Some issues with the roof found during a survey, should I give up on the house?

number6withextradip

Hello, FTB here so I'm completely new to this whole thing and I don't know whether the issues listed below are considered dealbreakers, would it cost over 10k to get them fixed or should I just give up on the house.

The property is a small-ish 2 bed mid terrace house and it's over 100 years old.

There are other less pressing issues such as bits of damp here and there and an oil boiler in need of replacing but my main concern is the roof.

Here's a snippet of the survey:

Overall opinion of property
There are a number of major issues identified which would need addressed immediately prior to exchange. The main cause for concern in the roof structure and roof coverings. There are significant voids in the roof which compromises its integrity both from a structural and safety perspective.Within the roof space there is inadequate fire protection between the dwelling and the neighbouring properties, with the timbers in poor condition we would see this as a significant risk to both person and property.

 Picture

user1977

Lack of a proper firebreak is pretty commonplace and I wouldn't get overly excited about it (easy enough to sort if you wanted to).

I can't figure out from those comments and the photos what else is actually wrong - I presume there's some more detailed commentary?

canaldumidi

As above. Back in the day thy never partitioned the attics so it was possible for people (and fire) to move between properties. Nowadays properties would be built with a fire-resistant wall separating the attic.

You could add this yourself. Not sure of cost but certainly nowhere near £10K!

But 000s of houses remain without a fire wall.

What else is wrong?

TripleH

I Read the report as 'roof is old, we don't know how old but to be safe, we are going to say work needs doing to it'

The roof might need replacing next week or it could have another 10 year's life left.

The surveys now report based on standards as they are 'today'.

Our house's electrics 'should' be upto standard as its a new build (subject to changes in last year) whereas my brother's isn't as it was built 5 years ago and I think standards have changed in interim.

I trust his house's electrics above mine mainly because electrical snagging is not a major issue for the numpty we deal with.

Unless there is a specific requirement by law to amend an issue (eg cladding) a lot of these 'issues' tend to be like advisories on an MOT.

FreeBear

It has a relatively modern felt under the tiles, so has been reroofed at some point. Without a closer inspection, the timbers appear to be in good condition for their age - Get a roofer in for a second opinion.

Is it slate or clay tiles on the outside ?

If it has had the originals replaced with modern concrete tiles, I'd be a little more concerned. The extra weight can sometimes cause the roof to sag and push out the top of the walls..

Ath_Wat

TripleH said:

I Read the report as 'roof is old, we don't know how old but to be safe, we are going to say work needs doing to it'

The roof might need replacing next week or it could have another 10 year's life left.

The surveys now report based on standards as they are 'today'.

Even with the  statement that they need addressing now, prior to exchange?  I don't believe that is common in a  "covering our backs" scenario, though it may be now for all I know.

Ramouth

What do they mean by “significant voids in the roof”?  Are slates missing?  I would say it would be worth a conversation with the surveyor to see exactly what their concerns are.  

Our last house also had incomplete party walls.  It wasn’t a huge job for our builder to build them up to the underside of the roof and pack the gap with mineral wool and sealant.  The hardest part was getting the blocks up there!

I would also be looking at the insulation at the eaves - from the first photo  it looks like it could be stopping air getting through.  It is important to have good ventilation in the roofspace to take away condensation and prevent rot in the timbers.

nicknameless

Have you spoken to the surveyor or just read the report.  We are currently buying a property with the original (90 year old) roof intact and a gap in the attic partition.  The conversation with the surveyor essentially went along the lines of - chances very low, hasn't happened in previous 90 years, roof will last much longer if maintained appropriately - in the report it is a big red 3 with 'cover my !!!!!!' fire warning.

number6withextradip

Ramouth said:

What do they mean by “significant voids in the roof”?  Are slates missing?  I would say it would be worth a conversation with the surveyor to see exactly what their concerns are.  

Our last house also had incomplete party walls.  It wasn’t a huge job for our builder to build them up to the underside of the roof and pack the gap with mineral wool and sealant.  The hardest part was getting the blocks up there!

I would also be looking at the insulation at the eaves - from the first photo  it looks like it could be stopping air getting through.  It is important to have good ventilation in the roofspace to take away condensation and prevent rot in the timbers.

My bad, I missed some important bits from the survey. The surveyor seemed concerned about the gaps between the neighbouring houses although judging by the comments here it's not that big of a deal to fix. Lack of proper roof ventilation has been mentioned in the survey as well potential woodworm/wood rot which can be seen on the photos, the wood is stained. It was flagged as 3 (red) and the surveyor generally didn't have a very good opinion of the property so that's why I decided to ask here. It's not being sold as a fixer-upper and it's currently occupied.

number6withextradip

Seems like I've forgotten to copy another bit of the survey where the issue with the roof is mentioned, sorry about that.

E1 Roof structure

Felt is used as a secondary barrier to rain. We found significant staining to roof

timbers throughout, this is suspected woodworm.- it is recommended that a damp
and timber specialist survey is carried out prior to contract signing.

housebuyer143

Personally I would have someone look at the roof as the colour on the timbers might concern me and why pay a surveyor if you ignore something he has deemed a red flag.