WIBU to pull out if they don't agree?

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Short version - are these issues bad enough to withdraw from property purchase and collapse the chain. Or should this be expected when buying a house.

YABU - Even without a reduction, these issues are not that bad

YANBU - They definitely need to reduce the price a bit

Full version

We are trying to purchase our "forever home", have gone madly over budget on something that isn't perfect, but we are happy enough with. Survey has come back and the work that needs doing seems to be quite a lot. We want to renegotiate the price and based on repair costs for the most significant things, so not just decorate issues for example we want to go lower by about 12% (that's what I've worked it out as being) - estate agent (of course) is saying they won't agree but she doesn't have their actual answer yet. To complicate matters, they are overseas and we cannot reach vendors directly (currently trying via the solicitors instead though)

Basically, we are not quite sure the best way to approach this and how much of this the vendor thinks should have been priced in to our offer, bearing in mind we were unaware of 99% of the issues prior to the survey. The 1% is an issue we believe they should and could still deal with through their buildings insurance.

For context here are some of the issues:

•Repointing of brickwork to two chimney stacks
•Replace a number of missing, slipped and damaged roof tiles (particularly to the front and rear slopes). However, given their age it may be more economic to recover the whole roof rather than continuing to repair. This is our main issue - we want to replace not further patch up the roof. Lots of patchy repairs previously done apparently.
•Carry out crack repair to the front elevation.
•Replace some of the double-glazed units to the conservatory - showing damage
• Porch – replace several roof tiles, and carry out longer-term repair to the far right post which is damaged
•Install additional air bricks and replace damaged air bricks to the right side - doesn't have anywhere near enough. Those it has are damaged
•Reduce the height of the external ground level at the front (or install a French drain) - drain is right in front of doorstep and cut back the timber decking at the rear- to mitigate damp penetration
•Adjust five of the internal doors - almost all doors do not close at all within the house
•Rectify leak from the shower hose/replace shower in the family bathroom
•Hot water cylinder appears undersized/replacement needed
•Replace the waste pipe from the dishwasher and rectify leak from gulley surround
•Secure boarding to the timber decking and carry out timber repairs where required

YABU. All those things look like normal stuff that's to be expected in a house that needs a bit of work. Unless I was selling a house as newly refurbished, and priced accordingly, I'd tell you to stick your list, and I'd be quite worried if you suggested 12% off. From the way you've described the house, it sounds like that would be a considerable sum, and it would spook me a bit, like you're looking for excuses to gazunder. I'd probably be asking my estate agent to approach any other interested buyers, to see if they're still interested.

Ah sorry, just seen your other posts. It's good you're not going to 12% off. Tbh I'd be hesitant to ask for anything off at all, if the state of the roof was quite obvious, it will be priced in already.

Totally agree with this. I told a previous buyer to take a running jump for just this and sold to someone else the next day. These are old house wear and tear issues and do not devalue the house. If you want perfect buy a new house.

I’m pretty certain our survey came back with requirement for a new roof when we bought our house 19 years ago.

The roof is still there and we are just now getting eye watering quotes for a new roof! It will be done this year. I think most surveys highlight the roof as a possible issue.

We did negotiate about 3% of the asking price off for some electrical work and something else I have long forgotten but the market was very different then.

Wow....I would be halfway down the road running with that list of repairs. The fact non of the internal door will close suggest the house might be slipping....especially as its so many doors. Roofing the whole house is a huge expense....I know...we had to do an A barn in France three times before the roofers got it right. Broken airbricks? why are they broken?

A roof with numerous patches and broken tiles needing reroofing isnt a minor issue...its a fucking enormous issue....costs a small fortune and that is only one on the list of needs. I would give them a wide berth....find something that needs less money spending on it.

Just because you're madly over budget doesn't mean the house is overpriced.

👍🏻

You just can’t afford it.

The first house we brought had a survey report... If it's an old house is just part and parcel. 12% is being unreasonable!

There are a lot of purchasers looking for houses atm and not enough vendors. It's a sellers market and if you start trying to get chunks knocked off the price, you'll lose the house. Either you can afford it or you can't.

I would say any buyer who is purchasing a 1910 house should realise there would probably be work to do and all of these surveys do pick out what might be minor things . I would not knock too much off . They either want it or or they don’t . If it was really bad the mortgage would be refused .

With interest rates going up, gas going up, all commodities going up, watch out OP.

Personally I'd not go through with it because I think house prices are going to come down.

The market is going to come to a screeching halt before too long with everything that's taking place at the moment.

It always takes about 18 months for the housing market to get a dent after the international markets have wobbled. And wobbled they have. Nasdaq down 25% year to date.

‘Madly over budget on a house you’re happy enough’ with ! Doesn’t smack of forever home to me . It sounds as tho’ it’s an older house which means you have a lifetime of upkeep and repairs.
I think, unfortunately for the chain, that you need to pull out and start your search again.
p.s. Most of your list was unreasonable.

Correct. With the house we live in now, the full survey came back littered with 'red' and my partner was all for pulling out. We got a friend's husband - a structural engineer - to go round and he said most of it was nonsense (including the claim that the garage was made of asbestos; it is not).

I'm looking to buy my first house and everything you mentioned are things I would half expect! Most that I've looked at have a chimney and have the issues you mentioned. A survey I've looked at says mismatching internal door handles! 😂

I have a list as long as my arm about things I'd be wanting/needing to do in the house I'm viewing this week and this is the one I'm most keen on.

I do think you're being unreasonable and it's maybe not the house for you.

Every surveyor likes to point out flaws with any roof other than new builds (and even then...). It could be major and it could not. Given that the survey isn't necessarily recommending an entire new roof I'd tend to go with the latter, but what the buyer should really do is to pay for a specialist or even a structural survey (and not get a roofer out who will benefit from saying it needs replaced). The surveyor here is probably trying to cover themselves against any possible claims of negligence because its an older property.

I'd pay some attention to what isn't mentioned. Theres no dry or wet rot, no mention of woodworm or subsidence. No mention of damp, just mitigation against future damp. Presumably the damp proof course is good or whatever substitutes for it. I mean there might be damp and subsidence but unless the survey specifically mentions them, it won't affect the morgageability and therefore the price. The roof seems to have been regularly repaired in the past and not to be causing any dampness issues - honestly, who cares if the repairs are visible and therefore "patchy" as long as they are done well?

The comment about reducing the height externally of the front ground floor level and cutting back decking to mitigate against damp is a good one, but its a suggestion, not a must have. Its something you might choose to do at your leisure. The double glazing replacement doesn't sound urgent, anything to a porch is minor as they often not built to the same standard as the rest of the house. The internal doors can be easily adjusted. The comment about the not water cylinder is just because it doesn't meet the latest standards for new properties, there is not anything necessarily wrong with it.

Erm you’re bonkers - this isn’t how house buying works love- 12%😂

The OP was asking for advice ,I'm judging some posters as being very judgemental .

Not everyone is experienced in house buying and the PIL do sound to be giving the wrong advice .

The roof -the OP has quoted the report ,these bits stand out to me

With careful maintenance and repairs, the roof coverings should be OK for another 20+ years,

Whilst there were no signs of any water ingress at the time of inspection, we did note some daylight towards the rear slope (due to slipped/ missing tiles).

This is incredibly positive .To find such sentences in a survey is incredible .You can get a feel for the usual doom laden/covering themselves survey speak from this
appropriate access equipment (for example scaffolding, hydraulic platforms, etc.).
Of course adequate access is needed to attend to the tiles ,some of which are missing - 25 No. slipped, missing cracked and/or spalled.
Hydraulic platforms -really ? Multiple ones at that .
Scaffolding -wow .You might even only need a scaffolding tower .
And the mysterious etc ..mmm ,lets think ,buckets ,ladders .The list is endless .

OP, can I make a slightly different point? All houses are money pits, and this one might be a subsiding money pit. You admit that you are over-extending with the mortgage to buy somewhere that is presumably bigger than where you are now and it sounds as though you can't afford the repairs you think are needed unless you get the seller to fund them.

Do you and your husband have a plan that gives you confidence that this house will still be affordable for you when interest rates make mortgage rates rise, when you're paying more for energy than you are now and that price is likely to rise and rise again in the next year, for the additional costs of building materials which are at a high right now, etc etc?

DO NOT let your in-laws, who have probably traded up in very different financial contexts if they're anything like my PILs, persuade you to do something rash here, because it could all go very wrong.

Most of what you list would come under "sold as seen" in my book, particularly if it's a period property.

You need to factor in the age and wear of a property when you offer.

It sounds like you are not a very experienced home owner, and are being unreasonable to think that any of the items listed should be repaired at the cost of the vendor.

Most of the items you mention can be carried out by a competent DIY'ER, and at a very low cost!

As others have suggested, perhaps you would feel more confident with a new build with all the associated guarantees etc. And there is absolutely no reason for you to see this as a negative!

You’ve already said that you knew about 99% of these before you agreed a price!
our buyers tried to drop us 10%, this was for some external pointing, a foggy window and removal of a fitted wardrobe. 🤣
We advised estate agent to put it back in the market and lo and behold, they found the faults acceptable and paid up.
try it on if you like but I think they’ll tell you to bugger off.

Surveyors tend to cover their backsides, and list every minor little thing which might cause a problem in future, or isn’t quite up to modern standards. Even if the house have been standing for 100 years and they have never caused an issue before.

No seller is going to give you 12% off just to do all the jobs on the surveyor’s wish list. In fact if you ask many sellers would see you as a cheeky and fussy buyer who wasn’t worth the hassle of dealing with, and pull out themselves.

We once had someone expecting us to knock £20k off the price, at the time it was about 8%, because she wanted to build a conservatory!

You do sound naive.

The place sounds like a money pit and you'll have regrets.

I'd look for something else.

Exactly this. Go and buy yourself a new build. You want something absolutely perfect - buy a new build.

Any older property is going to have a number of things pop up on survey. None of what you’ve mentioned sounds like the end of the world. A few tiles are wrong so this apparently necessitates a whole new roof? Do me a favour!

Any survey will highlight faults of some description. Most are just part and parcel of buying an older house. If you asked me for a 12% reduction I’d tell you to foxtrot oscar and it’d be back on the market.