Renegotiating after survey

[Levantine]

So we have finally found a house, it needs work doing on it, we are paying cash and need to be in by the end of March or go into rented

It is chain free, owned by a company who bought it from an old lady in some sort of part exchange deal, so should be possible

We got the survey back today thoug and it needs loads more doing than we had realised -
new boiler (we knew about), new radiators, new gutters, some part of the roof replacing, other parts repaired, flat roof on the extension replacing. Possible re-wiring and there is a little bit of damp, probably due to an overflowing gutter, but the surveyor says it needs checking out in case it indicates a faulty damp proof course

However, the surveyor valued it at exactly what we paid for it, despite it needing far more extensive work than the EA had indicated and than we had thought

How should we go about negotiating here? We would walk away I think if we can't get any money off, it is a head not a heart house, but it is a great street on the doorstep of a very very popular school and there will be a queue of other people wanting to buy it

I'm not trying to be harsh with the OP but it seems to me that the OP is coming over as though they are somehow entitled to money off because the house needs work.
And that's not how things work. Fair enough if the house wouldn't sell then the market would push the price down - but that isn't the case, the house has sold - to you! You thought it was a fair price - your surveyor thinks it's a fair price (even with all the problems) so there you are you're getting the house at a fair price.
bemybebe - I never said the surveyor determines the market value or price - the OP has already determined the market value and offered it - the surveyor has agreed that the OP's offer reflects a fair valuation of the property. In this situation the OP and the vendor constitute "the market". They've agreed on a price/valuation and the surveyor has confirmed, that even with work needed, the price agreed represents a fair valuation for the purchaser.

greentown I don't really understand why you feel so strongly about this

Levantine - it worries me when people say things like "everyone thought it was well maintained". More than anything housebuying is not a team sport. Everyone is out to make a few quid and all of it at the expense of the buyer and the vendor.
Estate agents don't care what condition the property is in or who buys it - it doesn't affect how much commission they earn - they're not your mate and they're not the seller's mate. They work entirely out of self-interest and will happily shaft a vendor to get a quick sale and move on to the next one.
Surveyors are not your mates - their main objective is to avoid being sued - so almost all surveys will be negative - then you can't say you weren't warned. It doesn't matter to them whether you buy the house or not - they still get paid either way.
Builders are not your mates and they will never say a property doesn't need work.
You're on your own in housebuying and you can only operate by your own ethical guidelines. Personally, from what you've said, I don't think you're entitled to expect more money off on this property (I'm assuming you didn't offer the asking price anyway) - because the surveyor has upheld your valuation.
You're buying from a commercial business so if you want more money off, ask for it. They can only say no. They know the game and will undoubtedly get one over you if they can.
If you were buying direct from the original 'sweet old lady' - from what you've told us - I would consider that you were trying to shaft her - if you persisted in wanting more money off.
But that's life - we all have to work to our own moral compasses.

It is interesting that you have a ceiling price for houses on that road Levantine. You are paying cash and in a hurry - so you have both those factors strongly on your side. If you can demonstrate that doing all the works required to bring the house up to date will go over that ceiling then I would hope the vendors will be prepared to negotiate (via their agent) with you. The EA will want to keep the chain together, they work for the vendor but unless they have another cash buyer lined up immediately behind you, then it is in their best interests to make the sale go through.

Discovering problems through a survey so negotiating a revised offer is completely normal. The vendor may be unaware of or have turned a blind eye to these problems. You haven't met the former owner, so have had no opportunity to form a view on whether she maintained the house or seems trustworthy.

The house is only worth what someone is willing to pay. It may be that someone else will pay the asking price, that's fine, up to them. You need to decide what you are willing to pay based on the best information available.

I'd strongly urge getting quotes for the bigger bits of work, especially the roof, electrical installation and damp, which the surveyor won't have seen fully. Surveyors are trying to cover themselves but they do this in their T+Cs too, where they are clear about what they don't look at. Roof and other problems can turn out to be bigger and more urgent than anyone knew, as we have discovered at great cost.

Incidentally, ours was an odd example, yours is likely to be more straightforward but many of the builder / roofers I asked to quote either gave a very superficial quote with a 'then depending on what we find' or wouldn't quote at all because it was clearly a tricky job and they didn't want it. Only a few had a proper look and gave a meaningful quote - major repairs / re-roofing - which turned out to be right. So, don't assume that all tradespeople are trying to create work or exaggerating.

So, I think the course of action you proposed upthread is completely reasonable and wish you luck!

Thanks bibbity, the estate agent has been helpful, and the email that we sent was uber reasonable, so we will have to see

greentown, you are right, we all work to our own moral compass. I certainly don't feel I am answerable to you thanks.

You solicited opinions - nobody made you - you got the opinions - you didn't like some of them - c'est la vie.

Btw, seems obvious but also seems to be in contention here. Unless the surveyor placed a value on each item of work identified, these have not been taken into account in their valuation. Check with them if you like but I believe they are saying 'it is worth this much, with the exception of these items for which I am advising you to get quotes'.

Our structural surveys haven't included valuations but have advised on how good a prospect a house is, subject to our obtaining further info and quotes on issues flagged up.