Selling house and we've just found a drain problem

princeofpounds

I didn't mean to scare you too much. I think all the points you make are very valid, and it's probably not likely they will connect the two issues. But it's down to their professional judgement in the end. It's very correct to say that a crack in the pebbledash is not the same thing as a crack in the structural wall, and the surveyor will know that. But it also makes it harder to assess the real condition underneath.

Yes, a structural survey would probably be a potential solution. Particularly if you allowed them to conduct some slightly invasive tests, perhaps, like peeling back a bit of the pebbeldash. I think it's unlikely any of this will throw off a transaction totally, as long as there really isn't an underlying problem (and nothing you have said really suggests there is one).

skm1981

Thank you, you haven't told me anything I wasn't already thinking anyway, so no worries there.  I mean the cracks have been there for well over 15 years, they can check on google maps on the street view (not that that would prove anything - well it could potentially prove they haven't got worse) as you can look back to I think the street view of your house from 2008 and every year they've done it up until now.  

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.  I guess aside from parking my car up there and hoping he doesn't ask me to move it (which I'm kind of reluctant to do as if he does ask me to move it, then it really will look like I'm hiding something given that we have a front drive), there's not much I can do.  I'll have to wait and see, but thanks for your advice.

youth_leader

I regretted telling my surveyor that a builder recommended I have additional support added to my water tank.  I'd got a builder round as my bedroom ceiling was cracking (1847 house)  and he went into the loft and said he believed the water tank should have additional support.  I phoned and phoned him and he never reappeared to do the job. I  had a survey done on my house before going on the market a few months later, and told the surveyor what the builder had said.  I was very surprised he put my comment in his report.   

ARH_2

The surveyor would be very unlikely to ask for the car to be moved, and also quite unlikely to lift the drain cover. Surveyors normally say in their engagement letter that they won't lift floorboards, move furniture etc. 

In the house you're moving to you'll probably find all sorts of things wrong that you'll have to put right. It seems rather decent of you to have gotten the water company booked to fix it, rather than just leaving it for the next people. Don't go overboard and start actually pointing out potential issues.   

skm1981

Thanks, I've never sold a house before, only bought one and I don't even recall seeing the surveyor.  I'm hoping the house we're buying won't throw up much just because it's only 3 years old so should still be under new build warranty anyway, but this has been an experience. 

Thames Water have been and had a look.  The communication of these companies is terrible.  He was told it was a leak.  So he took a look and he said that he didn't think they'd be covering that, but I said it's a shared drain and I thought they covered that.  So he said from looking at it, he doesn't think it's a big problem but he took some pictures and will refer it back to Thames Water to see if they want to come and do anything about it - he said if they do, they won't be in a hurry to do it and we'll have probably moved by then.  So no further along I guess, but he said he didn't think it would be causing the dip in the driveway (I spoke to my brother about that - he remembers when the driveway was laid - this was my grandad's house before mine and he said they didn't put enough hardcore or something in when laying the drive, so maybe that's why there's a dip).  

So for now, I'm going to have to go with what the guy from Thames Water said, that he doesn't think it's a big problem, if it is, they'll be back, and I will only tell the surveyor this if he asks.

happysellerbuyer

Generally the surveyor will not even chat with the vendors. Just let them report their observations.