Building survey - serious defects / repair need urgently?

JK4158

Hi we are about to purchase a Victorian converted leasehold flat (there are 4 flats in the house) and just got our building survey back. It highlights couple of serious defects of which few look ok (with small cost to fix) but below looks quite serious to us. We wanted to check here whether anyone had a similar issue in their properties and whether this is a serious enough to be a 'deal breaking' consideration... (we are not able to negotiate the price anymore as we have done it since mini-budget so we will have to cover the costs)

I believe under the lease the external structural issues like below are in the freeholders' responsibility, in that case would you normally raise this issue to the freeholders?

Serious defect 1.

CONDITION SUMMARY: There is cracking to the upper floor between the bay window sills and distortion to the bay window that is likely to be caused by faulty drainage. The bay is slightly bowing outwards which can be seen when looking down the street from the side of the bay. A specialist drainage contractor report will, therefore, be

required, which should involve a water retention test, possibly followed by a CCTV inspection. The local water company may be responsible for drainage repairs and this should be confirmed by your legal advisors. If defects are found, it is likely that the drains will be able to be sleeved but some excavations may be necessary as the subsoil/substrata beneath the foundations may have eroded away, creating voids. If drains are found to be damaged close to the location of the cracking, trial inspection pits will need to be dug to ensure that the matrix of the earth is stable beneath the foundations. If the soil is found to be unstable, further work to support the property may be required. The drainage inspection and trial pits will need to be supervised by a structural engineer, who will then be able to provide you with a document to prove structural adequacy of the foundations; this could be required for your buildings insurance and future sale of the property. Once the drains are repaired, and/or the foundations are confirmed as stable, the cracks can be repointed. All cracks should be raked out to a depth of around 2cm to ensure a good key for the new mortar. Lime mortar (not cement) should be used to allow the brickwork to breathe.

CONDITION RATING: Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently. 

ASSUMED REPAIR COST: £5000

CLARIFICATION NOTE: Potential cost for repairs to the bay window.

Serious defect 2.

WALL FINISH DESCRIPTION: There is a partially rendered external wall finish.

CONDITION SUMMARY: We observed areas of perished render to the top of the building and to the lower ground floor walls. This will help to trap moisture, leading to dampness and damage. It will be necessary to allow for removal of the render by a reputable and appropriately experienced exterior contractor. Any re-rendering should be carried out with a lime render using a breathable decorative finish, such as mineral paint. You should search the Federation of Master Builders Register, which is available online, for contractors who are experienced in working with lime based products.

CONDITION RATING: Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.

ASSUMED REPAIR COST: £2000

Serious defect 3.

WALL FINISH DESCRIPTION: There appears to be impervious masonry paint.

CONDITION SUMMARY: There appears to be impervious masonry paint to the lintels and sills. The paint is blistering in places. This type of paint can help to cause damage to the wall, and dampness internally. We, therefore, recommend that the paint is removed. However, sandblasting should be avoided, as this can help to cause surface damage to the masonry, increasing the rate at which it deteriorates.

CONDITION RATING: Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.

ASSUMED REPAIR COST: £1000

WALL FINISH DESCRIPTION: There is a pointed masonry external wall finish.

CONDITION SUMMARY: There is what appears to be sand and cement pointed mortar joints to the brickwork. This material is not ideal and is likely to cause damage over time. Water becomes trapped in the edge of the masonry and when there are freezing conditions, the water expands, which can cause the face of the masonry to perish. It could prove beneficial to have a reputable and experienced building contractor to rake the joints out to a depth of around 2cm and repoint the masonry with a lime mortar, which should help the brickwork breathe. You should search the Federation of Master Builders register, which is available online, for contractors who have experience

with lime building products.

CONDITION RATING: Defects that are serious and/or need to be repaired, replaced or investigated urgently.

ASSUMED REPAIR COST: £4000

CLARIFICATION NOTE: Cost to repoint the front in lime mortar.

Thank you!

theartfullodger

Who is freeholder?  Often in converted houses it is an entity shared equally between the flat owners.  £3 per deed online with land registry should tell you in about 5 minutes .

What does your mortgage lender say about this - or are you buying for cash?

JK4158

The 4 flats have share of freehold (so 4 sharing the freehold responsibility)
Mortage lender did their own survey but was ok, and the mortage was approved 
This outcome is from our own personal building survey that was carried out

JK4158

It looks like essentially the largest defects are a bay window distortion (we will be the raised ground floor, and the lower ground and the first floor all have bay windows, unclear which bay window is distorted..) and that the external pointing finish is sand/cement so need to be repointed with lime

propertyrental

JK4158 said:

Hi we are about to purchase a Victorian converted leasehold flat (there are 4 flats in the house) and just got our building survey back. It highlights couple of serious defects of which few look ok (with small cost to fix) but below looks quite serious to us. We wanted to check here whether anyone had a similar issue in their properties and whether this is a serious enough to be a 'deal breaking' consideration... (we are not able to negotiate the price anymore as we have done it since mini-budget so we will have to cover the costs)

I believe under the lease the external structural issues like below are in the freeholders' responsibility, in that case would you normally raise this issue to the freeholders?

......................................................

Thank you!

1) whether these issues are the freeholder's responsibility or the relevant leaseholders' will be detailed in the leases.
2) But yes in most cases (depending on the terms of the leases) those issues will be addressed by the freeholder and the costs will be split between the 4 leaseholders ie divided by 4.
3) this is a matter at present between you and your vendor - not the freeholder.
4) no idea why you think you cannot re-negotiate price. This is new information to you, which you may believe impacts on the value of the flat. Whether you have already re-negotiated once based on the change in market conditions post mini-budget is irrelevant. Having said that, the flat's value may not be impacted by this survey - that's a judgement for you.