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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is dodgy and not put in an offer?

26 replies

PineappleAndGrapefruitLilt · 08/10/2025 11:07

DH and I viewed a house recently which ticks so many boxes but we're doubtful about putting in an offer. We're in Scotland where the homeowner purchases their own home report, which is then shared with prospective buyers. When we viewed the kitchen it looked like it had been extended into another room of the house as it was quite big. DH asked the homeowner, who was doing the viewing, if that was the case as it wasn't mentioned in the HR that it had been done, she told us it was extended into the former dining room and was already like this when she moved in 8 years ago.

After the viewing DH commented that it looked like the kitchen ceiling was slightly bowing in the middle, I never noticed this myself though. Above the kitchen is a bedroom and bathroom and DH said it looked like when the original wall was removed between the kitchen and dining room they didn't put up a support beam and that's why the kitchen ceiling is slightly sagging. But should this not have been mentioned in the HR that a supporting wall had been removed?

When we went back to our solicitor he recommended a more detailed structural survey but when this was requested, the homeowner refused this being carried out. While this house meets a lot of our needs, we think it might be a mistake to buy it. What if there's other hidden things or a lot of damage caused by this missing support? Or are we being overly dramatic? My DB thinks we are especially as the house looks good on paper.

OP posts:
Tamfs · 08/10/2025 11:20

The fact the homeowner refused a more detailed survey would be enough for me to walk away. Unless it's an absolute bargain and you could factor in putting in a new support.

TheSwarm · 08/10/2025 11:22

Absolutely walk away.

Basic home reports are not worth the paper they are written on. If you can't get a full structural survey then I would not touch this with a barge pole.

JacquesHarlow · 08/10/2025 11:25

If you can't get this surveyed, then walk away. You wouldn't buy a car with a large dent on the engine bay and not have it reviewed by a mechanic.

Take all the emotion out the desirability of the house, and see this for what it is - a risky purchase that 100% needs scrutiny before going ahead.

xILikeJamx · 08/10/2025 11:29

YABU for thinking that the home report would mention this - it wouldn't.

YANBU for walking away if you think that's best. Always trust your gut. However you should press for a survey and potentially make an offer contingent on it being completed and the outcome satisfactory.

You could also try and find a friendly builder and show them photos and see what it might cost to put a support in place. Have a think about it - if it was like £5k and a week of disruption to put a support beam in after buying the property would you say it was worth it?

OrigamiOwls · 08/10/2025 11:29

If they are refusing a more detailed survey that's a huge red flag. I wouldn't touch this with a bargepole. There is something a miss with that house and the seller knows it.

DiscoBob · 08/10/2025 11:32

Refusal of the survey screams dodgy in the extreme. The defect your DH thinks he clocked would be absolutely disastrous and not worth the risk.

ChickpeaCauliflowerSalad · 08/10/2025 11:44

Dud they say why they refused a full survey?

if they were worried about potential damage and it causing them to have to get work done to sell it, the. I'd put in an offer depending on the outcome of the survey (presuming you can do that in Scotland).

Homephonea · 08/10/2025 11:59

If there isn’t the necessary certification on hand to prove the council signed off the extension met building regulations surely you won’t get a mortgage on it.

jeaux90 · 08/10/2025 12:02

Hmmm depends how old it is. We just bought a grade 2 house with some sagging which is normal for its age BUT it’s odd that they refused the survey. If you love it I’d get some second opinions on costs of a steel if that is the issue and put the offer in accordingly. But we are really handy so this wouldn’t put me off necessarily

fancytoes · 08/10/2025 12:04

I’d go back for a second viewing but take a builder with you. Depends if you trust your husband’s eye enough. Could just be rubbish ceiling rather than the floor sagging. And it is that much, you’d see evidence above (I don’t know that, just guessing?)

MaggieFS · 08/10/2025 13:02

The thing is, if I was a home owner and thought my home was fine, I would probably also resent & refuse the full structural if I had to pay for it. But as a potential buyer, I can see why it screams red flag. I’d certainly go back and have another look as a starting point.

LoveWine123 · 08/10/2025 13:25

MaggieFS · 08/10/2025 13:02

The thing is, if I was a home owner and thought my home was fine, I would probably also resent & refuse the full structural if I had to pay for it. But as a potential buyer, I can see why it screams red flag. I’d certainly go back and have another look as a starting point.

But if you have a visibly sagging ceiling why would you think your home was fine vs you have a structural issue going on? Ceilings don’t sag for no reason.

LooseCanyon · 08/10/2025 13:30

Homephonea · 08/10/2025 11:59

If there isn’t the necessary certification on hand to prove the council signed off the extension met building regulations surely you won’t get a mortgage on it.

It's not an extension, it's a knock-through. Which is why there needs to be proper support.

All very dodgy. You don't know what else might be found in a proper survey!

OrigamiOwls · 08/10/2025 13:33

MaggieFS · 08/10/2025 13:02

The thing is, if I was a home owner and thought my home was fine, I would probably also resent & refuse the full structural if I had to pay for it. But as a potential buyer, I can see why it screams red flag. I’d certainly go back and have another look as a starting point.

But if you had a visible sagging ceiling would you think your home was fine?

Karatema · 08/10/2025 16:26

🚩 If the vendor is not trying to hide something then another survey wouldn’t be a problem.
My DS bought in Scotland and the survey did list all the problems, it needed quite a bit of work doing, however, the vendor was candid and pointed out a few things that weren’t mentioned which they thought might be important.
My DS bought and some of the things mentioned weren’t as bad as the survey suggested.
A bowed ceiling is not “nothing”!

Theif · 08/10/2025 16:34

Refused to grant access for a survey or refuse to pay to have the survey you wanted done?

TheDenimPoet · 08/10/2025 16:45

OrigamiOwls · 08/10/2025 11:29

If they are refusing a more detailed survey that's a huge red flag. I wouldn't touch this with a bargepole. There is something a miss with that house and the seller knows it.

Yeah, exactly. There are lots of houses out there, find out that won't cause you problems!

Tiredofwhataboutery · 08/10/2025 16:46

Theif · 08/10/2025 16:34

Refused to grant access for a survey or refuse to pay to have the survey you wanted done?

I always thought buyers paid for surveys beyond home buyers report tbh do an curious too.

Original poster
PineappleAndGrapefruitLilt · 08/10/2025 16:56

Thanks everyone for your replies, we have a reliable builder we've been using for years so I've messaged him to ask his opinion. The vendor never gave a reason for refusing access to carry out the structural survey but they don't pay for it, we do, so its not to do with survey fees. The house is about 40 years old btw.

OP posts:
KoalaKoKo · 08/10/2025 16:59

My mum had a bathroom that was not properly supported above a kitchen and had to pay a few grand for a metal beam to be retrospectively fitted to support the bathroom. I would personally be worried if renovations were done in a half hazard manner what else you will find. In my mum’s case she spent more than she paid for the house in the years that followed paying for badly fitted things to be refitted - wiring, pipes leaking under floors etc... A house can become a sinkhole for money if it wasn’t built well. Her house was about 25 years old when bought but a lot of corners were cut in construction.

Theif · 08/10/2025 17:08

Best guess would be that surveys always throw up something. If you decided not to progress then they would have to declare that to another potential buyer. They might have other interested parties and your not worth the risk.

Didimum · 08/10/2025 17:50

If full structural surveys are the done thing in Scotland then fair enough.

But I don’t think you necessarily need a structural survey to know if the wall above needs supporting. You can usually tell by which way the ceiling joists are running.

I also don’t think a structural survey can give you full answers, as full answers involve investigations which are likely invasive to the home - lifting flooring and such.

Your DH thinks the ceiling is bowing. Is it actually?

Original poster
PineappleAndGrapefruitLilt · 08/10/2025 19:22

Didimum · 08/10/2025 17:50

If full structural surveys are the done thing in Scotland then fair enough.

But I don’t think you necessarily need a structural survey to know if the wall above needs supporting. You can usually tell by which way the ceiling joists are running.

I also don’t think a structural survey can give you full answers, as full answers involve investigations which are likely invasive to the home - lifting flooring and such.

Your DH thinks the ceiling is bowing. Is it actually?

Well we don't know the answer to that, seeing as the vendor won't allow us to carry out a more detailed survey.

My builder replied to say he's worked on the same style of house as this one and due to the way the joists run, the wall below was definitely a supporting one and there should be some kind of support beam in there if it's been removed.

I don't think we'll be touching this one, who knows what other issues are hidden.

OP posts:
Jc2001 · 08/10/2025 20:59

Didimum · 08/10/2025 17:50

If full structural surveys are the done thing in Scotland then fair enough.

But I don’t think you necessarily need a structural survey to know if the wall above needs supporting. You can usually tell by which way the ceiling joists are running.

I also don’t think a structural survey can give you full answers, as full answers involve investigations which are likely invasive to the home - lifting flooring and such.

Your DH thinks the ceiling is bowing. Is it actually?

The fact that they are refusing a full survey along with the fact the ceiling 'looks' like it's sagging would be more than enough for me to walk away.

There is no reason for the vendor to refuse a survey unless they're trying to hide something, and buyers don't do surveys unless their serious about buying, so it's not like everyone would be asking for one.

OP. Have a look on Zoopla and see if you can see any historical photos from previous sales. If they moved 8 years ago you may be able to see what it was like before they moved in.

Didimum · 08/10/2025 21:18

Jc2001 · 08/10/2025 20:59

The fact that they are refusing a full survey along with the fact the ceiling 'looks' like it's sagging would be more than enough for me to walk away.

There is no reason for the vendor to refuse a survey unless they're trying to hide something, and buyers don't do surveys unless their serious about buying, so it's not like everyone would be asking for one.

OP. Have a look on Zoopla and see if you can see any historical photos from previous sales. If they moved 8 years ago you may be able to see what it was like before they moved in.

Edited
Show quote history

I didn’t say she shouldn’t walk away, they are questions based on assumptions. She said the house is otherwise ideal, so the questions can be worth exploring.

As other posters have said, if a vendor has plenty of other interest, they will often refuse more scaled up surveys because they can be a headache.