Surveyor says house is uninhabitable

Section62

AskAsk said:

Herzlos said:

subjecttocontract said:

.......and if the buyer pulls out the op will have a house that looks a total mess and more problems selling it

True, but if you leave the tiles up and the buyer pulls out, the next buyer might want the tiles pulling down too and you're exactly where you started again, except likely months later and for thousands less.

If you take them down now, and the buyer pulls out, then the house should be easier to sell without the tiles, and the seller can always get them plastered/skimmed and make it even more attractive.

If I were the OP, I would agree to get the tiles removed.  The buyers are obviously interested in the house and they can't get the insurance and the mortgage until the tiles are removed.  The issue is because all the ceilings are covered with the tiles.  If it was just one room, it wouldn't have been such an issue, but the whole house covered, makes it a liability, so I would think it will become an issue with the next buyer, so it needs to be sorted out.

If the tiles are removed leaving the ceilings in a mess - particularly if parts of the ceiling come down with the tiles - there's a risk a mortgage company would consider the house unmortgageable because it needs too much work to sell it again.

The wallpaper solution only works if the ceiling is reasonably flat before being papered.  Otherwise all the lumps and bumps will show through the paper.

subjecttocontract

So there you have it........two totally opposite opinions. Take your pick. There probably isn't a right or wrong answer, only a collection of variables that non of us really knows.

AskAsk

Section62 said:

AskAsk said:

Herzlos said:

subjecttocontract said:

.......and if the buyer pulls out the op will have a house that looks a total mess and more problems selling it

True, but if you leave the tiles up and the buyer pulls out, the next buyer might want the tiles pulling down too and you're exactly where you started again, except likely months later and for thousands less.

If you take them down now, and the buyer pulls out, then the house should be easier to sell without the tiles, and the seller can always get them plastered/skimmed and make it even more attractive.

If I were the OP, I would agree to get the tiles removed.  The buyers are obviously interested in the house and they can't get the insurance and the mortgage until the tiles are removed.  The issue is because all the ceilings are covered with the tiles.  If it was just one room, it wouldn't have been such an issue, but the whole house covered, makes it a liability, so I would think it will become an issue with the next buyer, so it needs to be sorted out.

If the tiles are removed leaving the ceilings in a mess - particularly if parts of the ceiling come down with the tiles - there's a risk a mortgage company would consider the house unmortgageable because it needs too much work to sell it again.

The wallpaper solution only works if the ceiling is reasonably flat before being papered.  Otherwise all the lumps and bumps will show through the paper.

The house is already unmortgable in a sense as the bank won't release the funds with the tiles there, so it's like "does the chicken or the egg come first" scenario!

It is potentially a lot of money to sort out but I can't see this problem going away.  Maybe get the house rewired, but that isn't cheap either.

Or wait for cash buyer, but the OP would have to sell it for less.

Albermarle

AskAsk said:

Section62 said:

AskAsk said:

Herzlos said:

subjecttocontract said:

.......and if the buyer pulls out the op will have a house that looks a total mess and more problems selling it

True, but if you leave the tiles up and the buyer pulls out, the next buyer might want the tiles pulling down too and you're exactly where you started again, except likely months later and for thousands less.

If you take them down now, and the buyer pulls out, then the house should be easier to sell without the tiles, and the seller can always get them plastered/skimmed and make it even more attractive.

If I were the OP, I would agree to get the tiles removed.  The buyers are obviously interested in the house and they can't get the insurance and the mortgage until the tiles are removed.  The issue is because all the ceilings are covered with the tiles.  If it was just one room, it wouldn't have been such an issue, but the whole house covered, makes it a liability, so I would think it will become an issue with the next buyer, so it needs to be sorted out.

If the tiles are removed leaving the ceilings in a mess - particularly if parts of the ceiling come down with the tiles - there's a risk a mortgage company would consider the house unmortgageable because it needs too much work to sell it again.

The wallpaper solution only works if the ceiling is reasonably flat before being papered.  Otherwise all the lumps and bumps will show through the paper.

The house is already unmortgable in a sense as the bank won't release the funds with the tiles there, so it's like "does the chicken or the egg come first" scenario!

It is potentially a lot of money to sort out but I can't see this problem going away.  Maybe get the house rewired, but that isn't cheap either.

Or wait for cash buyer, but the OP would have to sell it for less.

Or go to auction.

AskAsk

Albermarle said:

AskAsk said:

Section62 said:

AskAsk said:

Herzlos said:

subjecttocontract said:

.......and if the buyer pulls out the op will have a house that looks a total mess and more problems selling it

True, but if you leave the tiles up and the buyer pulls out, the next buyer might want the tiles pulling down too and you're exactly where you started again, except likely months later and for thousands less.

If you take them down now, and the buyer pulls out, then the house should be easier to sell without the tiles, and the seller can always get them plastered/skimmed and make it even more attractive.

If I were the OP, I would agree to get the tiles removed.  The buyers are obviously interested in the house and they can't get the insurance and the mortgage until the tiles are removed.  The issue is because all the ceilings are covered with the tiles.  If it was just one room, it wouldn't have been such an issue, but the whole house covered, makes it a liability, so I would think it will become an issue with the next buyer, so it needs to be sorted out.

If the tiles are removed leaving the ceilings in a mess - particularly if parts of the ceiling come down with the tiles - there's a risk a mortgage company would consider the house unmortgageable because it needs too much work to sell it again.

The wallpaper solution only works if the ceiling is reasonably flat before being papered.  Otherwise all the lumps and bumps will show through the paper.

The house is already unmortgable in a sense as the bank won't release the funds with the tiles there, so it's like "does the chicken or the egg come first" scenario!

It is potentially a lot of money to sort out but I can't see this problem going away.  Maybe get the house rewired, but that isn't cheap either.

Or wait for cash buyer, but the OP would have to sell it for less.

Or go to auction.

Yes, if the OP doesn't have money to remedy the issue, but you get a lot less at auction, and not all properties get sold at auction.  Some never sell.

Section62

AskAsk said:

Section62 said:

AskAsk said:

Herzlos said:

subjecttocontract said:

.......and if the buyer pulls out the op will have a house that looks a total mess and more problems selling it

True, but if you leave the tiles up and the buyer pulls out, the next buyer might want the tiles pulling down too and you're exactly where you started again, except likely months later and for thousands less.

If you take them down now, and the buyer pulls out, then the house should be easier to sell without the tiles, and the seller can always get them plastered/skimmed and make it even more attractive.

If I were the OP, I would agree to get the tiles removed.  The buyers are obviously interested in the house and they can't get the insurance and the mortgage until the tiles are removed.  The issue is because all the ceilings are covered with the tiles.  If it was just one room, it wouldn't have been such an issue, but the whole house covered, makes it a liability, so I would think it will become an issue with the next buyer, so it needs to be sorted out.

If the tiles are removed leaving the ceilings in a mess - particularly if parts of the ceiling come down with the tiles - there's a risk a mortgage company would consider the house unmortgageable because it needs too much work to sell it again.

The wallpaper solution only works if the ceiling is reasonably flat before being papered.  Otherwise all the lumps and bumps will show through the paper.

The house is already unmortgable in a sense as the bank won't release the funds with the tiles there, so it's like "does the chicken or the egg come first" scenario!

It is potentially a lot of money to sort out but I can't see this problem going away.  Maybe get the house rewired, but that isn't cheap either.

Or wait for cash buyer, but the OP would have to sell it for less.

The point was that agreeing to remove the tiles won't necessarily make the sale go through. It could just give the mortgage company another reason to say 'no'.

I'd rather try selling a property (to a cash buyer or at auction) with in-situ polystyrene tiles than attempt to do the same with great lumps of the ceilings missing.

AskAsk

Section62 said:

AskAsk said:

Section62 said:

AskAsk said:

Herzlos said:

subjecttocontract said:

.......and if the buyer pulls out the op will have a house that looks a total mess and more problems selling it

True, but if you leave the tiles up and the buyer pulls out, the next buyer might want the tiles pulling down too and you're exactly where you started again, except likely months later and for thousands less.

If you take them down now, and the buyer pulls out, then the house should be easier to sell without the tiles, and the seller can always get them plastered/skimmed and make it even more attractive.

If I were the OP, I would agree to get the tiles removed.  The buyers are obviously interested in the house and they can't get the insurance and the mortgage until the tiles are removed.  The issue is because all the ceilings are covered with the tiles.  If it was just one room, it wouldn't have been such an issue, but the whole house covered, makes it a liability, so I would think it will become an issue with the next buyer, so it needs to be sorted out.

If the tiles are removed leaving the ceilings in a mess - particularly if parts of the ceiling come down with the tiles - there's a risk a mortgage company would consider the house unmortgageable because it needs too much work to sell it again.

The wallpaper solution only works if the ceiling is reasonably flat before being papered.  Otherwise all the lumps and bumps will show through the paper.

The house is already unmortgable in a sense as the bank won't release the funds with the tiles there, so it's like "does the chicken or the egg come first" scenario!

It is potentially a lot of money to sort out but I can't see this problem going away.  Maybe get the house rewired, but that isn't cheap either.

Or wait for cash buyer, but the OP would have to sell it for less.

The point was that agreeing to remove the tiles won't necessarily make the sale go through. It could just give the mortgage company another reason to say 'no'.

I'd rather try selling a property (to a cash buyer or at auction) with in-situ polystyrene tiles than attempt to do the same with great lumps of the ceilings missing.

i think with all the ceilings covered in this stuff, the cash buyer will also see the same issue with the survey, so there is a risk that it will fall through again as it isn't a small issue.

if the OP doesn't have the money to remedy the issue, then yes, the best option is to go to auction, but that may mean she gets even less than the offer price now minus the remedial works.

Section62

AskAsk said:

Section62 said:

The point was that agreeing to remove the tiles won't necessarily make the sale go through. It could just give the mortgage company another reason to say 'no'.

I'd rather try selling a property (to a cash buyer or at auction) with in-situ polystyrene tiles than attempt to do the same with great lumps of the ceilings missing.

i think with all the ceilings covered in this stuff, the cash buyer will also see the same issue with the survey, so there is a risk that it will fall through again as it isn't a small issue.

if the OP doesn't have the money to remedy the issue, then yes, the best option is to go to auction, but that may mean she gets even less than the offer price now minus the remedial works.

On the contrary, if you accept the work needs to be done, pulling down the existing ceilings, boarding and then skimming is not a major job.  Messy yes, but relatively minor in the panoply of what could be wrong with a 'cash buyer' house.

If the property is appropriately marketed, any sensible 'cash buyer' who gets as far as making an offer will understand the scale of the work needed and be more than prepared to buy on that basis.

Getting the work done is not just a case of being able to pay for it.  It is messy and disruptive work, and not something you'd want to do whilst living in the property. Paking up all your stuff and having it in storage while the work is being done doesn't really make sense if you then unpack it all while you wait for a buyer and ultimately completion.  A cash buyer, almost by definition, would have the advantage of not necessarily needing to live in the property and being able to get the work done without the complication of storing 'stuff' elsewhere until the property is habitable again.

prowla

Take the tiles off, get the ceiling plastered.

Joliates1939

Have now been advised that the wiring is the original braided wiring from when the house was built in the 1930’s. So have decided to take it off the market and get it rewired, then see where we are.
Thanks everyone for all your comments I have found them helpful.
I hope to be able to update in due course.