Level 2 Survey - 20y old house

LuckyCharms114

Hi, I've recently had a Level 2 Homebuyers Report done along the valuation from the bank. The house was built in 2004 so relatively new. There was no obvious faults with it. The surveyor had picked up on very minor cracks below DPC in 2 spots and also a very minor crack that appears to be between the conservatory and the house. 
There were also some higher damp readings - one from the conservatory and another from around the window. The seals around some windows were highlighted as poor and they picked up on very small dot of mould at the corner of the window.
Based on the above, the surveyor said they weren't able to value the house and they would require specialist structural surveyor or chartered building surveyors report + timber damp specialist report.

Now, I'm not sure if those are really anything to worry about. The cracks are so small, I would have though that they'd measure them and if they're below 1-2mm widths they should be classed as shirkage/cosmetics? 

As for damp, there really doesn't seem to be any issues with damp in the house. Would you go for a damp survey? Has anyone done one in similar age property? As it is a newer property, it has DPC installed. 

I'm considering just going for a different bank and doing a basic valuation.

Any advice would be appreciated.

FreeBear

LuckyCharms114 said: There were also some higher damp readings - one from the conservatory and another from around the window. The seals around some windows were highlighted as poor and they picked up on very small dot of mould at the corner of the window.

As for damp, there really doesn't seem to be any issues with damp in the house. Would you go for a damp survey? Has anyone done one in similar age property? As it is a newer property, it has DPC installed.

I have new windows fitted here. Got a spot of mould developing on one window. It is purely down to condensation. Ventilation and heat, particularly during the winter months, will keep it in check.

Conservatories, with large amounts of glass, will always suffer from condensation in winter. Run a dehumidifier out there if it becomes a problem.

Albermarle

and also a very minor crack that appears to be between the conservatory and the house. 

This would be a worry if it got bigger, but a small movement of a conservatory away from the main wall of the house is not a major issue in my opinion anyway.

The surveyor does seem to have been a bit overcautious generally. 

stuart45

LuckyCharms114 said:

Now, I'm not sure if those are really anything to worry about. The cracks are so small, I would have though that they'd measure them and if they're below 1-2mm widths they should be classed as shirkage/cosmetics? 

It depends on what's causing them. Thermal cracks are normally found above DPC, rather than below. Cracking below DPC can be the start of foundation issues. Even if it's only a minor crack, it could develop into a larger one. 
It's unusual for modern houses to have foundation problems, but it does occasionally happen.

user1977

LuckyCharms114 said:

Based on the above, the surveyor said they weren't able to value the house 

This sounds like nonsense, at most they might add a caveat that the valuation assumes the specialist reports don't disclose anything significant.

MeteredOut

LuckyCharms114 said:

Based on the above, the surveyor said they weren't able to value the house 

Assuming you paid for the survey, tell them that, based on the survey having no valuation, you aren't able to pay the bill

Seriously though, you're paying them for a service. Does the contract say they'll produce a valuation?

LuckyCharms114

stuart45 said:

LuckyCharms114 said:

Now, I'm not sure if those are really anything to worry about. The cracks are so small, I would have though that they'd measure them and if they're below 1-2mm widths they should be classed as shirkage/cosmetics? 

It depends on what's causing them. Thermal cracks are normally found above DPC, rather than below. Cracking below DPC can be the start of foundation issues. Even if it's only a minor crack, it could develop into a larger one. 
It's unusual for modern houses to have foundation problems, but it does occasionally happen.

The current owners bought the property 4 years ago and also had a survey done, their survey doesn't mention any cracking - now I'm not sure if thats because the cracks were not there at the time of if this is because the surveyor hasn't picked up on it 🤷🏼‍♀️ it'd be far more worrying if the cracks were not there and only appeared withing the last 4 years 

LuckyCharms114

MeteredOut said:

LuckyCharms114 said:

Based on the above, the surveyor said they weren't able to value the house 

Assuming you paid for the survey, tell them that, based on the survey having no valuation, you aren't able to pay the bill

Seriously though, you're paying them for a service. Does the contract say they'll produce a valuation?

It was paid upfront through the bank. Apologies, the house has been valued - as £0 lol pending further reports 🙈

stuart45

They could be minor differential settlement cracks. The thing to remember is that large, serious cracks started off as minor cracks.
If you seriously want the house, it might be worth getting an expert's view on them. The chances are that they are minor cracks in a property of that age, but that's not 100% cast in stone.

Tracet74

What elements in the Level 2 have a Condition Rating 3 as this should indicate why you need an additional report.  If not, you should ask for what specifically they want covered in an additional report. 

Please remember that the surveyor is employed by you as much as the bank, i.e. the Level 2 is for your benefit only.

LuckyCharms114

stuart45 said:

They could be minor differential settlement cracks. The thing to remember is that large, serious cracks started off as minor cracks.
If you seriously want the house, it might be worth getting an expert's view on them. The chances are that they are minor cracks in a property of that age, but that's not 100% cast in stone.

I've had a chartered structural engineer from my company look at the house, he said there's nothing there that he would be concerned about 🤷🏼‍♀️ no detailed examination though etc, just having a look at the property inside and out and neighbouring properties, which were obviously built at the same time