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Home buying surveys: any checklist / recommended structure? Many seem so caveated they're useless

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Comments

  • Yeah I’m paying another £450 for a visual check which I feel like I can do myself haha.
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Yeah I’m paying another £450 for a visual check which I feel like I can do myself haha.
    So don't pay it. Nobody's forcing you to.

    If you're buying with a mortgage, then your lender will insist on a valuation, because they like to know that the property is good security for the loan. But anything on top of that? Entirely voluntary.
  • sal_III
    sal_III Posts: 1,953 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    No, I didn't mean that. Like I said, they were so full of caveats that they seemed practically useless. Full of wordings like "it appears that" but "XYZ cannot be ruled out"; "it would seem that"... "but more extensive investigation is required" etc etc
    It's to be expected from a general survey, unless you send in a full CSI style team including structural engineer, electrician, plumber, decorator etc.

    What you are ought to do is to either accept the risk of XYZ or pay for additional specialised survey to rule out specifically XYZ

    Most vendor will not allow you to just drill down holes or anything else invasive without good cause (like an initial survey highlighting significant issues). And why would they as it can't have any benefit to them (unless the local market is dead and they are desperate to sell) .

    If you want iron clad guarantees and complete piece of mind - rent, then it will be your LLs problem.
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Yeah I’m paying another £450 for a visual check which I feel like I can do myself haha.
    That's your choice.


    Just as I choose to change the oil in my car rather than pay a garage. And have in the past done my own conveyancing.


    We all have different abilities and competancies, and dfferent levels of confidence in ourselves, in different areas of life.


    If you are comfortable with doing your own 'visual check' I would encourage you to do so, but many people are not.
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