, but the only way to properly diagnose damp (as opposed to a water leak) is to drill out a sample and check it in an instrument that actually detects moisture.

A proper, independent damp survey is intrusive and costly.

Thank you! I'm more than happy with a bit of cynicism.


I guess the proper diagnosis part is a bit part of my concern, if he's recommending that a £2k damp review/resolution is undertaken prior to contract does that mean he's spotted something he's worried about or is it just a case that it's a Victorian terrace and it's likely that there's something and he's hedging his bets.

Albala

quantumlobster wrote: »

A moisture meter is nothing of the sort, btw. It detects the ability of the surface to form an electrical circuit, and detects, amongst other things, naturally occuring salts in lime plaster, thermally-insulating wallpaper, and damp.

Now I knew some of that, but the part about thermally insulating wallpaper I didn't know. You may have just explained something rather significant which was puzzling me...many thanks!:T

Albala

ciderboy2009 wrote: »

Also, what damp proofing work is required? £2k sounds like a lot of work.

The report might cost a few quid, but nothing like £2K! If it comes out suggesting the house needs an injected DPC and a lot of replastering, it could come out a lot more than that.... 2K sounds too much for one, and too little for the other.