Survey issue- roof issues/ chimney- negotiate?

meggles88

Hi all just after some advice as to what you would do as although I am not a first time buyer I am a bit more astute to issues from surveys now.

aside from the property being devalued.. a homebuyer survey has revealed a level 3 red issue with the chimney stack and roof. With immediate repairs recommended. 

To keep it brief.. in summary these are issues identified:

chimney (shared with neighbour) cracked rendering and lifting lead flashing slightly on one side which needs redressing. Some vegetation/ moss growth. Temporary lead flashing noted. Missing pointing. Damp penetration noted on the timber around chimney. Possible defect on damp course or due to other lifted issues 

roof- roof felt starting to split and sag in places. 

Would you advise that I get a roof expert out to have a look and get a quote? 

Negotiate on price given the works required. We couldn’t look in the roof on first viewing and obviously couldn’t really see the chimney either

I am guessing this is going to potentially be costly to repair given potential scaffolding requirement etc. 

gwynlas

A roof expert would not necessarily tell you whether you need repairs or a complete new roof. You have already paid for a survey and issues noted. You could get an estimate to rectify these or suggest a revised offer due to survey. It would depend on the size of the house but an up and over terrace is likely to cost a lot less than a multi pitchh semi with dormers.

meggles88

gwynlas said:

A roof expert would not necessarily tell you whether you need repairs or a complete new roof. You have already paid for a survey and issues noted. You could get an estimate to rectify these or suggest a revised offer due to survey. It would depend on the size of the house but an up and over terrace is likely to cost a lot less than a multi pitchh semi with dormers.

Thank you it’s a 4 bed with a single storey flat roof extension. (No issues with that part as newish) Semi detached. I am hoping someone might be able to give an estimate and use that to barter

Noneforit999

It sounds like the chimney is going to need addressing sooner rather than later. The wording suggests its had some temporary repairs which are now starting to show why they were temporary. You may want to budget for removing the chimney itself above roof level, you can leave the stack in place if you wanted. This assumes the neighbour is not using it, although I doubt it based on the issues reported.

What age is the house? Older houses have felt under the tiles which get brittle over time and just rips easily if touched but it really depends how bad it is. You may have another 10 years but on the other hand its going to need doing at some point. 

Albermarle

It sounds like some work needed, but not really any indication a whole new roof is needed.
I am not sure how much it might cost, but probably worth seeing if you can get the price knocked down by a couple of grand

Older houses have felt under the tiles which get brittle over time and just rips easily

Many older houses have no felt ( or anything else) under the tiles, so not a critical issue.

TheJP

I would say that's about £1-1.5K job. Again, is it leaking or is it a surveyor with a finger in the sky? 

propertyrental

TheJP said:

Again, is it leaking or is it a surveyor with a finger in the sky? 

OP said "Damp penetration noted on the timber around chimney." which suggests leaking and means a) repairs are needed soonwr rather than later and b) joists need checking unless survey comments further - are they a bit damp, or are they rotting and need replacing?

TheJP

propertyrental said:

TheJP said:

Again, is it leaking or is it a surveyor with a finger in the sky? 

OP said "Damp penetration noted on the timber around chimney." which suggests leaking and means a) repairs are needed soonwr rather than later and b) joists need checking unless survey comments further - are they a bit damp, or are they rotting and need replacing?

Which in my experience could be due to lack of internal ventilation, there is no clarification of a leak other than speculation. Joist are either ok or not surveyor is sitting on the fence on this one.