Very very negative survey has come back

[Potatoduster]

Something I'm interest in has come back with so many issues it makes me want to pull out all together.

I wasn't expecting so much. Some of it seems minor like a loose screw in a plug, worn toilet seat, a wonkey cupboard, hedge too close to house, drain cover missing.

But it says the whole bathroom is near the end of its life and should be replaced, all of the windows should be replaced as two are blown, the roof has moved and needs a structural engineer to assess, the floors are bouncy and need a structural engineer to assess, boiler is old and needs to be replaced.

My dad says they're just covering their own backs and highlighing potential issues and most are to be expected from a house built in the 60s. But it's pretty damning just from a home buyers survey. The bathroom is white and 20 years old but it looked fine to live with for a the foreseeable future and the windows I got a quote to relax the blown ones for 230. But the surveyor pretty much says to replace it all with brand new. The boiler I saw a service history and planned on not changing until it actually broke.

Are the surveyors pessimistic or realistic?

You can always ring your surveyor and ask for specific information on any points you want clarified.
We did this when we last moved in 2017. It’s a standard thing.

Roof and floor I would be concerned about. Rest just seems like fairly standard stuff

You do need a Structural Engineer to look at the roof and flours. Your Home Buyers Survey isn’t going to cover why this has happened and how it can be put right, let alone how much it will cost. It certainly can be more than £15,000 depending upon what is wrong. So you can make a decision on what is wrong, likely costs and whether you want to proceed, you need a specialist survey. Surveyors rarely comit themselves to anything regarding structural integrity.

@peteneras this is off topic, but would you mind reporting back when you have had your lovely new kitchen fitted? I am slowly saving up for a new one and would like to know how good JL are these days at kitchens. My friend had them fit hers and they were brilliant, but this was a long while ago.

I'd be careful to get an expert to look at the roof and floors but otherwise everything you've mentioned is the kind of thing that the epic tome of a survey on my house threw up. 6 years on I haven't replaced the kitchen or the windows that needed replacing. The boiler that needed replacing lasted a further 5 years before I actually had to and the soffets and fascia boards which were flagged as needing doing urgently lasted a further 3 years. I was lucky that by the time I saw this survey report I'd had surveys done on two properties which did flag major problems so I had grown used to seeing the long list of insignificant things that every survey reports.

The problem surveyors have is that if they don't mention something that then goes wrong they'd end up footing costly legal expenses as buyers tried to recoup repair costs.

If there is a chance of subsidence (the roof has moved) then you need it looked at. If you have a structural engineers report saying there is no evidence of subsidence then should that happen in the future your insurance should cover it. If it happens and you were told in the survey there is evidence of possible movement then you won't be covered, no expert just my experience btw.
I would phone round structural engineers and explain the problem and ask their approx costs to survey. See what they say, they might know if it's a problem in the area and they might be expensive so you decide not to use them.

The bathroom will be because the expected life of bathroom "furniture" is 25 years. That doesn't mean it NEEDS replacing, that's just the guidelines. You also don't HAVE to replace all the windows. The only thing that I'd want looked at is the floors and the roof. Get a structural engineer then make a choice. Don't panic before that

Does seem overkill.
But, I'd get the roof and floors looked at. The 2 blown windows replaced. And all the little things like screws, drain cover etc fixed.

Our house had some blown windows when we moved in. We left them. It made no difference other than a misty view out. It was 14 years before we had all new windows fitted. Similarly, it was pointed out that the boiler was ancient and needed replacing (when we bought in 2002). No it didn't. It had been serviced annually and worked well. It was installed in 1977! They knew how to build boilers in those days. Was replaced in 2015, but was still working fine. Just because something is old, it doesn't mean it needs replacing. Some things you just live with until you can afford to change it.
For your surveyor to point out such minor things as a loose screw in a socket sounds like he was hard pushed to find things to comment about. The only thing I would get checked is the roof and floors.

The 2 blown windows are probably because the roof/wall/floors problem - they can be an indicator of bowing in the walls (unequal pressure on the frame) - as can any cracking in clay airbricks and horizontal cracks on internal walls etc.

Thanks all will go back with someone to check floor and roof.

Although I'm a bit surprised as in other threads it's full of people saying a survey is essential and here people are saying it's a waste of money.

The windows are all south facing that have blown, the owner says half were replaced a few years ago and the two older ones blew since then. So not that concerned with it.

I do feel a bit conned by it. I can tell myself if a light pull is missing something on the end, I want to know more detail about the things that can't see myself!

I don't think people are saying it's a waste of money. I would never buy a house without a full survey, but what I am paying for is the expertise of the surveyor to pick up on structural things I would have little knowledge about or may not have noticed, not very minor things that can be fixed in 2 minutes with a screwdriver.
I only had one truly terrible survey on a place that would have been my second home (it was falling down), however, I was young and inexperienced (oh, and it was so big and so cheap..I was smitten, ha!). I think now, with having bought quite a few properties, I would have rejected it myself as I have a better idea of what to look for.
Our blown windows were on the sunny side of the house. I think the sun breaks down the seals.
Good luck with your purchase though.

Well it won’t be a waste of money if it’s picked up a major roof problem! If it’s pushed the walls out of true and the joists are wobbly you won’t have wasted your money either.

It’s a shame reports don’t have red, amber and green faults! Then you can ignore green and amber!

Regarding the suggestion of subsidence : this is unlikely to manifest itself in just a faulty roof. Usually there is noticeable exterior cracking and if this isn’t mentioned, it’s unlikely to be subsidence. If it’s on clay, it could be heave though. This pushes the walls outwards and the roof can be affected and definitely floors. Cracks would be noticeable in the house often at ceiling height.

So, get it checked by a Structural Engineer. Not another surveyor who will hedge their bets. If it’s an expensive repair, haggle for money off! Again, worth the survey!

Ok well after having a builder around he said the roof is fine and it's in a typical condition for the age and will last many more decades but should be replaced if the loft is converted to meet building regs now.

The floor is most probably from a sunken pillar and will probably take a day to fix, but it's in the hundreds rather than the thousands.

I wish I just had a builder round in the first place. Or is that a bad idea?

I find most surveys useless and would take it with a pinch of salt.

I've never had one done for this reason