Bad survey - who foots the bill?

Boyce1807

Hi all, 

My wife is pregnant and due in October. We were in the process of buying a house since before lockdown hoping to get in there around July to give us time to sort out before the baby came. We have just had a survey that has come back with approximately £13,000 of work needed and need to decide what to do next. The house is built 1890’s but has recently had a lot of work and to the naked eye looks in good condition however has damp and work needed to the loft etc. There are other costs such as the garden and not having a stair rail etc that we are happy to pay. The seller had the roof and rendering done two years ago and is almost not believing our survey. Are we right in that they should renegotiate the price for issues such as damp and the loft? To make matters worse the seller’s builder just happened to be in the house over lockdown and had some spare wallpaper so put it up on the wall that is damp. How convenient that he was in the area with this wallpaper. Makes us wonder what else he had hidden! We are thinking of getting a damp survey. What do people think? 

sammyjammy

You can try and renegotiate but they have every right to refuse,  they may have factor those in issues into the asking price.  How much are you paying for the property?  A house built in 1890s is always going to need constant updating and maintenance.

ProDave

Get a trusted builder to have a look.

Surveyors are know for being over cautions.  In a lot of cases what they mention as "damp" is just condensation.  I don't think many recommend "damp" companies as they also have a reputation of doing work that might not entirely be really necessary and might not improve things.

You are looking at an old house that will have been built before standards existed.  It will need repairs and upgrades.  Perhaps you are not comfortable with that and a newer house would suit you better.

Post the actual text of what they surveyor said for a better idea of what is wrong.

Scotbot

The survey should have said how much the house is worth in it's current state. If that was less than you offered you can try to renegotiate. 

CheesyWiggles

Yes, of course you should negotiate the house price. Have a ‘walk away’ price and simply walk away if they don’t drop. Plenty of other fish in the sea.

AdrianC

ProDave said:

Get a trusted builder to have a look.

Surveyors are know for being over cautions.  In a lot of cases what they mention as "damp" is just condensation.  I don't think many recommend "damp" companies as they also have a reputation of doing work that might not entirely be really necessary and might not improve things.

You are looking at an old house that will have been built before standards existed.  It will need repairs and upgrades.  Perhaps you are not comfortable with that and a newer house would suit you better.

Post the actual text of what they surveyor said for a better idea of what is wrong.

This.

"Damp" is usually very, VERY predictable, and you will be able to see with your bare eyes what the reality is. It isn't some kind of evil magician that can climb up through bricks given the slightest chance, only to be stymied permanently by some magic chemical injection. Late Victorian should have been built with a slate DPC.

Look at the guttering. Look at the render and/or pointing. Look at the chimney stacks with a pair of binocs. Look at the ground levels around the base of the wall, and the plants there. If there's a REAL problem, you'll see the cause. Maybe there was a problem, but "doing the roof" (what was done?) has resolved it.

daveyjp

Reading the description of the property and seeing 1890s and 'rendering' immediately has my warning bells ringing about damp issues.

eidand

daveyjp said:

Reading the description of the property and seeing 1890s and 'rendering' immediately has my warning bells ringing about damp issues.

I am with you on this one. I could not shake the feeling that the render is hiding some serious issues .... I am not sure if there is a non-intrusive way to get it checked properly.

SameOldRoundabout

If the vendor had cement render done with the roof it may well have trapped any moisture from roof issues in the wall. Cement render should never be used on older properties, they need to breathe, hence the use of lime plaster and air bricks etc. Any render should be lime render so make sure you ask for proof of that. Gypsum plaster internally will also seal water into the wall long after the cause of a damp issue is remedied. Unfortunately most older houses have been gypsum plastered, and it doesn’t necessarily need immediate remedying unless there is trapped moisture. It does sound like that may be your problem though, it just depends on how bad it is. Ideally it’d be hacked off and replaced with lime render which is not a cheap job (quite possibly the majority of the money you were quoted in the survey). 

You can try and renegotiate but they are free to tell you to jog on. 

jonnygee2

Look at the guttering. Look at the render and/or pointing. Look at the chimney stacks with a pair of binocs. Look at the ground levels around the base of the wall, and the plants there. If there's a REAL problem, you'll see the cause. 

I completely agree but also, can't help feeling if the problem was easy to fix the seller would have fixed it, instead of trying to wallpaper over it before the viewing. It does sound like something is up to me.

AdrianC

jonnygee2 said:

Look at the guttering. Look at the render and/or pointing. Look at the chimney stacks with a pair of binocs. Look at the ground levels around the base of the wall, and the plants there. If there's a REAL problem, you'll see the cause. 

I completely agree but also, can't help feeling if the problem was easy to fix the seller would have fixed it, instead of trying to wallpaper over it before the viewing. It does sound like something is up to me.

We don't even know there IS a problem...

Has a surveyor just done a boilerplate "Might be, get a specialist" backside-cover?