Home Survey Advice

NKS2017

We had a survey completed and moved into our new home however the surveyor failed to notify a rat infestation in the loft.

Had we have known we could have notified the seller and negotiated the price. It’s cost thousands to sort out.

The surveyor has stated that the survey explicitly states asbestos and bio hazards are not included in the survey brief and it therefore was not their responsibility to highlight these issues.

Is this correct?

IronMan22

Could the surveyor have reasonably seen it? Was it behind things? 

DayDreamerandGeneralWaster

I suggest that as they say it wasn't included, it wasn't included. Is it on the paperwork? You agreed to proceed on that basis. It doesn't matter if the rats were hiding at the time. 

Slithery

Did the surveyor actually inspect the loft?

user1977

NKS2017 said:

We had a survey completed and moved into our new home however the surveyor failed to notify a rat infestation in the loft.

Had we have known we could have notified the seller and negotiated the price. It’s cost thousands to sort out.

The surveyor has stated that the survey explicitly states asbestos and bio hazards are not included in the survey brief and it therefore was not their responsibility to highlight these issues.

Is this correct?

We don't know, because we can't read your survey from here. Did they look in the loft, and if so did they come face to face with any rats? Are you sure the rats were even there on the day of the survey?

Weathergirl_76

Unless the rats were there at the time your property had its survey, and were seen or heard by the surveyor, there would be no way to know there was a rat infestation present, unless of course there were lots of droppings or chewed items visible. He could also argue there were no signs when he completed the survey, but they ‘moved in’ after your survey. 

What a nightmare for you regardless....I hope you find a suitable conclusion. 

AdrianC

NKS2017 said:

We had a survey completed and moved into our new home however the surveyor failed to notify a rat infestation in the loft.

What - EXACTLY - does the survey say about the loft?

What did YOU notice when you looked in the loft yourselves pre-offer?

Falafels

Rats will scurry off the moment they hear anyone approaching, and they hide their droppings under loft insulation. They're also typically more active at night.

They can also be quite seasonal; there may have been no rats in residence at the time of the survey, but they do leave urine trails (nice!) so that others will know that there's a desirable attic residence available. Sadly, this kind of investigation is not the responsibility of a building surveyor, and there's no real comeback that you have at the moment.

Sorry to hear you've had this problem.

Irishpearce26

Your post seems to state the surveyor knew about the rats but failed to tell you. There is no way to prove that they were there at the time of the survey. The surveyor who carried out a survey of our property for our buyer stood at the top of the ladders and shone a torch on the roof structure as that's the only reason he has gone up there.

Unfortunately this is the pitfalls of homeownership, its your responsibility to pay for the rat issue.

user1977

Also, why a new thread, as we've already discussed this a couple of months ago:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6261755/rat-infestation#latest