Buying house affected by burst pipes

mgabriel

Hi,

I had an offer accepted (asking price) on a house that would be almost perfect for me, good location, decent size, etc.
This house is chain free and it has been completely refurbished (to a cheap standard of course).

During the viewing I was made aware that there was a leak in the loft and that's the reason for refurbishing.
The walls are dry, however there is a long hairline crack on one wall.

The vendor sent me a building regulation certificate from local council related to "Reinstatement works following escape of water", certificate regarding a new boiler installation and EICR certificate related to rewiring to lighting circuits.

After reading on this forum and other sources I started to feel that I am about to do a big mistake, as I can't be sure how big the damage was and how the work to fix it has been done.
I suppose that a L3 survey won't be any help, as the surveyor can't check behind wall plaster and the new floor.

Any advice on how should I proceed (pull out is an option as I didn't spend anything yet)?

Thanks!

FreeBear

If the leak had been ongoing for a long while, i would be concerned about rotting timbers. But a short term leak from (say) a burst pipe wouldn't be a concern. Given time, the walls & timbers would dry out, and aside from some staining & possibly cracks in plaster, there wouldn't be any long term damage.

Albermarle

Family member recently looked at a similar house.
Hot water tank had leaked quite recently and a couple of walls had obvious staining and a couple of small cracks.
Nobody thought it was of any great consequence, in fact there was a positive in a new hot water tank!

mgabriel

Unfortunately I don't consider a water leak a positive in any situation.
In my case a full refurbish is generating concerns and not enjoyment, as I can't be sure that the work has been done correctly.

While I was provided with a building control certificate by the council regarding the leak, the document doesn't say much at all, and doesn't mention what has been certified.
It basically says that reinstatement works following water leak is according to the standards, but nothing about what the work was.
I searched the application no on the council's website and again, no details.

I suppose that building control has been involved due to how bad the leak was and the damage created?

I asked for details and a damage report from the vendor but nothing has been provided yet.