Should seller contribute to additional surveys?

[Brian9600]

We’re in the process of buying a house and have just had the survey back. The house dates from around 1700 so we were expecting some issues but unfortunately it has two very serious issues- there was apparently a botched renovation in the 90s during which the wrong sort of render was applied. As a result damp has become trapped in the timber frame which may have damaged it. The render needs removing and replacing. The septic tank also needs replacement and may need relocating.

Our surveyor has told us not to proceed without specialist reports on the render and drainage.

We will need to agree an adjustment to the price to take account of all this work- don’t yet know how much but substantial.

Haven’t spoken to the agent yet as the survey only arrived today. We really like the house so would ideally like to proceed but we do need to get to the bottom of these issues and adjust the price.

The specialist reports will cost a few thousand. Would you expect the seller to contribute To this cost at all? I’m worried that we might pay for the reports and then find the seller won’t move on the price, in which case the money spent on the reports will be wasted.

Obviously a lot comes down to how keen they are to sell v how keen we are to buy. The house has been on the market for a while and they do want to sell, plus these issues would come up again with another buyer. We’re not in a chain and could just walk away, but we do really like the house so would prefer not to.

Has anyone been in the situation? What do you think is reasonable?

I'd walk away anyway as it sounds a whole lot of problems.

Thing is - and I say this as the owner of a 400 year old house - if you’re stretched to the limit before you start, buying an old house isn’t for you. Old houses are an expensive hobby. As soon as one thing’s fixed, something else raises its head. You always need money set aside for the next thing. If you really want a very old house, find one with an asking price that’s well under budget.

As a seller I would not consider covering the cost of this.
Having said that, we don't know how desperate they are to sell!
If you are thinking you'd walk away otherwise , there's nothing lost by putting it to them or negotiating on price.
But be expecting a refusal.

I would not bother with the surveys.
I would get a worst case scenario uote for both jobs and submit a revised offer.

Don't expect them to accept it though.

Then leave it.

If they really wish to sell, they would be wise to get the report, adjust their price, to sell.
Otherwise this is going to keep happening.

I'd walk.
Not worth it.

I think you’ve dodged a bullet here. Have you ever lived in an old house, with their draughts and huge heating bills? I would be concerned about what else might come up when they take the render off, and also other bodged issues you can’t currently see.

Just to throw my hat in the ring.. we were in the process of buying somewhere and the survey came back recommending a full building survey and asbestos survey. Our sellers paid for it after we asked. The results were poor and we actually pulled out. The sellers took the house off the market, did the work and then put it back on.

@taxiformum

Just to throw my hat in the ring.. we were in the process of buying somewhere and the survey came back recommending a full building survey and asbestos survey. Our sellers paid for it after we asked. The results were poor and we actually pulled out. The sellers took the house off the market, did the work and then put it back on.

How lucky you were to find those vendors. Mugs like that are a very rare breed.

Walk. Away. Quickly.

You don't sound prepared for this sort of project (which should have been obvious at your first viewing) A house of that age is ALWAYS going to need extra surveys.

I have just sold a house that was 1800's. We had a buyer who wanted to complete every survey under the sun and asked us for a contribution - we had 6 offers above asking price on the property so said no. The surveys they wanted to do as a buyer I would never do - electrical survey - to see if they needed updating - looking at them you knew this was a yes most of the sockets were from the 60/70s! As a buyer I would save the money and invest it in the electrics!

As others have said why would I pay for something to help you reduce the price.

I take it that what you received was your surveyors written report.

If so you might try phoning him. IME surveyors will sometimes be far more forthcoming in a verbal chat off the record.

In rural areas, the local surveyors often have decades of knowledge of local properties and their history; which ones are bottomless money pits/ a millstone round the owners neck etc. Stuff they would never put in writing.

@alsohuman It was the first time I've experienced this and our mortgage advisor told us not to pay for the extra surveys on the house. We asked the estate agent to ask the seller and they all agreed. I didn't realise it was such a big deal at the time or that they were mugs

I think you should walk away from this one.

The survey is something the buyer should budget for, not the seller. If you're buying a house from the 1700s then you should of expected to spend a significant amount of cash on specialist surveys anyway (though the house in your OP sounds a nightmare and I'd walk away).

When we sold our last house, the buyers tried to get us to pay £1000 towards a second survey - we politely told them no (but privately were really pissed off that they were so cheeky).

No seller could agree to what you are asking. I also think that your expectations of really old houses might be unrealistic. They always have issues and they were never built to modern standards. If it is still standing, it probably won't fall down any time soon. Currently sat in a house built in 1760, lots of minor damp, but just stunningly beautiful. Believe me, old houses are a very expensive labour of love. Unless you love it and want a hobby, don't buy it.

I suspect we’d need to walk away even with a 50-50 split as the additional cost is likely to be really substantial

In that case I'd probably just walk now - after all you could easily spend yet more on surveys only to find the vendors won't shift at all

They're probably banking on a buyer coming along who won't have a full survey done, but they could be waiting a long time

Can't comment on the render - you would have to take a view on asking for a reduced price on that, but the septic tank is absolutely the seller's responsibility to be compliant - look at the new general binding rules. How you get there is another matter (I would always recommend a specialist drainage survey) but if the sellers won't comply with making their tank legal you would have a good shot at asking for a reduced price on that front.

Dh is a builder and has frequently told me about various "elderly" houses that he has worked in.
Unless you have plenty of cash to spare I would suggest you pull out now, they are beautiful impractical money pits, once you start taking down render etc you never know what you will find.
My younger sister bought an old coaching in from the 1700's it had been reasonably well maintained but after they had been there a few months they discovered the death watch beetle, when the plaster was taken off a peculiar fungus was found and so it went on.......

Just to throw in my two pennies worth -

We were buying our first house last year and offered full price. Survey indicated serious roof issues and they revised value of the house to reflect this, knocking 5% off the price. We - and seller, reluctantly - felt this was fair. Seller dragged their feet so long that our survey was nearing the expiration date of six months and we had been told by estate agents we were the second couple this had happened with.
We reasoned that we were continuing to pay rent and hadn't haggled over the price at all theoughout rhe process, but that if she wanted us to buy she should knock 500 off the cost of the house to show us she was serious. She only stood to lose money if the sale went through, and nothing if she changed her mind.

She refused and we pulled out. The house has had 2 more failed sales since. It depends on circumstances and in your circumstances I dont think it would be appropriate, but I felt in our circumstances it was.

I guess you can ask and they might agree if it’s going to be something that keeps coming up but if it were me I’d walk away unless you’re made of money.

Read the small print of any survey. There are likely to be significant exclusions

Absolutely agree about getting quotes to remedy rather than more surveys.

And if you don't already have substantial reserves, now is the time to walk away.

If the surveyor recommends a damp and timber survey you may find the mortgage lender withdraws or amends their valuation right down (have had this in a clients case and ultimately the sale didn’t go through as the amount of work needed made the property unmortgageable)