SURVEY or Not ?

Snooze

Doozergirl wrote: »

A full structural survey?

Why not just get a structural engineer look at it?

Realistically, how much is going to be wrong that you need a full list? Is it without a damp proof course? Are the electrics/plumbing outdated? Is the roof past it's sell by date? Is the garage made from asbestos? Does the bedroom in the loft fail building regs? Rotten joists? Chimney blocked up and not ventilated? Inadequately insulated? These things just don't apply to new build.

You just want to know the thing is going to stay standing and to watch out for any dodgy DIY. What's the surveyor looking for? Cracks? Go and look for cracks. If you see any on the outside, then run.

Agreed. Standard survey's (circa £500) are a complete waste of time. All it involves is a bloke coming round looking at things you can clearly see for yourself and tell you things like "wiring may be in need of replacement", "roof may be in need of replacement" etc.

They don't do/tell you anything that you can't do/see for yourself and even if they were a tenth of the price they are they still wouldn't be worth the money. :rolleyes:

Rob

Doozergirl

Trollfever wrote: »

A lifestyle choice.

Would you buy a second hand car without independamt advice?

Would you buy a low mileage, second hand car, still with most of it's manufacturer's warranty to run, without independent advice? Or would you perhaps just run an HPI check on it?

Bungarm2001

Trollfever wrote: »

A lifestyle choice.

Would you buy a second hand car without independamt advice?

Short answer to that is yes mate :beer:

magnabill

Many thanks to all who took the time to reply to my dilemma. I think I will do without the survey and rely on the 8 years of remaining NHBC guarantee and a good look over the building. A few years ago I would have gone for a survey without any quibble and I did indeed pay for a survey some years ago that was, on refelction, nothing short of a waste of money 'the windows require attention' etc. Somehow I just seem to reckon that 'professionals' are having me over.

Cheers.

smileypigface

I'm in the process of buying a 3 year old house. It's a work relocation so my employer foots the bill for a full survey - I'm glad we had it done - a conservatory was added when the house was built - the survey found the join between the conservatory and the house hadn't been 'bedded' in properly and also the overflow pipe from the pressurised hot water tank now discharges directly into the conservatory which contravenes building regs.

Not huge issues but I wouldn't have known - and my mortgage valuation survey didn't pick up on these points - the sellers have rectified both issues prior to exchange of contracts. Neither thing was costly to fix but I'd rather not have the hassle of getting them sorted once I'd moved in - and I wouldn't have spotted either issue until water seeped in around the join and/or the hot tank overflowed sending a gush of potentially scalding hot water into the conservatory.

So I would say - yes! Easy for me to say as I wasn't paying

Snooze

smileypigface wrote: »

and my mortgage valuation survey didn't pick up on these points

They wouldn't do! All the mortgage valuation "survey" entails is a bloke from the mortgage company driving past your house in his car and having a quick glance at the external condition to make sure it isn't about to fall down.

Rob

daveyjp

If anyone saw New Homes from Hell a couple of weeks ago they would quickly realise that any guarantee on a new build home is not worth anything.

Four year old flats suffering severe problems due to ground heave. Three year investigation, builder stalling and still no resolution.

A colleague in a flat conversion - 6 years on over a dispute with the construction (can you hear your neighbour going to the toilet?) and Zurich still haven't responded to his letter of October 2007 despite him calling on a monthly basis.

Bottom line is if the problem is too difficult guarantors don't want to know.

smileypigface

Snooze wrote: »

They wouldn't do! All the mortgage valuation "survey" entails is a bloke from the mortgage company driving past your house in his car and having a quick glance at the external condition to make sure it isn't about to fall down.

Rob

Yes, my point exactly - the mortgage valuation survey didn't/wouldn't pick up on these points which is why, in my experience, it is well worth having a full survey even if the property is still within it's NHBC guarantee period.

Oh, and the Halifax valuation surveyor didn't just drive by - there was a little more than that involved.

nelly_2

Pathetic isnt it!

The hips thing originally would have sorted this problem out.

But as with everything this labour government do HIPS have no real value what so ever

They are the same as them stickers on a new fridge and equally no one looks at them too

Fridge - Is it big enough do I like the colour...whats that sticker for?

House - is it big enough do I like the price....whats that sticker for?

But Like everything this government do It did acheive one thing .....It has cost a lot of people a lot of money for no real gain

Labour - things can only get better!

MY @rse

Labour - things have only got more expensive! more like