Should we of known that a house was steel framed before offer being accepted?

sammyldale

We put an offer on a house in February this year and until we paid to have a home buyers survey done we didn't know that it was steel framed built. Is this something that we should of known about before we put an offer on the house? If so is there anyway that we could claim for loss of money due to not being able to get a mortgage on it? Any help on this would be appreciated.

Sunsaru

In short, nope and nope.

Alter_ego

That's what a survey is for

eddddy

sammyldale said:

If so is there anyway that we could claim for loss of money due to not being able to get a mortgage on it? 

There's a route you can try.


Assuming the EA is a member of the Property Ombudsman Scheme (most are) you can make a formal complaint to the EA, followed by a complaint to the Ombudsman.


There's a case where the EA failed to mention that a house was concrete construction - the Ombudsman ordered the EA to pay £330 in compensation to the prospective buyer.  So you might have a chance.

Here's some info: https://www.tpos.co.uk/news-media-and-press-releases/case-studies/item/consumer-protection-from-unfair-trading-regulations-2008-cprs



(But it will depend on a lot of factors - like did the EA make reasonable enquiries about the construction of the house? Should the EA have reasonably known about the construction of the house?  And EAs are property professionals, so the Ombudsman expects them to know more about house construction etc, than the average amateur buyer.)

[Deleted User]

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Section62

[DELETED USER] said:

It's frustrating that banks have not got on top of steel framed houses. In lots of other countries they are standard and there is nothing wrong with them, in fact there are some major advantages. It's just banks making the situation worse, as usual.

Typically the weather in those countries is drier than the UK, and the detailing and construction standards are much better than they were in the UK at the time many of these houses were built here.

Wet climate, semi-permeable construction, and structural elements hidden and which cannot be inspected all adds up to a level of unsuitability/risk that needs very careful thought before taking on.

Given the furore over 'flamable cladding', and the growth of compensation culture, I think in future lenders are going to be even more cautious about anything 'non-standard'.

kingstreet

Here's Skipton criteria for steel-frame as this is the last lender I used for a BISF house;-

Steel Frame Construction

Skipton does not generally accept steel frame dwellings unless a structural engineer's report (of the steel frame) is obtained and all recommended work within that report is carried out and the mortgage valuer confirms that the property is suitable for mortgage purposes. (A structural engineer's report is essential as a valuer is not able to ascertain the condition of the steel framework merely by carrying out a mortgage valuation)

csgohan4

money well spent on a survey it seems. 

Section62

tellmeagain said:

...and were looking at a company called Ecotruss - they use steel beams/panels for the loft conversion instead of timber.

Do they explain how that is "Eco"?

GDB2222

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ69IfyhOro

You've seen this?

user1977

tellmeagain said:

we are going to do a loft conversion (2 bedrooms & 1 bathroom) and were looking at a company called Ecotruss - they use steel beams/panels for the loft conversion instead of timber.

I wonder if we use steel for the roof structure if it might affect the properties mortgageability down the line?

I think the concern is more about certain (old) types of steel frame construction which have since been deemed to be inherently defective, it doesn't mean everyone is running screaming from any steel being used in the structure.