FTB House needs a new roof

hbe9595

FTB and found the house for me, ready to make an offer. The only issue is the roof looks like it's going to need replacing. Already using nearly all of my savings to pay for the deposit means I don't think i'll be able to afford the repairs myself, although i could afford to include it in the cost of the house. Should I ask for the vendor to do the repairs and include it as a term of the offer or try to get a loan post-purchase to pay for the repairs myself?
If the vendor agrees how do I protect myself to ensure the work is done and done properly?
Thanks

AdrianC

You haven't made an offer yet?

Then simply offer low enough so that you can afford to get it done.

BUT... if it's that bad, then the chances are the property is unmortgageable, and will have bigger issues following the ongoing long-term water ingress.

hazyjo

You'd be better off trying to get money off. Not advisable getting the vendors to do the repairs. I doubt very much they'll want to replace the roof when there's no guarantee you'll buy, plus you don't know if they'll bodge it just to sell.

Saying that, if it's been valued at what you're paying, I'd decline and not drop. Perhaps a few hundred quid.

There will always be property maintenance and if you really can't budget for it or find the cash, perhaps you're overstretching. I appreciate a roof is pricey, several grand, but what if the boiler and washing machine pack up within the month too? If they don't drop, I'd be tempted to find another house if money's that tight.

Good luck.

mishelly

Of the two options I would be minded to go towards getting the vendor to do the repairs beforehand.  If you do this, then ensure you see the building regs completion certificate.  I would also be arranging my survey for after the repairs were done too.  
If you were to wait post purchase then you may not be able to get a loan immediately, nor have works begin immediately after that and it will also cost you additional in the interest from the loan. 

hbe9595

hazyjo said:

You'd be better off trying to get money off. Not advisable getting the vendors to do the repairs. I doubt very much they'll want to replace the roof when there's no guarantee you'll buy, plus you don't know if they'll bodge it just to sell.

Saying that, if it's been valued at what you're paying, I'd decline and not drop. Perhaps a few hundred quid.

There will always be property maintenance and if you really can't budget for it or find the cash, perhaps you're overstretching. I appreciate a roof is pricey, several grand, but what if the boiler and washing machine pack up within the month too? If they don't drop, I'd be tempted to find another house if money's that tight.

Good luck.

Thanks. Fortunately I have a surveyor in the family so I’ve asked them to take a look to assess how immediate it is. If it would need doing immediately I’d be leaning towards walking away given as you say the vendor may just agree to fix it then bodge it. 

Wondering if there’s any way to agree as part of the sale that the work is done to a certain standard, meaning I pay my deposit and can’t back out (giving the vendor security) so long as the work is done properly (protecting me)?

tacpot12

hbe9595 said:

hazyjo said:

....

Wondering if there’s any way to agree as part of the sale that the work is done to a certain standard, meaning I pay my deposit and can’t back out (giving the vendor security) so long as the work is done properly (protecting me)?

You would need to ask your solicitor if they can do this. 

As you know a surveyor, you should be able to get a pretty good idea of what the problem is with the roof. If the timber structure is in good condition, it might be as simple as stripping the roof, rebattening and laying new tiles.  If some of the tiles are in good condition, and are still being made, you might only need to buy a hundred tiles, and the cost will be just the labour to strip and refit the tiles. On the other hand, if the roof is slate, and the slates are c100 years old, you will be looking at £3000+ in materials, even for Chinese slates.

Annisele

Does the asking price already take account of the state of the roof? If it doesn't, then I think you'd be better off finding another house with a roof in good condition. If it does, the vendor is unlikely to want to reduce the price further.

greatcrested

How many sellers are going to agree to replace a roof they've happily lived with (presumably, or at least put up with)  for years, just to please someone who may or may not end up buying?

They've priced the property on the basis of the current roof.

If they had wanted to max out the attractivenes of the property to suck in buyers looking for an immaculate roof, they'd have fixed it already.

Will they really want roofers clambering around, exposing their house to the elements while they are a) packing/preparing to move and b) conducting viewings just in case this nervous FTB backs out?

Just is not going to happen.

You buy as seen, at a price to be agreed.

hbe9595

greatcrested said:

How many sellers are going to agree to replace a roof they've happily lived with (presumably, or at least put up with)  for years, just to please someone who may or may not end up buying?

They've priced the property on the basis of the current roof.

If they had wanted to max out the attractivenes of the property to suck in buyers looking for an immaculate roof, they'd have fixed it already.

Will they really want roofers clambering around, exposing their house to the elements while they are a) packing/preparing to move and b) conducting viewings just in case this nervous FTB backs out?

Just is not going to happen.

You buy as seen, at a price to be agreed.

Probably worth noting that it was previously bought as a shell, and has had a bit put into it and used as a rental, with no current tenant in situ.
If someone was currently living there as their own place i'd 100% agree, but having spoken to the estate agent i'm not even sure they've been aware of the state of the roof.
Also this is why i asked about a way of protecting both parties, with an agreement to purchase as long as the work is done so they can be assured I can't back out, and I can be assured the roof will be sorted. 

My query was more about what is the best way to go about getting the roof fixed as a first time buyer, not how do I get the most money off the property if that makes sense.

Slithery

Whatever you do, asking the vendor to fix it before selling you the property is a terrible idea.
Why bother spending more than £200 on your mate Bob from the local when as soon as the transaction completes you would no longer be liable for his shoddy work?

youth_leader

I withdrew from my sale and left the EA as well when the buyer suggested I do both my roof and replace all my ground floor floor boards just before Christmas.  I was selling cheap because the house needed renovation and knew the roof needed work, but expecting me to have both the roof and the floors done at the same time was outrageous.