Interior wall removed no sign of RSJ

PingPong23

Hi I'm a FTB and expecting to exchange anytime now. My problem is the survey has picked up on a dividing wall being removed that he thinks is load bearing, there is a wall directly above it, but there is no sign of an RSJ. Seller said the wall was removed previous to them buying (5+ yrs ago) and they don't have any building plans or regulation certificate for it. I've been offered an indemnity insurance but I don't see what use this would be.
I just want it confirmed if the wall is or isn't load bearing and if works are required reduce my offer to take account of all the works needed. Would a builder be able to view and assess if the wall is load bearing or would I need a Structural Engineer and would they be able to tell by just looking or lifting the upstairs floor boards? As I'm sure the seller wouldn't want an invasive inspection with damage to walls/plaster but without confirmation I would be walking away. 

lincroft1710

What is important is the construction of the "unsupported" wall. If is brick or block it definitely needs a lintel to support it, if a stud wall, good floor joists may be sufficient.


If you have any doubts it's always best to walk away.

AlexMac

We inherited a similar situation, albeit the the seller HAD instructed a surveyor when they bought and he’d given it a (slightly qualified) all clear, ten or more years previously. 

I asked if he’d update his advice to me for a fee and he said he would as the previous survey and its associated Professional Indemnity Insurance only applied to his original client, the seller. 

However, as there was no evidence of movement or cracking, as and as the Builder Brother in Law gave a quick look too, we didn’t bother. 

And it still hasn’t moved or cracked another ten years on. 

But for peace of mind, you might want to commission an expert opinion as our original seller did, 20 odd years ago?

MultiFuelBurner

The buyer brings up a good point what does.the indemnity insurance provide them.

Is it a payout should.the house collapse and how long?

As others have said you must contact the surveyor what type of construction the wall is above this void.

Section62

lincroft1710 said:

What is important is the construction of the "unsupported" wall. If is brick or block it definitely needs a lintel to support it, if a stud wall, good floor joists may be sufficient.

^Not necessarily.  It is primarily the function of the wall which determines the amount of support it needs.

Non-structural partition walls built with lightweight bricks/blocks could be supported by doubled-up joists.  Conversely a 'stud' wall may be structural and would need considerable support from below.

OP - you really need advice from a structural engineer, but the advice they can give is limited by how much of the structure they can see.  If the vendor won't allow floorboards to be lifted (and that's usually the case) then there may be very little a SE can add, other than confirming the wisdom of walking away if there are doubts about it.

silvercar

We’ve just knock out a couple of stud walls that were providing lateral support and the corner where they met was holding up the end of an RSJ in a different direction. If I hadn’t have paid a structural engineer for advice, the back wall of my house could have fallen away.