Structural survey - to do or not to do?

[karmi2010]

I am close to exchange in a very long chain. The house is old but seems in a good condition and properly maintained by the vendors. I have been looking for something like this house for quite a while, and since I made the offer nothing similar came on the market. I am also fairly certain that I am getting it for lightly less than the market price at the moment as the vendors are keen to sell.

I didn't do a structural survey as looking at some samples, they didn't seem detailed enough for me to justify the cost (as it, they don't open the floors or make holes in the walls to check the condition, and I just don't know how much can you see without this), and the cost is significant for me.

Now I am having a cold feet and started to think if I should still get the structural survey done. But then, unless there is something absolutely terrible, I will most likely buy the house anyway because I spent so much on the process already and there is just nothing like that coming on the market... And the vendors will not reduce the price, I am pretty certain that they will just pull out if I ask for it.

Any opinions?

Thanks a lot!

My opinion is that you'd be mad not to. Will the mortgage lenders (assuming you need a mortgage) even agree to lend without one?

Thanks, Floggingmolly! There was a survey done by the bank, it's the more extensive one (in addition to the bank survey) that I haven't ordered and still not sure about...

Everything I read on mumsnet seem to suggest that even the structural survey often doesn't spot the really expensive issues, and that they are mostly used to negotiate down the price, and this is something I won't be able to do anyway....

You're probably ok, then. I'd assume the bank survey would have picked up on the big stuff like subsidence anyway.

Good luck!

If you can't afford the survey then what happens if you move in and discover the wiring is unsafe or similar?

If you can't afford the survey then what happens if you move in and discover the wiring is unsafe or similar?

How old is this house? Last century or 1600s old?

If its an old house which the vendors have lived in for sometime i would imagine it could do with re wiring anyway. You could get electrics checked and walk round with a general builder who would be able to give you some idea of what might need doing early on. If the roof hasnt been touched in the last 20-30 years it might need some work in due course but if there is no sign of leaks or damp it could be fine. Full structural surveys usually make it sound as if the house is about to fall down but will be littered with so many get out situations i.e. They wont be able to check the state of the floors if they are covered with carpet or tiles, or see the roof interior if they cant get into the loft or if there is too much insulation in there!! Sounds like it could be your forever home and as long as you have some money to spend if there is anything seriously needs doing you should be ok.

My concern without a full survey is you don't know what you are potentially committing to unless you have trade experience.

I mean, it might look fine and it might have been really well maintained. But equally all the maintenance might have been cosmetic, concealing lead pipes, 1930s wiring, lead paint, asbestos insulation board etc.

I'm being a bit of a doom-monger but someone buying an old house on a very tight budget always spooks me a bit. In my experience, which admittedly is not vast, they usually end up costing more in refurb/ upkeep than you ever expected.

I think you'd be mad not to. Maybe because I work for a surveyors but it's the things that you can't see that cost the money. Like old electrical or heating systems, damage to underground drains, needing nee water pipes, asbestos ect ect. Especially if your on a tight budget you really need to know what your letting yourself in for.

You're right that surveyors can't see everything when we can't lift floor coverings or move furniture. But what we can do is tell you if there's a problem that requires further investigation. So if you get a building survey done, and the surveyor had nothing to report, it's probably ok. But the surveyor might say that there was a problem that they couldn't diagnose and recommend a more intrusive survey.