Survey report - how much to ask

Poppyka

Hi all,
I hope you’re keeping well. 

I was hoping I could ask for some advice? I’m a FTB and have had an offer / mortgage accepted on a property. We had the surveyor’s report back yesterday and I was wondering how much you can negotiate with the vendors on work that needs doing? We’re quite lucky the property we’re buying isn’t too old and it’s been well maintained. 

The surveyor picked up issues with a blocked drain and suggested we have a CCTV survey done (vendors have said they’re happy to sort)

The surveyor also noticed there isn’t any ventilation in the roof and said we should get this done to avoid any damp or mould growing. There’s also a couple of issues with the finish on the roof with gaps in the flashing and a defective mortar verge. There’s a few finishes / snagging issues too. 

As we’ve never been in this position before how much can we expect the vendors to negotiate on price when we take into account the above work that’s needed? Or do we just accept that you’ll always need to do work when buying a new house?
sorry if this seems a mundane query but I’m just not sure what’s ok and what’s not with negotiation etc 

thanks in advance 

Irishpearce26

What are you paying vs asking price vs valuation price?
To be honest those a very minor issues, you can buy lap vents for the loft (25 quid for pack of 10) they slot in between the felt and the tiles and you can do that yourself. The flashing and mortar verge i would say 1000 quid maybe. 

What do you mean finishing/snagging issues?

lesalanos

Depends how many people were interested in the property.  Just yourselves then you may be successful in negotiating, if there were lots of others interested and I was the vendor then I would stick to the agreed price. 

Justonemorecupoftea

Those issues all sound very minor and not worth negotiating on.

Also things like poor finishes you would've seen when viewing, so should be reflected in the offer you made.

Irishpearce26

Poppyka said:

Irishpearce26 said:

What are you paying vs asking price vs valuation price?
To be honest those a very minor issues, you can buy lap vents for the loft (25 quid for pack of 10) they slot in between the felt and the tiles and you can do that yourself. The flashing and mortar verge i would say 1000 quid maybe. 

What do you mean finishing/snagging issues?

 Thanks for the reply it really helps especially as it’s the first time we’re buying. 

We paid £7k above asking price as there were other parties so lots of back and forth and the property had everything we wanted. 

That’s really good to know I hadn’t realised it would such a easy job re the ventilation in the roof. 

Finishing / snagging some poor finishes around the soil pipes in the bathrooms and brackets on the outdoor pipes, end caps missing from cills. There’s also some poor finishes to ceiling work but as you’ve said there minor issues in the grand scheme of things. Helps to talk it through and be reassured. 

You cant really negotiate on how things look as long as they do the job they are meant to do. If you don't like the look of it then change it but expect to pay out of your own pocket.

Get in touch with a local builder/contractor and ask for a rough quote, it may be cheaper than you think and not worth negotiating. My buyer was a cash buyer with plenty of money but she was trying to get me to pay £500 for a new window because it didn't open wide enough for todays regulations, her survey highlighted not enough ventilation in the loft so I paid for lap vents. She tried to get me to reduce the price for fickle things (she paid £500 over asking), it got to the point where it was annoying me and i knew there was another cash buyer interested so I said I would pull out of the sale if she keeps trying to claw back the £500 she paid over asking.

I find its always beneficial to keep a good relationship with your vendor as it helps the transaction go smoothly.

Make sure to get someone to cost up for you first and maybe get 2-3 quotes for comparison.

Good luck and enjoy your first home!

lookstraightahead

I wouldn't negotiate anything to be honest, as you say there's always something needs doing. 

in our case the structural surveyor thought our repairs would be high tens of thousands (old house) but we didn't negotiate anything it works risk being back at square one. Personally (and it is only personally) I would never offer over asking though, but I think I am in the minority on this board.

tooldle

Roof ventilation recommendation is a standard, where none exists. This came up when we sold our 1904 house. We'd never had a problem with condensation in the loft. Surveyor explains it is a coverall as lifestyles differ. We ran two dehumidifiers all year round, hence no issue to us. 

davilown

tooldle said:

Roof ventilation recommendation is a standard, where none exists. This came up when we sold our 1904 house. We'd never had a problem with condensation in the loft. Surveyor explains it is a coverall as lifestyles differ. We ran two dehumidifiers all year round, hence no issue to us. 

Do you run them all year round in the loft or in the house? Cheers