Building Survey Report - Areas of concern

mazibee

Thanks everyone for the replies as its given me a peace of mind.

Lastly is it worth going for the Damp and Timber Survey, I got a quotation yesterday and it wll cost £265.

FreeBear

Unless the vendor will agree to floorboards being lifted (unlikely), no one will be able to asses the state of any joists. So if you want to pay for a survey that says "there might be..." along with a recommendation to spend a fortune on toxic chemicals, go ahead.

Albala

FreeBear wrote: »

Unless the vendor will agree to floorboards being lifted (unlikely), no one will be able to asses the state of any joists. So if you want to pay for a survey that says "there might be..." along with a recommendation to spend a fortune on toxic chemicals, go ahead.

That was pretty much our experience. We tried to find someone who would actually look at the floor, but we could find none that would even lift a carpet or put a camera into the floor vents (even with the vendors' agreement). We had the survey, the sort you mention, but it really didn't tell us anything the surveyor hadn't. However, the vendor was insisting we had it done as part of the negotiations (some lenders also may if the surveyor raises the matter) so we did. I'd have preferred a proper survey, where they drill into the walls and check the timbers and test properly for moisture in the plaster and brick from samples, and I suspect they would have found no problems, 'cos I think it's partly condensation with maybe a bit of damp due to very slightly high outer ground levels, but no dice for that. So we ended up in the odd position of paying for a report we didn't think would resolve anything on a matter we thought was probably not a problem, in order to get a reduction (in case it was right and the floor timbers had gone and it was wringing damp) when had we been able to do a proper but intrusive one, we may not have even been asking for a reduction. (I need an emoji with crossed eyes for this).
I do think that this whole damp survey thing needs sorting out.

mazibee

So before booking the Damp & Timber survey I need to convey message to the vendor via EA that the surveyor will lift the floor boards and drill holes in the walls to carry on with the survey.

Also if I pay for the survey and vendor refuses to allow the surveyor to lift the boards.

The vendor is a tricky one as when we viewed the house initially and on subsequent visit it was in a nice condition ( things properly place) and when the Building Survey report came back I was shocked as the photos look like the vedors have taken all the stuff out to hinder the surveyor do his job properly, when I complained the EA and the reply was that "they mau have started packing".

How to deal with this kind of vendor in case we go fo the damp and timber survey and geberally till completion?

Slithery

mazibee wrote: »

So before booking the Damp & Timber survey I need to convey message to the vendor via EA that the surveyor will lift the floor boards and drill holes in the walls to carry on with the survey.

No. You need to ask the vendor if they agree to this before booking the survey.

I expect that like most reasonable people they would refuse this outright.

Albala

mazibee wrote: »

So before booking the Damp & Timber survey I need to convey message to the vendor via EA that the surveyor will lift the floor boards and drill holes in the walls to carry on with the survey.

Also if I pay for the survey and vendor refuses to allow the surveyor to lift the boards.

The vendor is a tricky one as when we viewed the house initially and on subsequent visit it was in a nice condition ( things properly place) and when the Building Survey report came back I was shocked as the photos look like the vedors have taken all the stuff out to hinder the surveyor do his job properly, when I complained the EA and the reply was that "they mau have started packing".

How to deal with this kind of vendor in case we go fo the damp and timber survey and geberally till completion?

No vendor will let you drill holes in the walls. And you will be lucky even to find a timber/damp 'expert' who will even agree to lift a carpet. We couldn't find a single one who would even do that for us until we owned the property, regardless of the seller's attitude. That's the problem. If the vendor is 'tricky' then the chances of any co-operation from them are close to zero, even for lifting carpets.
Most damp 'experts' don't drill out plaster and test it, only ones I have even heard of are a very select few specialists in old buildings. The rest just stick a two-pronged meter against the walls, and if it comes out that the area conducts a current, will say it is damp. Lots of things other than damp can cause high readings.


All you can do is have the useless report, which will almost certainly say it is damp whether it is or not, and negotiate on the report's estimate of costs if you can to reduce your exposure to any financial risk in case it really is.


Oh, and even if it is damp, it may not be 'rising damp' needing an injected DPC and a lot of replastering (some people say it hardly ever is, there is a big debate on that). It may just be condensation caused by poor ventilation, old gas fires, etc.. That can still cost a bit to sort out, though.




Short of seeing rotting floorboards, sopping plaster, or damp patches on the walls, there isn't really a way to know it's damp. And their absence doesn't mean it isn't. Which is why I think the whole thing needs a sort out at a national level.


Once when we had a survey done on an old house, the vendors 'just happened' to have shampooed all the downstairs carpets that very morning. Which meant the surveyor's damp meter wouldn't work. Our surveyor pointed out informally to us that he therefore concluded that the house was damp, or otherwise the vendor wouldn't have been using the 'bloke down the pub told me to do this' way of covering it up.......

Davesnave

mazibee wrote: »

So before booking the Damp & Timber survey I need to convey message to the vendor via EA that the surveyor will lift the floor boards and drill holes in the walls to carry on with the survey. You may ask, which is very different from saying "this will happen..."
Consider whether you would allow someone to do those things on behalf of a purchaser who might just walk away any time.




A surveyor or other specialist will only be able to do what the owner of the house agrees to.

..........................................

Owain_Moneysaver

mazibee wrote: »

• The consumer units do not have residual current device protection and this is a safety hazard and will not meet current regulations.
• There is no evidence of mains connected smoke and heat detectors in the property and this is a safety hazard as it increases the risk of being trapped in the event of a fire.
• You should ask your legal adviser to check with the gas supplier for evidence the gas meter is properly located, properly installed and safe.
• There is no balustrade to the staircase and this is considered to be a Health and Safety risk. An appropriately qualified joinery contractor should be able to implement alteration works to comply with Local Authority Building Regulations

The consumer units look safe enough for now. Depending on the age of the property and state of the wiring a full rewire might not be required, but wiring of that age is unlikely to meet current needs in terms of number of sockets etc, so assume a full rewire in the near future.

Electrician will fit smoke detectors as part of rewire. In the meantime you can put in some battery ones.

Gas meter looks like it has fairly recent main equipotential bonding and ventilation to the outside.

The missing balustrading would worry me most, especially if you have young children.

And read this page about PCA surveys for damp and remedial works

Albala

Davesnave, depends on what access the surveyor got. Moving furniture can impede access as well as enable it.

Owain_Moneysaver

Albala wrote: »

Once when we had a survey done on an old house, the vendors 'just happened' to have shampooed all the downstairs carpets that very morning. Which meant the surveyor's damp meter wouldn't work. Our surveyor pointed out informally to us that he therefore concluded that the house was damp, or otherwise the vendor wouldn't have been using the 'bloke down the pub told me to do this' way of covering it up.......

:rotfl: I will have to remember that one ... maybe paint all my woodwork that morning too