FTB - Survey recommended further investigation. Who pays?

notrouble

One of my loft hatches (the attic is in two parts) is very narrow. But for a good reason: the joists are unusually close together (it's an old property) so enlarging the hatch would involve cutting a joist and thus compromising the structure of the building..... If a buyer suggsted doing this I'd refuse. Mind you, I'd probably refuse anyway even if the buyer paid,  as there's no guarantee the contractor would do a good job, or the buyer would go on to Complete. And I might not want a bigger hatch.

Marvel1

alicechristina92 said:
However my question is what the protocol is for this? Are we able to ask the seller to pay for or even pay towards the structural engineer coming to inspect and install a new loft hatch? 

No, it's more for your benefit than the seller.

lees80

Most people wouldn't agree to a hole being cut in their ceiling, let alone being expected to pay for it or towards it. 

[Deleted User]

You post made me smile and I honestly mean this in the nicest way. Everyone in the conveyancing process often sighs in exasperation when its a first time buyer. They tend to over think everything 

Many structural surveys will have so many caveats and “further investigation” as an butt covering strategy. 

Im not surprised the agent is not returning your calls. They probably just want you to “go away” and sell to someone else

Id tell anyone who wanted to do work on my house prior to exchange to “go away” too but mine would be spelt with an F 

alicechristina92

Densol said:

You post made me smile and I honestly mean this in the nicest way. Everyone in the conveyancing process often sighs in exasperation when its a first time buyer. They tend to over think everything 

Many structural surveys will have so many caveats and “further investigation” as an butt covering strategy. 

Im not surprised the agent is not returning your calls. They probably just want you to “go away” and sell to someone else

Id tell anyone who wanted to do work on my house prior to exchange to “go away” too but mine would be spelt with an F 

We all have to start somewhere! And given this is the most money we've ever spent and have been saving years for you'll understand why we want to make sure we are doing the right thing.

Also in regards to your comment about the estate agent - we haven't contacted them regarding the further inspections. We've only emailed to ask a question in regards to some missing documentation. 

kdotdotdotdot

I'd doubt anyone would let you do that much damage to their house, let alone pay for it!   Now you know there's a lot of work to be done, you can already negotiate the price.  TBH, if you already need new kitchen and bathroom, then that's already several thousands committed.  If it now needs roofing and damp-proofing, I think you're better off walking away unless you can get a massive reduction off the price, or have the budget and time to get everything fixed.

alicechristina92

kdotdotdotdot said:

I'd doubt anyone would let you do that much damage to their house, let alone pay for it!   Now you know there's a lot of work to be done, you can already negotiate the price.  TBH, if you already need new kitchen and bathroom, then that's already several thousands committed.  If it now needs roofing and damp-proofing, I think you're better off walking away unless you can get a massive reduction off the price, or have the budget and time to get everything fixed.

We weren't planning on doing the kitchen and bathroom for another 12-18 months. They're old fashioned but they are liveable 

Splatfoot

If it helps at all, our roof timbers were insufficient and the roof sagged a little. Our wall ties also needed doing. This isnt a huge job, the chaps were here for a day. We did the wall ties not long after moving in but the roof wasn't touched till we converted the loft 8 years after we'd bought it. It was still standing and we never worried about it. 

alicechristina92

Splatfoot said:

If it helps at all, our roof timbers were insufficient and the roof sagged a little. Our wall ties also needed doing. This isnt a huge job, the chaps were here for a day. We did the wall ties not long after moving in but the roof wasn't touched till we converted the loft 8 years after we'd bought it. It was still standing and we never worried about it. 

See this is what we are trying to find out, how urgently things need fixing. Obviously surveyors are super cautious with their ratings (we got a red rating for the fitted wardrobed because they're old and a bit naff) - we are just trying to gauge a better idea of what is urgent and put our savings towards that and renovate cosmetic things when we can. Luckily the house is the bottom end of the budget so we will have a decent amount of disposable income to put towards redecoration. 

Lokolo

alicechristina92 said:

See this is what we are trying to find out, how urgently things need fixing. Obviously surveyors are super cautious with their ratings (we got a red rating for the fitted wardrobed because they're old and a bit naff) - we are just trying to gauge a better idea of what is urgent and put our savings towards that and renovate cosmetic things when we can. Luckily the house is the bottom end of the budget so we will have a decent amount of disposable income to put towards redecoration. 

But is it going to impact the purchase if they come back and say "it will need replacing soon". Or can you just wait until you've moved in, then get everything checked out?
I would expect most traders to spot something they would have to fix. Electrics for example are always out of date, it doesn't mean they need doing.