Help! Internal wall removed by previous owner

[ToddlerswithDirtyFaces]

DH and I have made an offer on a house and things have been progressing rather quickly as the vendors have no chain. We are first time buyers.
The vendors solicitor has informed us that a previous owner had an internal wall removed which they say was not load bearing and therefore did not require building regulation approval ( not sure if I have the terminology right). The current vendors did not check this out in any official way but accepted it at face value. The vendors are involved in property development so I assume they trusted their own judgment. They used it as a rental. We asked an engineer to inspect it as we don't want it falling down on our heads.
The engineer has come back saying that he can see no sign of cracks or structural damage but for him to give us a definitive answer he'd have to make a hole in the ceiling to confirm the span direction of the joists and the details of the supporting structure.
I'm guessing the vendors would not be ok with making holes in the ceiling (I wouldn't be). Do you think it's safe enough to buy considering that nothing has happened in the 9 years since the wall was removed?
I really really like this house but we don't know if we should take the risk.
I'd be really grateful for any insights!

when you are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds, it's not an unreasonable request! Maybe they are scared of what you will find.

Disclaimer - I am a structural engineer, and was once caught out by a property where someone had put a second set of floorboards down at right angles to the original ones. So you can't always tell from those, for those of you questioning the engineer. Even more if it is a chipboard floor. I was lucky, and noticed the step between two rooms, and then discovered the second set of floorboards that was just in one room.

Unless you can get satisfaction I would walk or run for the hills IIf you go ahead and there is a problem it will be your problem not the sellers the lawyers the estate agents Yours There are always other houses

Well we've withdrawn our offer now. I feel relieved though also sad. This is not how I thought buying a house would be.

toddlers I'm sorry you feel like that. There will be another house. Our solicitor told us 'buyer beware'. It's amazing what people hide or try to hide.

A mean part me hopes that the house now sits on the market for months with a gradually falling asking price.

There will be another better house

Hi, sorry you have had to pull out. We had a similar situation on selling our last house because it seems that a lot of builders dont tell you that building regs need to be involved. We knew that all the work we had done didnt need planning permission but hadnt realised building regs is something separate. We had an opening created between kitchen and conservato ry and had to get some holes made so building regs could check the lintel was appropriate then apply for retrospective approval - they were only small holes and easily patched up and painted over.

In our new house we also had work done and knew building regs had to be involved but it was only sometime later i realised the work hadnt been signed off so had to get them back in to certify the work. I had assumed the builder had done this as he had liaised with them along the way - so i think this kind of thing happens a lot.

Their next buyers will probably ask the same questions so if you really love the house it might be worth trying to persuade them to get the checks done again.