Received my Survey report, should I go ahead?

SansaStark

Hi all, I am a first time buyer and would like to ask for your advice here whether the problems identified in my survey report common or severe? And should I ask the vendor to follow up before the sale and purchase, or should I negotiate the price with him?

It's built in 60s with integrated garage. The valuation does meet the asking price. There are total of 8 red flag(condition rating 3) and 7 yellow flag(condition rating 2). Seems there are quite a few concern identified, but I am not sure whether these are trivial as I am FTB and had no experience at all.

Red flag:

D5: windows in the bedrooms cannot be fully opened, safety risk in case of fire, advised to replace them; only 1 door is certified with FENSA to meet building regulations
E5: boiler in the garage is connected to an external fan assisted flue, no checking done for the heating system within the last year
F2: part of the gas piping is made of lead, should be replaced to prevent leakage
F3: advised to undertake/ commission risk assessment on the water system, as there is a risk of legionella wherever water is in a property(sounds common, but it's rated 3)
F4: suggested to fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm; gas appliances and central heating system were not checked within the last 12 months
F5: advised to check the boiler and hot water system (but boiler was installed in 2016 as I know)
G1: advised to provide a heat detector and interconnect it with the smoke alarms in the house; the internal door to the garage has a door closer/ and an intumescent strip, but there is no British Woodworking Federation (BWF Fire Door Alliance) Fire Door Scheme certificate
G2: some steps in the garden lack handrails, risk of fall

Yellow Flag:

E1: roof space insulation and ventilation are inadequate and below standard
E4: floorboard in bedroom is loose/incomplete
F1: bathroom and kitchen lack extractor fan to prevent condensation
some other are minor

Actually I have no idea of how much the above repair/improvement would cost, could anyone give me some advice? Should I bring them out to the vendor? I am not sure whether the above are common to ask the vendor to settle it before sale, and it's rather trivial...

Please give me some advise and thanks.

SpiderLegs

Tbh if you are going to worry about the kind of things on that list I suggest buying a property isn’t going to be for you.

[Deleted User]

Really really standard.

Red flags are all covering the surveyor .e.g. further exploration / servicing and safety aspects (window opening/carbon monoxide etc). These are all small changeable areas depending on what you want to do when you get in the property.

Yellow flags - increase insulation if you wish, fix dodgy floorboard, install extractor fan or open the window more.

These are very small things and nothing that should concern at all. Absolutely nothing worth asking the vendor to rectify or negotiate on.

NameUnavailable

Nothing there of any real concern or to warrant asking for contributions, apart from possibly the windows although you should have looked at the windows when you viewed the property.

I would ask for another viewing to check them, even then I'm not sure I'd ask for any reduction in price but rather to see if it's something you need to budget for.

ss2020jd

SansaStark said:

Hi all, I am a first time buyer and would like to ask for your advice here whether the problems identified in my survey report common or severe? And should I ask the vendor to follow up before the sale and purchase, or should I negotiate the price with him?

It's built in 60s with integrated garage. The valuation does meet the asking price. There are total of 8 red flag(condition rating 3) and 7 yellow flag(condition rating 2). Seems there are quite a few concern identified, but I am not sure whether these are trivial as I am FTB and had no experience at all.

Red flag:

D5: windows in the bedrooms cannot be fully opened, safety risk in case of fire, advised to replace them; only 1 door is certified with FENSA to meet building regulations
E5: boiler in the garage is connected to an external fan assisted flue, no checking done for the heating system within the last year
F2: part of the gas piping is made of lead, should be replaced to prevent leakage
F3: advised to undertake/ commission risk assessment on the water system, as there is a risk of legionella wherever water is in a property(sounds common, but it's rated 3)
F4: suggested to fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm; gas appliances and central heating system were not checked within the last 12 months
F5: advised to check the boiler and hot water system (but boiler was installed in 2016 as I know)
G1: advised to provide a heat detector and interconnect it with the smoke alarms in the house; the internal door to the garage has a door closer/ and an intumescent strip, but there is no British Woodworking Federation (BWF Fire Door Alliance) Fire Door Scheme certificate
G2: some steps in the garden lack handrails, risk of fall

Yellow Flag:

E1: roof space insulation and ventilation are inadequate and below standard
E4: floorboard in bedroom is loose/incomplete
F1: bathroom and kitchen lack extractor fan to prevent condensation
some other are minor

Actually I have no idea of how much the above repair/improvement would cost, could anyone give me some advice? Should I bring them out to the vendor? I am not sure whether the above are common to ask the vendor to settle it before sale, and it's rather trivial...

Please give me some advise and thanks.

Hi most of these sound like fairly standard advice and checks surveyors usually recommend as they are not qualified to comment on heating and electrics etc.

You can check online for Fensa certificates but if there are no structural problems identified I wouldn’t worry. Some mortgage lenders insist on an indemnity policy.

The lead pipe you may want to get an opinion about but should be able to be done and I would say possibly most important. 

The fire risk may be a concern but I suspect most older properties have this issue. It is not usually expected to make properties meet all the latest regs unless you are having work done and building regs say you should, but I’m sure someone with more specialist knowledge will advise. 

Insulation always standard- everyone always needs more. it usually gives a cost indication on the EPC. 

It depends how much the place was down-valued by versus the market and how much interest, what your offer was etc. If it was a huge discrepancy then you may want to just make them aware but for the sake of the survey’s issues I probably wouldn’t raise except the Fensa or stuff the mortgage will insist on. 

If the mortgage offer is downgraded you may have no choice but to go back to vendor. You can always go back to surveyor and ask for more details and potential costs involved. They are usually willing to help on a phone call.

user1977

All sounds fine to me.

"some steps in the garden lack handrails, risk of fall" - seriously?

TheJP

The main thing here is the house is valued at what you are paying with those flags included. Why do you expect the seller to pay for any upgrades/changes? Those flags are not really issues more considerations.