Help with HomeBuyer report please!

NorthWest91

Hi everyone, we are planning on buying our first home. We managed to find a 3 bedroom detached house that we really love and we are willing to do a bit of compromise as the location is unparalleled for our needs. We have commissioned a surveyor to produce a HomeBuyer report for us. The report is generally very appreciative of the property and states it’s overall very well for its relatively young age—the house was built in 1995 with an extension erected in 2006. Moreover the report suggest the sale price of £177,300 is equal to what they think is it’s market value. Nonetheless, there were a few issues that they surveyor brought up. We don’t really have any experience with buying houses so wanted to share a few issues with you to seek advice on whether you think that these are acceptable issues when buying houses, or of you think it’s reasonable that we ask the vendors to either sort them out first or to offer some sort of a discount.


1-  ..the main gutters comprise PVC gutters with two downpipes which both run into a gulley, however, the downpipe to the right hand elevation was leaking and minor remedial work to resolve will be required.

2- External joinery is now 25 years old, it is highly likely there will be areas of rot, particularly at the edges and below joints to rainwater goods, and ongoing treatment in the form of wood treatment and decoration will be required.

3- Minor damage was noted to the internal wall within the dining area and repairs are required.

4- The internal doors of the lounge and the dining room have glazing to a low level. This is assumed not to be safety glazing and, therefore, presents a health and safety risk. Immediate replacement would be recommended.

5- The door to the understairs was ill­fitting and remedial work to resolve will be required.

6- The door handle from bedroom two was loose and re­securing will be required.

7-  Carry out test to gas installations and carry out test to electrical installations.

8- The heating system and the water heating system is clearly aged, toward the end of its life cycle and you should budget to replace in the short to medium term.

Also they mentioned a few more things that needed looking at, but I think it’s fair to accept that it could come with any house. Is that the case or am I wrong to accept it as it is?

A- the conservatory is in the region of 14 years old, toward the end of its life cycle and ongoing maintenance can be expected.
B- The kitchen units to the property were found to be in a fair only condition, they are clearly aged, toward the end of their life cycle and you should budget to replace in the short to medium term. All other built in fittings were found to be in a fair only condition.


All we want is just some input from someone who has more experience, that would be amazing. Also if any one could provide a rough estimate for the costs involved, that would be very helpful.

Many thanks for your time.

Marshaltown

Its 25 years old doesn't sound like its been improved since new. Therefore as long as your not paying top dollar its good to go. However don't be surprised if you have to replace the boiler etc as nothing lasts forever.

davidmcn

Nothing there is significant or urgent (or ought to have come as a surprise). It's all just normal routine maintenance stuff. The price is, as they say, fine. 

Davesnave

I wish that had been all that was wrong with my property! (for which the price was also right.)

blue_max_3

6- The door handle from bedroom two was loose and re­securing will be required.
Really? I'm surprised they didn't say the windows were dirty and would require cleaning!

Hasbeen

NorthWest91 said:

Hi everyone, we are planning on buying our first home. We managed to find a 3 bedroom detached house that we really love and we are willing to do a bit of compromise as the location is unparalleled for our needs. We have commissioned a surveyor to produce a HomeBuyer report for us. The report is generally very appreciative of the property and states it’s overall very well for its relatively young age—the house was built in 1995 with an extension erected in 2006. Moreover the report suggest the sale price of £177,300 is equal to what they think is it’s market value. Nonetheless, there were a few issues that they surveyor brought up. We don’t really have any experience with buying houses so wanted to share a few issues with you to seek advice on whether you think that these are acceptable issues when buying houses, or of you think it’s reasonable that we ask the vendors to either sort them out first or to offer some sort of a discount.


1-  ..the main gutters comprise PVC gutters with two downpipes which both run into a gulley, however, the downpipe to the right hand elevation was leaking and minor remedial work to resolve will be required.

2- External joinery is now 25 years old, it is highly likely there will be areas of rot, particularly at the edges and below joints to rainwater goods, and ongoing treatment in the form of wood treatment and decoration will be required.

3- Minor damage was noted to the internal wall within the dining area and repairs are required.

4- The internal doors of the lounge and the dining room have glazing to a low level. This is assumed not to be safety glazing and, therefore, presents a health and safety risk. Immediate replacement would be recommended.

5- The door to the understairs was ill­fitting and remedial work to resolve will be required.

6- The door handle from bedroom two was loose and re­securing will be required.

7-  Carry out test to gas installations and carry out test to electrical installations.

8- The heating system and the water heating system is clearly aged, toward the end of its life cycle and you should budget to replace in the short to medium term.

Also they mentioned a few more things that needed looking at, but I think it’s fair to accept that it could come with any house. Is that the case or am I wrong to accept it as it is?

A- the conservatory is in the region of 14 years old, toward the end of its life cycle and ongoing maintenance can be expected.
B- The kitchen units to the property were found to be in a fair only condition, they are clearly aged, toward the end of their life cycle and you should budget to replace in the short to medium term. All other built in fittings were found to be in a fair only condition.


All we want is just some input from someone who has more experience, that would be amazing. Also if any one could provide a rough estimate for the costs involved, that would be very helpful.

Many thanks for your time.

So apart from the above minor details as expected with a 14 yr old house what else is seriously wrong with it?

Will need a boiler eventually £1000 plus? New kitchen / bathroom / décor etc all normal to be replaced by new owners. Through time.

All rest normal maintenance. Good luck with purchase, sounds ideal for 1st time buyer, not to much work.

ElephantBoy57

NorthWest91 said:

A- the conservatory is in the region of 14 years old, toward the end of its life cycle and ongoing maintenance can be expected.

The internal doors of the lounge and the dining room have glazing to a low level. This is assumed not to be safety glazing and, therefore, presents a health and safety risk. Immediate replacement would be recommended.

The conservatory is made of wood then? Are these internal doors sliding, between the conservatory and the rest of the house?

Does the conservatory comply with building regulations?

Davesnave

blue_max_3 said:

6- The door handle from bedroom two was loose and re­securing will be required.
Really? I'm surprised they didn't say the windows were dirty and would require cleaning!

They wouldn't do that. The OP would need to pay for a full buildings survey before being supplied with that level of detail!

macman

Surveyors do this all the time. To justify their fee, they pad their report out with this kind of ridiculous trivia.
I remember the survey on my first house well. As well as helpfully informing me that wooden windows sills would, in the fullness of time, need paint applying to them, it also told me that there were 'no large trees adjacent to the property at the time of survey'...which presumably would get them off the hook should a large conifer creep up stealthily overnight and fall upon the house at a later date.

eidand

macman said:

Surveyors do this all the time. To justify their fee, they pad their report out with this kind of ridiculous trivia.
I remember the survey on my first house well. As well as helpfully informing me that wooden windows sills would, in the fullness of time, need paint applying to them, it also told me that there were 'no large trees adjacent to the property at the time of survey'...which presumably would get them off the hook should a large conifer creep up stealthily overnight and fall upon the house at a later date.

are we really surprised when we live in a compensation culture like ours?  Just look at other threads here ....

macman

This was in 1986 though...