Building survey giving me cold feet.

Irishpearce26

Cheeseorham said:

Irishpearce26 said:

I cant really see you being able to ask for a reduction to cover the cost of removing perfectly fine Artex even if it has asbestos. If you want rid of it then that's something you'll have to pay for in the future.

Perhaps I wasn't clear. We wouldn't ask the owner to pay for the cost of removing artex for cosmetic reasons but there the damp and roof repairs would disturb the artex which may contain asbestos. Depending on the electrical condition report, it could be worse. The vendor isn't being super cooperative with our requests to investigate possible contamination either (at our own expense).

Ok a bit clearer. I would say that the surveyor suggesting it needs a new consumer unit is because the regulations back then are different now. My consumer unit going by todays regulations would need to be changed. My house was built in 1998. It may not need a rewire and by the sounds of the roof I would have a roofer look at it. Surveyor costs are usually way off market so don't take them as accurate, there has been posts before were the surveyor quoted £30k and it turned out the true cost was £10k.

Weathergirl_76

Hello, I would recommend having a conversation over the phone with your surveyor to ask if there is anything on the report that would ring alarm bells. Some of it is standard on a survey (ie electrics to be tested). 

If it helps, my boiler is at least 17 years old, I keep it serviced regularly and never planned to change it until it broke. It never did, so I am selling my house with (working) boiler in situ. The surveyor asked me the age and I told him, I also told him it works, I am living here and it’s serviced. You could ask for a service to be completed on it before you move in/exchange or get one done yourself (they are around £60-80 here in Kent. 

Electrics - I was told this weekend my property needed a complete rewire and it wasn’t worth spending money on it.  I had a second opinion today and it doesn’t need a re-wire at all. It needs a new consumer unit and some other minor jobs. Get a second opinion. I did, and I’m glad I did. 

I have an asbestos water tank in the loft, which the surveyor pointed out, but they buyers were fine about it. 

I would also add that when I moved here, I was told by the surveyor the wooden decking under the water tank was under ‘immense’ pressure and needing upgrading urgently. I moved in and had it checked and there was no issue. That was 17 years ago. It’s still there.  Old properties tend to need a bit of tlc and work. Get a local roofer (trusted) to take a look and give you their opinion on the roof. Good luck 

BikingBud

NameUnavailable said:

It's probably safe to assume that the artex DOES include asbestos. So you just need to decide yourself if you want to cover/remove it or live with it.

The damp sounds like it is trapped due to the artex and cement render not allowing the brickwork to breathe so that will require attention. Likewise the roof issues (although surveyors will usually say flat roofs need attention even if they're fine).

The electrics/boiler are non issues, nothing you need to do about them if you don't want to.

There you go the professional opinion of some one who visited the property and reviewed the condition dealt with in a few lines. You'd be foolish not to offer more can't you see what a bargain it is?

On the other hand you have a potential exposure to safety risks and future financial risks, if the vendors are absolutely stonewall not going to budge on price then you have to consider what you are prepared to add over and above the sale price. Perhaps break that down over the number of years you anticipate staying there and see where that fits with your affordability.

Why not speak to your surveyor and ask if they'd buy the property at the offered price or if they'd like to retain some funds for reparations. If you don't get a straight answer then that may influence the store you place in their other advice.

FreeBear

Cheeseorham said: The vendor isn't being super cooperative with our requests to investigate possible contamination either (at our own expense).

It isn't at all surprising. Testing for asbestos requires a sample being sent off to a laboratory, so the vendor would have to make good the damage caused by taking samples. And yes, multiple samples should be taken so that you have a better idea of where any asbestos might be.

lookstraightahead

Op some of those things are general statements im sure, however ....

you are buying a house nearly 100 years old. You need to factor repairs into your budget and expect to have to have work done. 

We bought a house older than yours with a similar set of 'problems' that we are still working out now we have moved in. Some aren't as bad as the surveyor made out (nice surprise) but others are lurking round the corner!  We factored £75000 over a 3-year period for repairs which we can either pay as part cash or add monthly in a loan etc.

if you can't afford to do repairs, look for something that won't need many. 

The price of the property will have already factored in the age of the house, I'm sure.

Falafels

Older properties will have issues, so if you withdraw from this purchase and look for a similar property you'll likely have more problems.

Regarding the issues you raise:

Even a brand new boiler will need replacing further down the line. I had my old back boiler replaced in my old property, and within three years had more problems with the replacement than with the old one of 20+ years; covered by warranty, but problems nevertheless. So if your existing one is serviceable and was manufactured in a time when appliances were built to last, don't worry too much about a replacement just yet.

Much is made of the dangers of artex/asbestos, but even if your artex does contain asbestos - it's a very, very small amount; it's white asbestos rather than the dangerous blue stuff, and if it's been painted over the risk of breathing in fibres in the air (the real health hazard) is minimal. The aesthetics are a different matter, of course, and you can skim over or board over the artex as and when you redecorate. My old place had artex in just about every room but it was, frankly, a non-issue.

Regarding checking the electrics - this is put in as standard in building surveys. It doesn't imply anything more than that the RICS surveyor isn't qualified to do it. 

What is crucial here is the valuation by the surveyor - how does it relate to the selling price? If there's been a significant under-valuation, that may give you some leverage, but generally the condition of a house is taken into account when deciding on a selling price.

Good luck with all this!