Building survey structural issues

hellosunshine17

Hi all, we've been trying to buy our first house and after 7 weeks of jumping through various hoops with Nationwide for the mortgage thought we were getting somewhere...

The house has some damp which we were aware of and willing to remedy, however the building survey we had done at Nationwide's request (because of the damp) has turned up some structural issues as well. 

The surveyor recommends that we get a structural engineer to examine the external walls, so I presume Nationwide will now want this too. He found various cracks, open pointing joints and movement in the external walls. I have no idea how bad this is in the grand scheme of things or how much it will cost to put right?

We're at the stage now where we're considering pulling out of the purchase, we've already thrown more money at various surveys than we'd like, plus all the legal fees and a structural engineer report will be a few hundred more. And that's before we even know if Nationwide will give us the mortgage. 

Does anyone have any advice or experience of this? I'm guessing remedial structural work is going to cost quite a bit? Are we even likely to get a mortgage on this house with all its issues? We're FTB so have no clue what's 'normal' and when to cut our losses / stick it out. 

Thanks!

tacpot12

I had a similar survey done on a house I was buying - however the survey only identified one specific problem. I did pay for a structural engineer's report on that one problem. The report was quite positive, in that it confirmed the full  extent of the problem, the likelihood the problem getting worse and gave various options to remediate the problems. I was able to talk to a builder about the prices for these options - he came up with an alternative that the Structural Engineer agreed would also be suitable.

The alternative was very cost effective, and provided an energy efficiency bonus as well, so repairing structural fault isn't always expensive, but the cost will depend on the nature and extent of the problem. 

My mortgage company were insistent that the work needed to be done, but were happy with the quote from my builder as evidence it would be done correctly. (When you've seen enough quotes you can easily sport whether the contractor knows what they are about).

Much of the UK Housing stock is of an age where structural problems can show themselves, so Nationwide will be  used to lending on properties that structural problems for which the building industry have cost-effective solutions for, so I would not be too worried about being able to get a mortgage. I would be more worried about the nature of the problem and the cost to fix it.

My suggestion is that you call your Surveyor and ask them what they think could be the underlying cause. They will be very vague about this, and you shouldn't rely on their answers, but it might give you more information to do some research as to how expensive the fix might be. You might also take photos of the cracks and share these with a Structural Engineer before engaging them. If you explain your situation as first time buyers, they will understand and hopefully be able to talk themselves out of doing a survey where it is unlikely you can afford the remediation. Most professionals are extremely busy at the moment, and would rather do work that is likely to have a positive outcome for their customers.

Another factor is how well the house suits you. If the house is perfect for you in every other respect, then it could be worth spending the money on the structural engineers report and the remediation. Who knows, you might spend the rest of your life living in that house and a few thousand pounds spent in 2021 will seem like pocket change in 2070. (My parents bought their house for £9,000 in 1975, it's now worth £300K).  

I, and many others, understand how difficult it is to walk away from a house that ticks all the boxes for you. 

One final thought - given that the cracks and missing mortar were visible on the outside, you have learned a lesson in really studying the property carefully before engaging a surveyor. I would always recommend you view any property twice. The first time is to get an idea as to whether the property is suitable for you, because photos and floorplans can't convey how the space will feel. The second time needs to be a critical appraisal of the faults of the property, to see if it is worth spending money on getting it surveyed. It is also worth carefully (minutely) studying the photos of the property even before arranging an appointment to go to see it, as faults are often there in plain sight if only you are prepared to look for them.  

(I ended up buying my house, which also had damp).

andy444

You should get a structural report done on the property for your own benefit regardless of what Nationwide might want; you obviously don't want to be in a situation in several years time where there are serious structural problems that you will have to remedy, or at worst, make the house unliveable.

Virtually all houses have some form of settlement, having the odd crack here and there isn't necessarily a bad thing.

How much it will cost to fix is dependent on the extent of the issues and the construction and age of the house etc. 

I think you will have to have a look at a structural report and possibly get professional advice as to whether you decide to proceed and if it might affect your ability to secure a mortgage.

FreeBear

tacpot12 said: It is also worth carefully (minutely) studying the photos of the property even before arranging an appointment to go to see it, as faults are often there in plain sight if only you are prepared to look for them. 

Streetview can also be mighty useful when it has historical images of the property - In cases where it has had a fresh coat of render, you can go back in time to see if there were signs of cracks at the front. Or there may be cracking evident in the current view, and a quick trip down memory lane might reveal if it is very recent.

It is unfortunate that streetview only goes back 10 years or so, and some areas don't have any archived shots.