Leak on Bathroom ceiling

jbondo

Hi all,


We are currently in the process of purchasing a property and during the visit we noticed in the 2nd floor bathroom on the ceiling was some water/stain marks which would indicate a leak however we are unaware from where. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hgxn21zmSteDVqokU271euBq0EztCyHC/view


The floor above is the master bedroom, directly above the bathroom is a box and I suspect under/in the box is some pipes because to the left of the box is the stairs and en-suite bathroom. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ERrle4UOTzypH6vL0W3Xem_gGEf07hyq/view


We had the estate agents get a contractor out to have a look and they've so far not found the issue although they've stated it's not the radiator. We've had a survey done which states:

"There is visible staining to the first floor bathroom ceiling, indicating that there has been a leak from above which appears to be ongoing as the area is showing high moisture readings. On the second floor there is a radiator over the approximate area of the leak. The floors and surrounding area above the stained ceiling were tested for elevated moisture reading and there was no evidence of this. Further investigation is required. Once you have remedied the damp, you will need to replace the damaged plaster. You may need to lift
carpeting and floor boards in this area to determine the source of the water damage."

The moisture reading taken from the bathroom ceiling was 999 at the time.


I've also shared the floor plan with the red circles indicating the bathroom and the area above: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mEVchaxPFWrHyWaH9goInQdke8yfiZ4T/view


Based on the above, does anyone have any idea what could be leaking? I understand it's quite tricky to judge based on just a few pictures how any advise would be appreciated

Ms_Chocaholic

Have you asked the seller to resolve this? Have you made an offer on the property?

jbondo

Ms_Chocaholic wrote: »

Have you asked the seller to resolve this? Have you made an offer on the property?

Yes - The seller actually lives in the Cayman Islands but the Estate Agent selling it has managed the property for the previous 10 years and has arranged to get another contractor in to have a further look...... However! On the day the contractor was supposed come round, the house was repossessed so everything was put on hold.


The house has just come back on the market with the same estate agents and we have had another chance to put a offer in, however we're aware that with a repo property we have to get to Exchange of Contracts ASAP

TELLIT01

Assuming the pipework from the radiator runs under the floor boards it seems probable that the leak is from the pipework rather than from the radiator itself. I would still want to know for certain before putting in an offer unless I reduced the offer by a few grand to cover worst case scenario.

Davesnave

Just make an offer based on the probability that there will be some work to do and maybe insist that the water is turned-off and the heating system drained as part of it, depending on circumstances.


This is a repo, not a normal sale, and therefore expecting things to be normal is unrealistic.

jbondo

Davesnave wrote: »

Just make an offer based on the probability that there will be some work to do and maybe insist that the water is turned-off and the heating system drained as part of it, depending on circumstances.


This is a repo, not a normal sale, and therefore expecting things to be normal is unrealistic.

We're already aware of the situation, having visited and put an offer in before it became a repo.


It's just the unknowning what this leak could be etc

Davesnave

jkility wrote: »

We're already aware of the situation, having visited and put an offer in before it became a repo.
It's just the unknowning what this leak could be etc

Yes, I read the thread and understood it.

I don't know about the relationship you have with the agents however, or what sort of value you think the house is as a purchase, because that really determines what you might do in a practical sense.

Some agents might help you arrange for the measures I've suggested, but you'd have to pay. That would ensure no further damage from this source. Of course, it wouldn't ensure you got the house. Nothing can do that.


There's also a scenario where a bit of water damage might be helpful in putting others off!

So far as most agents are concerned, all they want is the house sold and their commission, but against that, they're supposed to get the best price they can, especially if it's for a client who puts many repos their way.

This wasn't a repo to start with, so some of the above may not apply. When I bought the property I live in, it wasn't a repo either, but it was an urgent, almost forced sale at a good price, so I went in with an offer that allowed for some of the issues I knew existed.

jbondo

Would you know the best type of tradesman to have a look at this? Plumber for example?

Davesnave

To get a report on the state of the heating system you'd need a heating engineer, Gas Safe registered if it's gas, but just to make it safe from leaking further, anyone with plumbing skills could do that.


The problem is that the mortgagee in possession is in control of everything now, so you'd need their permission via the agent, probably only to examine at this stage. However, there's a further possibility that they might want to get something done themselves to protect their asset if there is a risk.

So you might get a report, tell the agent what the problem is and they may decide in consultation with the lender to get something done. It's a lot of 'maybes' but if there's a real danger of the property being significantly damaged, the lender in possession won't want that to happen and they will pay to fix it. Or they may just decide to drain everything down.

All that is why I said it depends on your relationship with the agent. Some will be pro-active and some probably won't care.