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What's a ballpark figure to resolve the issues on this home buyer's survey?

agreen190
Posts: 6 Forumite
Hi.
I'm in the middle of a purchase of a 1989 2 bedroom terraced house in bury park in Luton. We have agreed £7,000 above zoopla's price estimate but I've just got the below report and was wondering if I should be asking for a reduction to pay for these repairs. I read online that evidence of mouse should lead to an request of a reduction of 9%. I am meeting the owner on Saturday.
I'm not a chancer just looking to get things cheaper, I just want to know what I'm getting myself into.
Here is some of the report. The stuff I have missed out are minor things I can resolve easily (flooring age that I was aware of etc). The surveyor has not responded to my email yet.
Thanks for any assistance.
Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently:
E 3 Rainwater Pipes and Gutters
Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not considered to be either serious or urgent.
The property must be maintained in the normal way:
E 2 Roof Covering
E 4 Main Walls
E 5 Windows
E 6 Outiside Doors
E 7 Conservatories & Porches
E 8 Other Joinery and Finishes
E 9 Other
F 1 Roof Structure
F 2 Ceilings
F 3 Walls & Partitions
F 4 Floors
F 5 Fireplaces, Chimney Breasts and Flues
F 6 Built In Fittings
F 7 Woodwork
F 8 Bathroom Fittings
F 9 Other
G 1 Electricity
The main roof is pitched and covered with tiles which are in a reasonable condition for their
age. They are beginning to be covered with moss and lichen growth which is typical of tiles
of this age and character.
The ridge coverings are formed with matching materials bedded and pointed in cement
mortar. They are satisfactory for their purpose although hairline cracks exist which should
be repaired.
We recommend for all junctions and abutments to be routinely checked and overhauled as
part of routine maintenance. Flashings must be properly wedged and pointed in order to
ensure that they are fully secured into the masonry above the roof covering. Flashings
should be bedded at least 25mm into the appropriate mortar joint and lead wedges should
generally be provided at approximately 450mm centres in order to ensure that the flashings
are properly secured.
Condition of the roof is reasonably satisfactory apart from localised moss. The moss will
need to be removed.
The soil and vent pipe terminating the rear roof slope appears satisfactory and serviceable
although the collar will need to be maintained on a regular basis.
Condition of the roof to the front elevation is reasonably satisfactory.
The roof above the entrance porch is leanto
and tiled. We noted slipped and lifting roof
tiles. Make good repairs as deemed necessary.
The property is served by brown plastic rainwater goods consisting of down pipes and
gutters. General condition was seen to be satisfactory, although we noted stained sections
to the gutter joints and it will be prudent for all gutter joints to be routinely inspected and
overhauled as part of routine maintenance.
We noted stained gutter and downpipe joints and recommend resealing all joints as part of
normal routine maintenance to the property.
We noted the alignment of the gutters is a little irregular and some adjustment in the future
prior to decoration would be beneficial. The gutters should be adjusted, refalled and the
joints checked to confirm the adequacy of the installation.
You should check gutters and downpipes during wet weather shortly after occupation. If
any leakage is observed, repairs and improvements should be undertaken as soon as
possible to prevent rainwater entering the building.
FRONT ELEVATION
Evidence of distortion was noted to the guttering to the entrance porch. This will need to be
adjusted, cleaned and sealed.
The valley gutter to the front elevation is formed in bituminous membrane. We noticed
some debris. We recommend for the valley to be cleaned, sealed and adjusted.
REAR ELEVATION
We noted foliage blockage to the rear. We recommend for the guttering joints to be sealed
and cleaned.
We noted spalled sections on the pointing and we recommend for the spalled sections to
be repaired. We recommend for the spalled section to be cut out and repaired. The cement pointing is generally satisfactory, although localised cracked sections to
pointing exist and it would be prudent for the cracked pointing to be repaired as part of
routine maintenance.
We noted a number of rawl plugs drilled into the brickwork. The rawl plugs will need to be
removed, fill the holes and make good.
We noted damaged brick to the right hand side of the bedroom window.
We noted cracked mortar above the window lintel.
We noted localised hairline cracks to pointing.
Where the entrance porch flashing abuts onto the wall we noted cracked pointing.
We noted damage to the facing of the brickwork where an overflow pipe terminates
We noted hairine cracks to pointing.
Cracked mortar was noted beneath the window sill.
We noted staining on the brickwork and mortar joints to the right hand side of the bedroom
window.
The windows are stained. Some of the seals are beginning to blow and deteriorate. We
recommend for the seals to be overhauled and made good.
The property benefits from an entrance porch with a leanto and tiled roof.
We noted slipped tiles and undulation to the roof slope. Make good repairs to the slipped
and damaged roof tiles as deemed necessary.
The timber panel exhibits rotten sections.
We noted cracked sealant where the timber porch abuts onto the wall. We recommend for
this to be sealed.
External joinery comprises timber fascia and soffitboards and timber to the front eaves
section. We noted rotten and damaged sections to the front elevation above the bedroom
window. We recommend for this to be repaired and made good. We noted evidence of dry
rot and woodboring infested sections.
The general condition of external joinery is satisfactory however you should envisaged
future maintenance ideally every 4 to 5 years.
You may find soft patches of wet rotted timber in the external woodwork and joinery when
you redecorate. These should be repaired and redecorated to protect surrounding timber on
your normal decoration cycle.
We noted a water tank which might be leaking due to the damage noted on the bedroom
ceiling below. We recommend for this to be checked and made good.
We noted evidence of mouse poison. Make further enquiries in this regard.
We noted a soil and vent pipe terminating the roof. There is a gap between the blockwork
which will need to be repaired and made good.
We noted damage to the loft trap. Make good repairs.
There is evidence of stained timber sections and we recommend for all the roof junctions to
be overhauled to ensure the roof junctions are completely weather tight.
The masonry block work was satisfactory although we noted cracked pointing and
recommend for this to be repaired.
Generally, the plaster to the walls in the property is in a satisfactory condition; however, we
noted localised areas are hollow. The hollow and loose areas will need cutting back and repaired.
Kitchen mould was noted around the door reveal to the top and bottom section.
At the time of our inspection there was evidence of condensation and mould in the property
and recommend for the mould to be removed utilising a suitable chemical solution and for
adequate ventilation to be maintained. We noted mould on some of the reveals.
We noted cracked air vent to the rear elevation.
We noted cracked air vents beneath the porch door to the front elevation.
I'm in the middle of a purchase of a 1989 2 bedroom terraced house in bury park in Luton. We have agreed £7,000 above zoopla's price estimate but I've just got the below report and was wondering if I should be asking for a reduction to pay for these repairs. I read online that evidence of mouse should lead to an request of a reduction of 9%. I am meeting the owner on Saturday.
I'm not a chancer just looking to get things cheaper, I just want to know what I'm getting myself into.
Here is some of the report. The stuff I have missed out are minor things I can resolve easily (flooring age that I was aware of etc). The surveyor has not responded to my email yet.
Thanks for any assistance.
Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently:
E 3 Rainwater Pipes and Gutters
Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not considered to be either serious or urgent.
The property must be maintained in the normal way:
E 2 Roof Covering
E 4 Main Walls
E 5 Windows
E 6 Outiside Doors
E 7 Conservatories & Porches
E 8 Other Joinery and Finishes
E 9 Other
F 1 Roof Structure
F 2 Ceilings
F 3 Walls & Partitions
F 4 Floors
F 5 Fireplaces, Chimney Breasts and Flues
F 6 Built In Fittings
F 7 Woodwork
F 8 Bathroom Fittings
F 9 Other
G 1 Electricity
The main roof is pitched and covered with tiles which are in a reasonable condition for their
age. They are beginning to be covered with moss and lichen growth which is typical of tiles
of this age and character.
The ridge coverings are formed with matching materials bedded and pointed in cement
mortar. They are satisfactory for their purpose although hairline cracks exist which should
be repaired.
We recommend for all junctions and abutments to be routinely checked and overhauled as
part of routine maintenance. Flashings must be properly wedged and pointed in order to
ensure that they are fully secured into the masonry above the roof covering. Flashings
should be bedded at least 25mm into the appropriate mortar joint and lead wedges should
generally be provided at approximately 450mm centres in order to ensure that the flashings
are properly secured.
Condition of the roof is reasonably satisfactory apart from localised moss. The moss will
need to be removed.
The soil and vent pipe terminating the rear roof slope appears satisfactory and serviceable
although the collar will need to be maintained on a regular basis.
Condition of the roof to the front elevation is reasonably satisfactory.
The roof above the entrance porch is leanto
and tiled. We noted slipped and lifting roof
tiles. Make good repairs as deemed necessary.
The property is served by brown plastic rainwater goods consisting of down pipes and
gutters. General condition was seen to be satisfactory, although we noted stained sections
to the gutter joints and it will be prudent for all gutter joints to be routinely inspected and
overhauled as part of routine maintenance.
We noted stained gutter and downpipe joints and recommend resealing all joints as part of
normal routine maintenance to the property.
We noted the alignment of the gutters is a little irregular and some adjustment in the future
prior to decoration would be beneficial. The gutters should be adjusted, refalled and the
joints checked to confirm the adequacy of the installation.
You should check gutters and downpipes during wet weather shortly after occupation. If
any leakage is observed, repairs and improvements should be undertaken as soon as
possible to prevent rainwater entering the building.
FRONT ELEVATION
Evidence of distortion was noted to the guttering to the entrance porch. This will need to be
adjusted, cleaned and sealed.
The valley gutter to the front elevation is formed in bituminous membrane. We noticed
some debris. We recommend for the valley to be cleaned, sealed and adjusted.
REAR ELEVATION
We noted foliage blockage to the rear. We recommend for the guttering joints to be sealed
and cleaned.
We noted spalled sections on the pointing and we recommend for the spalled sections to
be repaired. We recommend for the spalled section to be cut out and repaired. The cement pointing is generally satisfactory, although localised cracked sections to
pointing exist and it would be prudent for the cracked pointing to be repaired as part of
routine maintenance.
We noted a number of rawl plugs drilled into the brickwork. The rawl plugs will need to be
removed, fill the holes and make good.
We noted damaged brick to the right hand side of the bedroom window.
We noted cracked mortar above the window lintel.
We noted localised hairline cracks to pointing.
Where the entrance porch flashing abuts onto the wall we noted cracked pointing.
We noted damage to the facing of the brickwork where an overflow pipe terminates
We noted hairine cracks to pointing.
Cracked mortar was noted beneath the window sill.
We noted staining on the brickwork and mortar joints to the right hand side of the bedroom
window.
The windows are stained. Some of the seals are beginning to blow and deteriorate. We
recommend for the seals to be overhauled and made good.
The property benefits from an entrance porch with a leanto and tiled roof.
We noted slipped tiles and undulation to the roof slope. Make good repairs to the slipped
and damaged roof tiles as deemed necessary.
The timber panel exhibits rotten sections.
We noted cracked sealant where the timber porch abuts onto the wall. We recommend for
this to be sealed.
External joinery comprises timber fascia and soffitboards and timber to the front eaves
section. We noted rotten and damaged sections to the front elevation above the bedroom
window. We recommend for this to be repaired and made good. We noted evidence of dry
rot and woodboring infested sections.
The general condition of external joinery is satisfactory however you should envisaged
future maintenance ideally every 4 to 5 years.
You may find soft patches of wet rotted timber in the external woodwork and joinery when
you redecorate. These should be repaired and redecorated to protect surrounding timber on
your normal decoration cycle.
We noted a water tank which might be leaking due to the damage noted on the bedroom
ceiling below. We recommend for this to be checked and made good.
We noted evidence of mouse poison. Make further enquiries in this regard.
We noted a soil and vent pipe terminating the roof. There is a gap between the blockwork
which will need to be repaired and made good.
We noted damage to the loft trap. Make good repairs.
There is evidence of stained timber sections and we recommend for all the roof junctions to
be overhauled to ensure the roof junctions are completely weather tight.
The masonry block work was satisfactory although we noted cracked pointing and
recommend for this to be repaired.
Generally, the plaster to the walls in the property is in a satisfactory condition; however, we
noted localised areas are hollow. The hollow and loose areas will need cutting back and repaired.
Kitchen mould was noted around the door reveal to the top and bottom section.
At the time of our inspection there was evidence of condensation and mould in the property
and recommend for the mould to be removed utilising a suitable chemical solution and for
adequate ventilation to be maintained. We noted mould on some of the reveals.
We noted cracked air vent to the rear elevation.
We noted cracked air vents beneath the porch door to the front elevation.
0
Comments
-
What valuation has the report put on the property?
Zooplas estimates would not be best relied upon.in S 38 T 2 F 50
out S 36 T 9 F 24 FF 4
2017-32 2018 -33 2019 -21 2020 -5 2021 -4 20220 -
I'm in the middle of a purchase of a 1989 2 bedroom terraced house in bury park in Luton. We have agreed £7,000 above zoopla's price estimate but I've just got the below report and was wondering if I should be asking for a reduction to pay for these repairs
Forget Zoopla. You should not take that as a 'valuation' in any shape or form. Overvalued one of mine by over £150k and undervalued another by around £100k. Search the forum for similar stories.
Are you getting a mortgage? What was the valuation figure - what you've agreed to pay, or lower?I read online that evidence of mouse should lead to an request of a reduction of 9%. I am meeting the owner on Saturday.
Eeek!
Or do you mean 'mould' or something? -9%? Where did you read that - never heard of such a thing. Please provide links (drop the 'www.' as you're new so it won't let you post an actual link. (PS I don't for one sec think it's 'a thing'. No one size fits all with mould (or mice!).)
***
Too much there for me to comment on at the mo but may be back later.2024 wins: *must start comping again!*0 -
As your post is so long I've only been able to scan through quickly rather than read it all.
First of all I want to point out that under no circumstances should you take any notice of Zoopla valuations, they just pluck prices from thin air that bear no relation to the true valuation of a property. A local ea should be relied on for an idea of the market valuation.
A lot of what is in your report is just standard blurb that will be mentioned in most surveyor reports & I can see nothing that would indicate a vendor wishing to drop the price for. I know I wouldn't myself as nothing is what you'd call urgent. Most are quite minor jobs that are taken care of as part of the general maintenance of owning a property.
There is no standard percentage of discount should any serious problems be outlined in a survey, such as ancient boiler, single glazed windows with frames in poor condition, roof needing urgent replacment etc. If any major works are found to be needed then it's up to the vendor & buyer to see if they can come to an agreed figure but a vendor would normally want to see an estimate of required costs for works from a qualified tradesperson (not a surveyor). Also the vendor may not be able to accept a lower price to be able to proceed with purchase of their new home if they don't get the price they were banking on.
A property built in the 1980's shouldn't be in too a bad condition, it's when you buy a period property such as Victorian that costly problems can arise. As long as a property is checked over each year to ensure that any small jobs are dealt with as they occur, then you should avoid anything too major needing doing for quite some time.The bigger the bargain, the better I feel.
I should mention that there's only one of me, don't confuse me with others of the same name.0 -
Hi.
I'm in the middle of a purchase of a 1989 2 bedroom terraced house in bury park in Luton.
Thanks for any assistance.
That's all you needed to have to have posted. My advice - look for somewhere else!If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales0 -
lincroft1710 wrote: »That's all you needed to have to have posted. My advice - look for somewhere else!Forget Zoopla. You should not take that as a 'valuation' in any shape or form. Overvalued one of mine by over £150k and undervalued another by around £100k. Search the forum for similar stories.
Are you getting a mortgage? What was the valuation figure - what you've agreed to pay, or lower?
Eeek!
Or do you mean 'mould' or something? -9%? Where did you read that - never heard of such a thing. Please provide links (drop the 'www.' as you're new so it won't let you post an actual link. (PS I don't for one sec think it's 'a thing'. No one size fits all with mould (or mice!).)
***
Too much there for me to comment on at the mo but may be back later.need_an_answer wrote: »What valuation has the report put on the property?
Zooplas estimates would not be best relied upon.
samconveyancing.co.uk/news/house-survey/rat-and-mice-infestation-231
Sorry, survey valuation was £185,000, We had previously agreed on £188,000
Mortgage valuation was agreed price: £188,0000 -
I read online that evidence of mouse should lead to an request of a reduction of 9%.
In any event, your surveyor knew about the mice so either thinks the "mouse reduction" is a load of nonsense, or has already applied it to the valuation.0 -
9% reduction for evidence of meeces? I think I might start renting my cat out to home buyers... Little sod keeps bringing them in and letting them go.0
-
Sorry, survey valuation was £185,000
In that case reduce your offer to 185k as that is what a professional has valued the propety.0 -
I know it's already been said but 9% for evidence (what evidence?) of mouse infestation??? How do you know it is mice and not rats? :eek:
If I had £1, never mind 9% of my house's valuation price, for every one of the little critters a certain much-missed feline brought in not just alive but kicking back in the day, I'd have the price of a decent dinner for two with drinks. Either invest in a cat or two, get the exterminators round or buy some of that Rodenticide stuff or, better yet, invest in some good, old-fashioned mouse-traps; I guarantee they work. Bits of cheese spread with a dollop of peanut butter proved the best bait chez nous.
If there are actually gaps through which said meeces are gaining ingress, that is a much more serious problem. Do the vendors have a cat?0 -
80% of my property is currently meadow, I hope that I wasn't meant to get a 9% discount per mouse when I bought the place or I was seriously ripped off...0
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