FTB, Offer Accepted. Survey Surprises

GPWhisperer

Good morning everyone, new person here, both to forum and buying.

Long story short had a Level 2 survey done on a 1970, 3 bed bungalow, offered £10K below asking price of £260K which was accepted.   Survey was long and detailed, but most of it my husband and I expected with a house of this age, it needs total rewire, and what I would call lots of tidying up.

What has thrown us a bit is the roof comments, and it is this point on what I am seeking advice on from seasoned property buyers and sellers.    I should make it clear, we still wish to proceed,we are cash buyers.   Interim advice from a builder/roofing professional friend was if it is watertight, you saw no sign of damp work can be done at later stage.    I admit to being spooked.

Your thoughts please, and thank you for your time.

D2 Roof coverings 3 The sloping roof is covered with tiles. I was unable to clearly see the entirety of the main roof and there may be hidden defects. Unless fully inspected there is a risk of potentially costly repairs. The condition rating assigned is based on what was visible at to me at the time of my inspection. The roof underfelt has not been extended externally into guttering at the eaves and improvements are needed to reduce the risk of water penetration. Vegetation is growing on the surface of the roof slopes reducing water run off which in turn will affect performance of the coverings. It should be carefully removed where build up is occurring. Mortar pointing to the roof verges is cracked, starting to loosen and weathered and repairs are needed. The eaves felt (located at the lowest part of the roof) should overlap into the guttering. This perishes with age and exposure to sunlight which can lead to roof leaks and decay to adjacent timbers. It should be checked as part of normal maintenance.

TheJP

GPWhisperer said:

Good morning everyone, new person here, both to forum and buying.

Long story short had a Level 2 survey done on a 1970, 3 bed bungalow, offered £10K below asking price of £260K which was accepted.   Survey was long and detailed, but most of it my husband and I expected with a house of this age, it needs total rewire, and what I would call lots of tidying up.

What has thrown us a bit is the roof comments, and it is this point on what I am seeking advice on from seasoned property buyers and sellers.    I should make it clear, we still wish to proceed,we are cash buyers.   Interim advice from a builder/roofing professional friend was if it is watertight, you saw no sign of damp work can be done at later stage.    I admit to being spooked.

Your thoughts please, and thank you for your time.

D2 Roof coverings 3 The sloping roof is covered with tiles. I was unable to clearly see the entirety of the main roof and there may be hidden defects. Unless fully inspected there is a risk of potentially costly repairs. The condition rating assigned is based on what was visible at to me at the time of my inspection. The roof underfelt has not been extended externally into guttering at the eaves and improvements are needed to reduce the risk of water penetration. Vegetation is growing on the surface of the roof slopes reducing water run off which in turn will affect performance of the coverings. It should be carefully removed where build up is occurring. Mortar pointing to the roof verges is cracked, starting to loosen and weathered and repairs are needed. The eaves felt (located at the lowest part of the roof) should overlap into the guttering. This perishes with age and exposure to sunlight which can lead to roof leaks and decay to adjacent timbers. It should be checked as part of normal maintenance.

What did the survey value the property at? Sounds to me like the surveyor peeked into the loft without going up and is covering himself. Arrange a viewing and go into the loft and look for signs of water/damp (its wet season so should be visible if its not water tight). Alternative is to arrange a roof inspection but that's an additional cost, personally i would check myself and then if unsure arrange for a professional to inspect.

GPWhisperer

TheJP said:

GPWhisperer said:

Good morning everyone, new person here, both to forum and buying.

Long story short had a Level 2 survey done on a 1970, 3 bed bungalow, offered £10K below asking price of £260K which was accepted.   Survey was long and detailed, but most of it my husband and I expected with a house of this age, it needs total rewire, and what I would call lots of tidying up.

What has thrown us a bit is the roof comments, and it is this point on what I am seeking advice on from seasoned property buyers and sellers.    I should make it clear, we still wish to proceed,we are cash buyers.   Interim advice from a builder/roofing professional friend was if it is watertight, you saw no sign of damp work can be done at later stage.    I admit to being spooked.

Your thoughts please, and thank you for your time.

D2 Roof coverings 3 The sloping roof is covered with tiles. I was unable to clearly see the entirety of the main roof and there may be hidden defects. Unless fully inspected there is a risk of potentially costly repairs. The condition rating assigned is based on what was visible at to me at the time of my inspection. The roof underfelt has not been extended externally into guttering at the eaves and improvements are needed to reduce the risk of water penetration. Vegetation is growing on the surface of the roof slopes reducing water run off which in turn will affect performance of the coverings. It should be carefully removed where build up is occurring. Mortar pointing to the roof verges is cracked, starting to loosen and weathered and repairs are needed. The eaves felt (located at the lowest part of the roof) should overlap into the guttering. This perishes with age and exposure to sunlight which can lead to roof leaks and decay to adjacent timbers. It should be checked as part of normal maintenance.

What did the survey value the property at? Sounds to me like the surveyor peeked into the loft without going up and is covering himself. Arrange a viewing and go into the loft and look for signs of water/damp (its wet season so should be visible if its not water tight). Alternative is to arrange a roof inspection but that's an additional cost, personally i would check myself and then if unsure arrange for a professional to inspect.

Thank you for your reply.   Valuation £265K.    We are going back this Sunday to do just as you suggested.

MultiFuelBurner

Just sounds like surveyor covering their behind.

So you have offered £250k which is accepted on a house valued at £265k by your surveyor.

To be honest I would go for it but go for another viewing looking for stains and if you are risk adverse get a roofer round to inspect.

GPWhisperer

MultiFuelBurner said:

Just sounds like surveyor covering their behind.

So you have offered £250k which is accepted on a house valued at £265k by your surveyor.

To be honest I would go for it but go for another viewing looking for stains and if you are risk adverse get a roofer round to inspect.

Thank you for your reply.    Correct yes Vendor accepted our offer very quickly, as they have already had two failed transactions, and were keen on our cash buyer status.    We have proved our funds, Solicitors engaged.   As stated above we are going back this Sunday, with an electrician and builder, both agreed by Vendor so we will have a better idea.   I can confirm that the Surveyor did not get up in the roof space.

user1977

Doesn't sound alarming to me. It will need maintenance at some point, but it would even if it was currently in good condition. If you have a tame roofer than I would listen to them!

chanz4

sounds like a bum cover thats all,may may not needs

nicmyles

Just sounds like an old roof, honestly, I think your friend is bang on.

BlueVeranda

I was unable to clearly see the entirety of the main roof and there may be hidden defects. Unless fully inspected there is a risk of potentially costly repairs. The condition rating assigned is based on what was visible at to me at the time of my inspection. 

Assuming this part is what spooked you. It's a fairly standard disclaimer in surveys. The good news is you have a friend who knows this area well and your friend is not spooked by it. 

You probably asked him because you thought he is a good friend who would tell you if he thought you were walking into problems? And he didn't tell you to run a mile. Trust him.

RelievedSheff

Nothing there to cause alarm on a 50 year old roof!

GPWhisperer

BlueVeranda said:

I was unable to clearly see the entirety of the main roof and there may be hidden defects. Unless fully inspected there is a risk of potentially costly repairs. The condition rating assigned is based on what was visible at to me at the time of my inspection. 

Assuming this part is what spooked you. It's a fairly standard disclaimer in surveys. The good news is you have a friend who knows this area well and your friend is not spooked by it. 

You probably asked him because you thought he is a good friend who would tell you if he thought you were walking into problems? And he didn't tell you to run a mile. Trust him.

Thank you BlueVeranda, you assumed correctly, yes this is what spooked me.    Our builder friend has an excellent reputation, so yes I do trust him.    I am glad to have his opinion, but wanted more thoughts, and all of you whom have answered me today, I thank you.      I have been reading the boards in more details today, it seems surveys spook a lot of people, and I will admit on 2nd and 3rd reading much of it on my report was quite ambiguous.