Homebuyers survey results.

jamie_128

Hi peeps. Had our report back for the property we are buying, after a bit of advice as to whether they are much to worry about and if i should negotiate a lower price with seller or if any of the jobs will cost a lot.

So first of all, the gas and electrics were both rated a 3 (which means sort instantly) , it doesent mention much apart from get certificates, im assuming its just because they are not qualified to check it? It mentions the boiler is dated and the radiators have no thermostats.

One small window in the house has a crack in it and is wood rather than upvc, can i expect a big cost to replace it with a small upvc one?

'Chipboard!Floors!to!first!floor
The!chip!boarding!creaks!and!gives!when!walked!on!in!parts!of!the!first!floor,!re!fixing!of!
individual!board!sections!is!needed,!although!complete!elimination!of!the!problem!will!be!
difficult' - Is this a big concern? Why cant we fully eliminate it?

Conservatory - There!is!some!slight!deterioration!of!the!window!seals,!along!with!a!loose!trim!piece!to!the!
roof!which!will!require!replacing!in!due!course, IS THIS A BIG COST?

The!mortar!to!the!ridge!tiles!is!loose!in!part!and!a!number!of!ridge!tiles!will!require!re-
bedding!in!mortar!in!due!course.!There!is!loose!mortar!detail!to!some!of!the!verge!tiles!to!
the!right!hand!side,!mono!pitched!roof.!Condition!Rating!2.!Arrange!for!repairs!to!be!
carried!out!soon.!
There!is!light!moss!growth!to!the!roof!coverings.!Moss!growth!can!impede!the!run!off!of!
water,!remove!during!periodic!maintenance

Is this a big cost??

Last but not least it mentions about having a FENSA certificate for the windows and doors otherwise they may not comply with building regulations? What does this mean?

House is 25 years old approx.

davidmcn

Nothing there which sounds expensive or anything to worry about - all run of the mill maintenance points.

G_M

jamie_128 wrote: »

So first of all, the gas and electrics were both rated a 3 (which means sort instantly) ,
yes but 'sort' means "get a relevant professional to check as I'm not a gas engineer or electrician so I know nothing".

it doesent mention much apart from get certificates, im assuming its just because they are not qualified to check it?Yes It mentions the boiler is dated well do you expect an existing boiler in an older property to be brand new? and the radiators have no thermostats.
Big deal. It's only recently this became standard practice. Get stats put on if you want once you own.

One small window in the house has a crack in it and is wood rather than upvc, can i expect a big cost to replace it with a small upvc one?
Why not put a new pane of glass in? You certainly can't expect the seller to pay for brand new upvc windows.

If you want to replace later, maybe £200 - £300?

'Chipboard!Floors!to!first!floor
The!chip!boarding!creaks!and!gives!when!walked!on!in!parts!of!the!first!floor,!re!fixing!of!
individual!board!sections!is!needed,!although!complete!elimination!of!the!problem!will!be!
difficult' - Is this a big concern? Why cant we fully eliminate it?
You could probably eliminate by removing the chipboard and either replacing with new chipboard or wooden floors.
But are creaks such a big deal? Lots of homes have idiosyncracies. Look at it this way, when your teenage kids try to sneak out in the middle of the night, you'll know!

Or just screw the chipboard down more firmly........

Conservatory - There!is!some!slight!deterioration!of!the!window!seals,!along!with!a!loose!trim!piece!to!the!
roof!which!will!require!replacing!in!due!course, IS THIS A BIG COST?
Replacing a conservatory is a cost. Big? Depends a) what you consider 'big' and b) what kind of conservatory you choose..
Use duckduckgo (or google if you must) to see conservatory prices.
Non urgent so budget for next year or 2021?
No, can't negotiate price.

The!mortar!to!the!ridge!tiles!is!loose!in!part!and!a!number!of!ridge!tiles!will!require!re-
bedding!in!mortar!in!due!course.!There!is!loose!mortar!detail!to!some!of!the!verge!tiles!to!
the!right!hand!side,!mono!pitched!roof.!Condition!Rating!2.!Arrange!for!repairs!to!be!
carried!out!soon.!
Man on ladder for a day to replace tiles and repair mortar. A job to schedule for next summer.

Only going to be pricy if you have to involve scaffolding......

There!is!light!moss!growth!to!the!roof!coverings.!Moss!growth!can!impede!the!run!off!of!
water,!remove!during!periodic!maintenance
as suggested, routine maintenance. Welcome to home ownership - no longer a landlord to rely on............

Last but not least it mentions about having a FENSA certificate for the windows and doors otherwise they may not comply with building regulations? What does this mean?
.

Replacement doors and windows have to conform to standards (Building Regulations). In most cases, rather than get a council inspector to check, window installers sign up to a scheme that allows them to certify the work instead of the council.
https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-competent-person-schemes

Schemes include FENSA, CERTASS and others.
When the windows are installed, the installer gives the home-owner a FENSA (or CERTASS) certificate which acts as Building Regulations certification. If there is no certificate, the installer may have been a cowboy. Or not.

But in theory, without the certificate, the council could check, and if they deem the new windows to not comply, they could force the windows to be removed.

They have 12 months to take this action.

AdrianC

jamie_128 wrote: »

So first of all, the gas and electrics were both rated a 3 (which means sort instantly) , it doesent mention much apart from get certificates, im assuming its just because they are not qualified to check it?

Correct.

It mentions the boiler is dated and the radiators have no thermostats.

Dated but working is fine. TRVs will certainly make a difference, and are easily fitted.

One small window in the house has a crack in it and is wood rather than upvc, can i expect a big cost to replace it with a small upvc one?

Do you mean the glass is cracked? Replace the glass.

'Chipboard!Floors!to!first!floor
The!chip!boarding!creaks!and!gives!when!walked!on!in!parts!of!the!first!floor,!re!fixing!of!
individual!board!sections!is!needed,!although!complete!elimination!of!the!problem!will!be!
difficult' - Is this a big concern? Why cant we fully eliminate it?

Carpet up, more screws in to hold the boards down to the joists better.
You may still have the boards moving against each other or the joists - and there'll be bits that can't be easily reached, because they're below bathroom cabinets or partition walls.

Conservatory - There!is!some!slight!deterioration!of!the!window!seals,!along!with!a!loose!trim!piece!to!the!
roof!which!will!require!replacing!in!due!course, IS THIS A BIG COST?

Probably not.

The!mortar!to!the!ridge!tiles!is!loose!in!part!and!a!number!of!ridge!tiles!will!require!re-bedding!in!mortar!in!due!course.!There!is!loose!mortar!detail!to!some!of!the!verge!tiles!to!
the!right!hand!side,!mono!pitched!roof.!Condition!Rating!2.!Arrange!for!repairs!to!be!
carried!out!soon.!
There!is!light!moss!growth!to!the!roof!coverings.!Moss!growth!can!impede!the!run!off!of!
water,!remove!during!periodic!maintenance

Is this a big cost??

Probably not.

Last but not least it mentions about having a FENSA certificate for the windows and doors otherwise they may not comply with building regulations? What does this mean?

It means that whoever replaced the windows and doors should have supplied paperwork to show they were BR-compliant. Whether you care about that or not is another question.

FreeBear

jamie_128 wrote: »

Last but not least it mentions about having a FENSA certificate for the windows and doors otherwise they may not comply with building regulations? What does this mean?

House is 25 years old approx.

If the windows are original, then there won't be any FENSA certificates. Note - There are other bodies than can self certify installation of windows & doors, CERTASS are one.
If the doors/windows are a recent replacement, the local council planning & building dept. should have a note in their files.

davidmcn

AdrianC wrote: »

It means that whoever replaced the windows and doors should have supplied paperwork to show they were BR-compliant

...if they have ever been replaced. If not then they are covered by the BR consent for the whole house (though that's somewhat academic after 25 years anyway).

jamie_128

Thanks chaps doesent sound too bad then.

With regards to the gas and electrical certificates, if they dont have them what should i do? Is it worth getting them checked or just move in and hope its fine?

Also there was something else about finding out if there is any warranty for the cavity wall insulation as it has been added after the house was built? What if they dont have proof of this warranty too?

And just on the FENSA note, whats the big deal if it doesent comply with building regulations, will it cause me any issues? I dont even know if they have been replaced, although the only wooden window in the house is the landing one so maybe they were all wooden when the house was new?

Cheers

mourning

I just got my homebuyer survey back, with similar "Act Now" points.

Electrical checks are worth doing before completion, as if the property is dated and the wiring is unsafe, or requires a full rewire, this could be a negotiation point. Rather than getting stitched up a few years down the line. EICR inspection costs around £180 from the quotes I got. Worth it for peace of mind as you don't know if you previous owners have had a cheeky dabble with the electrics.

G_M

jamie_128 wrote: »

With regards to the gas and electrical certificates, if they dont have them what should i do? Is it worth getting them checked or just move in and hope its fine?
Depends on your attitude to risk.
personally I'd check myself. Visit again and see if
* the controls turn the boiler on and off
* the rads heat up
* hot water comes out of the hot taps
* maybe even take a portable CO alarm and leave it by the boiler (while you measure for curtains!). If it does not go off, you know the boiler is at least not going to kill you!


Or pay an engineer for a proper report.


Also there was something else about finding out if there is any warranty for the cavity wall insulation as it has been added after the house was built? What if they dont have proof of this warranty too?
then you either walk away or buy without the warranty!


And just on the FENSA note, whats the big deal if it doesent comply with building regulations, will it cause me any issues? I dont even know if they have been replaced, although the only wooden window in the house is the landing one so maybe they were all wooden when the house was new?

Cheers

I'd guess they were all originally wood.
No FENDA/CERTASS means
* council could enforce - within 12 months of installation
* windows might be poor quality


https://www.fensa.org.uk/homeowners

jamie_128

mourning wrote: »

I just got my homebuyer survey back, with similar "Act Now" points.

Electrical checks are worth doing before completion, as if the property is dated and the wiring is unsafe, or requires a full rewire, this could be a negotiation point. Rather than getting stitched up a few years down the line. EICR inspection costs around £180 from the quotes I got. Worth it for peace of mind as you don't know if you previous owners have had a cheeky dabble with the electrics.

G_M wrote: »

I'd guess they were all originally wood.
No FENDA/CERTASS means
* council could enforce - within 12 months of installation
* windows might be poor quality


https://www.fensa.org.uk/homeowners

So if the windows have been in longer than 12 months the council cant do anything? Im pretty sure they are a good few years old as they are already stiff and needed regreasing according to the surveyor.

Rewiring wise the house is only 25 years old so maybe just needs a new fuse board, cant see it needed rewiring?

Good idea about testing the boiler etc.