Buying a house that is unoccupied - Things to check/look out for at exchange

Lyd00

When I viewed the property it had recently been vacated. The EA didn't know a thing about their circumstances and when I enquired with the neighbours (I asked them about parking) they said a family of 3 had lived there but had left a couple of weeks ago. No one knows why they are selling. 

Anyway my point is it's now been empty for 2 months and it could be a further 2 months by the time we exchange (a few hiccups with my broker causing a delay, then the bank requested a level 3 survey and took their time getting back to us). 

The level 3 survey picked up some damp but said that it wasn't significant (even though the photos showed the damp meter lit up red?). If the heating hasn't been on much and the windows haven't been opened could this damp have gotten a lot worse? 

We've also had several storms since and the survey also said that the roof is at the end of its life - do I need to get someone round to check that the roof hasn't been damaged?

Is there anything else you'd be thinking of knowing that a house has stood empty for a while? It's not going to be very clean, cobwebs galore I imagine. But anything more serious?

I assume they'll have insurance that requires their heating comes on regularly? When I view it before exchange i'll check that the boiler is working but is there anything else I should check?

Thanks in advance

Brie

The good thing about an empty place is that you get to see the building and not how some one has dressed it up.  

I think you are probably right about the damp - heating and fresh air will help.  And the roof should be easy enough to sort - just get a reputable firm in to give you a quote and see if that changes what you would want to pay for it.  Again as it's empty currently empty maybe you would want to replace the roof before you move in to save yourself the hassle of dealing with a house without the roof and no loft storage.

Check that they still have insurance.  Insurers are funny about unoccupied houses.  

Cleaning is the least of the problems.  Once everything else is sorted and the place is yours send in a commercial house cleaner and then move in all your bits and pieces into a place that is pristine!!

FreeBear

Lyd00 said: The level 3 survey picked up some damp but said that it wasn't significant (even though the photos showed the damp meter lit up red?). If the heating hasn't been on much and the windows haven't been opened could this damp have gotten a lot worse?

Those pointy damp meters will only give reliable readings on on untreated wood. Shoved into plaster and other building materials, and the readings can only be relied upon to scare people. I would expect an unheated house over the winter months to have minor damp issues - Open the doors & windows to get some air circulating, and the heat of the summer months will dry it out. Next winter, having the heating on will keep condensation to a minimum.

If there are any damp issues that can not be attributed to condensation, look for leaking gutters/downpipes, elevated gronnd levels breaching the DPC, and get those fixed.

The roof may need some attention. Depending on how old it is, and the type of materials used, it could be good for another 25-50 years. My roof (clay tiles) is nearly 100 years old, and has never had anything done to it bar replacing a few slipped tiles. It still has plenty of life left in it. That said, I'm hoping to have it stripped & retiled this year, but even if it doesn't get done, another 10 years won't hurt.

youth_leader

Having read about someone moving in to find the downstairs toilet was blocked and not actually plumbed in, I'd definitely flush the toilets.  And turn the shower on - my bathroom taps and the shower all squawk when I turn on the hot taps (gas boiler).

theartfullodger

That it genuinely is unoccupied.. 

If not you run risk of merely becoming landlord

GDB2222

Brie said:

The good thing about an empty place is that you get to see the building and not how some one has dressed it up.  

I think you are probably right about the damp - heating and fresh air will help.  And the roof should be easy enough to sort - just get a reputable firm in to give you a quote and see if that changes what you would want to pay for it.  Again as it's empty currently empty maybe you would want to replace the roof before you move in to save yourself the hassle of dealing with a house without the roof and no loft storage.

Check that they still have insurance.  Insurers are funny about unoccupied houses.  

Cleaning is the least of the problems.  Once everything else is sorted and the place is yours send in a commercial house cleaner and then move in all your bits and pieces into a place that is pristine!!

Yes, insurers have found that empty properties are a big risk. You may have difficulty getting insurance for the period between exchange and completion.

Insurers often require that the water is drained down if the property is empty. So, there’s no guarantee that the heating is on. Was your surveyor able to see it working? Have you?

If it’s empty, ask to view it again to check all the points you have raised about damp etc.

orange-sox

I currently have an unoccupied property (probate) and it’s a condition of the insurance that I either completely drain the water systems, or that I keep the heating on at 12degrees between 01/10 and 01/04. 

Definitely worth speaking to the solicitor for confirmation of what the situation is with this in the property you’ve made an offer on - if they’ve drained the system I would want it refilling and have the opportunity to check everything is in good working order before exchange of contracts alongside checking the damp issues etc. 

propertyhunter

My solicitor insisted that the executors confirmed that the property was still supplied by gas and electricity, and that they had not had these utilities disconnected. 

Drawingaline

We have bought three unoccupied properties. The biggest problem with each has been the huge amount of spiders that take a few months to disappear. So many of them! And smelling a bit musty.

Our last house had a broken boiler (we booked a gas engineer who got it working quickly, it was old and we replaced it a couple of years in) and the toilets had the most horrific limescale build up. Also the downstairs shower didn't work. But we knew it needed attention and how long it had been empty when we offered. It was a bit of a bargain. 

Our current house was empty for four months as they had moved back abroad. We had a viewing the day before exchange and turned on taps, flushed toilets and checked there wasn't huge holes or cracks anywhere. It is oy 20yrs old and mid terrace and all was fine. Just dusty and spidery.