Advice please !!!

[Evamoda]

Hi,
I am currently looking for a house to purchase with my partner.
So far it has been quite difficult because the market is very slow in the area we are looking in.
This one house has been on the market for a number of months and in paper (pictures) looks perfect, but it is way over our budget.
After no movement on it and one price drop we decided to call the EA, who confirmed there has been no accepted offers so far and that the price can be negotiable.
We arranged to have a look at the property, and the house is really lovely.

BUT after finding out who the owner is, we have found out abut a number of big problems he has been involved in throughout the years due to dodgy building work and other legal issues. These come from very reliable sources and it is backed up by online information...
When we went to see the house, the owner took us through it and explained some of the extensive work he has done over the years. Obviously this set up alarm bells straight away. Also the house is quite old, and it makes me feel even more concerned about bad quality work having been done to it... and knowing he is not known for being a reliable person makes you consider whether its advisable to enter this process at all...

We are considering to just walk away and forgetting about it completely, but the place is so lovely....

Would you give it a chance to investigate what's been done, etc, or would you just walk away??

Sorry for the rant,

Thanks!

Walk away. You are already annoyed by it.

If budget allows, I'd go for a comprehensive survey, but tell the surveyor of the issues ahead of time and ask them to really dig around.
For the sake of a few hundred could be you get to negotiate down to your budget, and then do proper fixes to bring it up to scratch.

Worst case, you have it confirmed that all of the issues you suspect (and more) are there and you can walk away knowing it couldn't ever have been your dream house.

Thanks ferriswheel and MoonlightandMusic. We are first buyers and don't have any experience in the process. Would a comprehensive survey uncover everything that could be wrong with the house? Or could we get some nasty surprises after? How much are we talking about for everything to be checked? He's done structural work, electrics, plumbing, etc. Also, should he be able to certify the work done with paperwork? He's a builder himself.
Many thanks again!

I'd avoid it, you could be paying to rectify problems for years!

It's possible that on his own house he's done things properly. If you really like it then get a structural survey and ask about certs and building regs now.

I think I'd avoid it. You've said that its over budget so if something crops up after you've bought it you'll struggle to have the funds to fix it. Surveys only really mention things that are visible. They are obviously done by experienced people so will note lots of things that you wouldn't necessarily. But if the person who owns it wanted to cover things up then they would probably be able to. Buying a house involves a degree of trust so if you don't trust them I'd walk away.

No a survey, even a full structural, will pick up everything. You can get seperate inspections done for electrics, heating, damps and drains etc but that can be expensive especially if it's a fishing expedition rather than investigating an actual problem.

If it's old is it listed? If so then things like listed building consent are important and that will be the responsibility of your solicitor to check. They will also check paperwork has been lodged and approved for the appropriate consents. Don't skimp on your solicitor - get a recommendation for a local one who knows the area (and possibly the vendor).

I would also advise (having accidentally bought a total money pit despite having the full structural survey) that you check the age and condition of appliances, sanitary wear, plumbing, heating systems and just have a really good look around. Check doors and windows, switches, general finishes to rooms.

We had all the paperwork for building work as well as electrics and heating system. Hasn't stopped the boiler failing or the lights in part of the house within a year of purchase

Thank you all so much!
I think the best thing to do is sit still with this house for the time being and keep looking for other places. I am finding the process of house hunting emotional enough as it is and we haven't even gone past the offers stage as yet! At the current price, even with a big reduction, we could still potentially have to spend a lot of money on it and put the cost over what we would want to spend...
Thanks!