Bought an old house without a survey

Cactus_Flowers

I'm basically saying the same thing as everyone else - don't worry too much about not having had a survey done! It might still be worth having it done just as they give a general review of the whole place, but I found that it's mostly things that you'll have picked up by living there anyway.

I bought a older terrace house by myself last year, and despite having a survey before completing I've still had quite a few wobbly moments since living here about new issues that came up, or if I made absolutely the wrong decision, or what if it all falls down around my ears. But then I try to remind myself that the house was here long before me and will definitely be here long after I'm gone! And more practically - in a terrace house, any massive problems would be affecting the neighbours as well so you'd hear about it, and anything smaller than that is fixable

MalMonroe

Hi, I felt really sorry reading your OP - but it started me thinking that maybe the seller did not disclose the cracks and structural problems that should have been disclosed before you bought the property? 

There's some information in the following link - 

https://www.enact.co.uk/2021/05/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-problem-with-your-home-after-the-sale-is-final/

And it might be worth phoning Citizens Advice too.  https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

You could also check with the estate agent as well as your solicitor as they could be guilty of negligence in not ensuring that all the problems and defects were properly reported before you took ownership of the property.

You shouldn't feel ashamed - but I think the estate agent and the vendors should. And you should definitely contact them if the faults you mention in your OP are going to be costly to repair. The vendor can (and should) be sued for compensation under The Misrepresentations Act. 

I wish you all the best and hope you manage to get things sorted out.

[Deleted User]

Your own, simple, due diligence would have shown the cracks, those won't have appeared in 10 months.

As for friends advising - let them advise but always think, deeply, for yourself because they won't be relating to your own situation.

You'll always get a lot of useful advice on this subforum, it's an invaluable resource.

pinkteapot

MalMonroe said:

Hi, I felt really sorry reading your OP - but it started me thinking that maybe the seller did not disclose the cracks and structural problems that should have been disclosed before you bought the property? 

OP doesn't know there are any structural problems. It might be fine! 

OP - it happens, don't worry. Some friends of mine didn't get a survey on their first house on advice of family and moved in to find a problem with the roof which was causing a leak. 

As others have said, the person you need is a structural engineer, not a surveyor. Be brave, get one round, and then at least you'll know. Either everything's fine, and then you can relax and move on, or there's a problem but you know what it is and can look into what it'll cost to fix. Even if there is a current problem (previous movement isn't usually an issue), it'll be fixable and being told what it is won't instantly mean the house is going to fall down tomorrow. See what an expert says, and if you need more advice you'll get it here or on the DIY board.

When you move in future, let us on here know what sort of house it is (age, been extended/modified or not...) and we'll advise on which type of survey is best.

mi-key

Loads of old houses will have cracks that have happened from movement over the years. Could be yours have been there for 20 or 30 years and the owners just didnt worry about them, so don't panic that your house is falling down !

jonnydeppiwish!

FTBkat said:

These are some pictures of the cracks. 

The render isn’t one I’d be too concerned about -!it’s possibly it’s just the rear extension settling over the years. The ones above the windows slightly more - have the windows been replaced or are they original?

lookstraightahead

I bought an old house last year (although did have surveys etc).

I had a great bit of advice from a guy who came to check the boiler (I was going to replace the radiators). He said give it a year and live in your house for all of the seasons. Then decide what to do.

I've saved myself a fortune. I'm not replacing the kitchen, I'm up cycling. The boiler is still fine. I love my quarry floors that I was going to remove, I've stuck with the old carpets upstairs for now, I really don't need an extension. I'm taking out the bath and making two small shower rooms as I've not had a bath once. I'm not rendering the whole outside of the property etc. I could go on. I've totally changed almost everything I thought I would need / want to do.

it will feel less scary over time. Remember old houses had been standing for a long time.

ThisIsWeird

Do you have a spare room you can dry your clothes in? If so, do it in there, with the windows fully open, temperature on low/zero (cos it would be a waste), and close the door. The vast majority of the 'wet' will be safely ventilated away. 

When reduced to just 'damp', you can bring it into the warm house, and finish off the drying slowly - judge it, perhaps only half the wash at a time on an 'orse in front of a rad. Provided you have adequate ventilation in the whole house, you shouldn't have issues. Look for tell-tale signs like condensation forming on the insides of the window panes.

But if you don't actually have such damp issues, you have no need for a dehumidifier.

user1977

pinkteapot said:

MalMonroe said:

Hi, I felt really sorry reading your OP - but it started me thinking that maybe the seller did not disclose the cracks and structural problems that should have been disclosed before you bought the property? 

OP doesn't know there are any structural problems.

And even if there were, there's no principle that the seller ought to have disclosed them

stuart45

Can you take a photo of the arch from further back?