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Original poster

Survey issues and how to proceed

21 replies

Tomatoandbasil · 14/10/2020 22:02

We got our survey back yesterday on a house we are buying. The house is 15 years old and the survey has highlighted some big issues. Is the next step to ask the estate agent if the vendor will allow access for tradespeople to investigate and quote? The surveyor has downvalued the house by 3% compared to our accepted offer.

OP posts:

Original poster

Tomatoandbasil · 14/10/2020 22:03

I do know that surveys flag up all sorts of things and make the house sound awful. I’m not expecting a perfect house but do want to make sure these things are not too expensive to fix.

OP posts:

DespairingHomeowner · 14/10/2020 22:35

What kind of issues?

It’s such a long time since I bought but I think getting quotes seems totally reasonable (mine were done from outside I think as roof of vacant house)

3pc is not much - see if you can negotiate that or a little bit more off (5pc?) for the hassle if it’s messy/disruptive jobs...

ivykaty44 · 14/10/2020 22:37

What are the issues?

Flamingolingo · 14/10/2020 22:39

I’d not be happy with issues on a 15 year old house. When you say big what do you mean? It’s really dependent on the issue

DespairingHomeowner · 14/10/2020 22:43

Agree : issues on a 15 year old house did surprise me too

MoirasRoses · 14/10/2020 23:00

Our house is 15 years old & id be extremely surprised to find anything wrong with it on a survey. What on earth is wrong with such a new house?!

Our buyers had one recently & all that was really flagged was very creaky stairs (they are rediculous, I agree) & a water mark in our wardrobes from a leak from loft. Our buyers were aware of this as it was from a fault with the water tank & it’s all fixed. We provided the paperwork. The house is otherwise solid & due to being built by a large housing company, it meets all modern standards & regs..

Original poster

Tomatoandbasil · 14/10/2020 23:06

The main issue is that the roof is not attached properly and the timbers are rotting and damaged as water is getting in somewhere. The insulation is water damaged. The roof of the single detached garage is also not attached properly.

There are also some unsafe electrics visible (but not a big deal to fix) and a more expensive issue of the garden room extension roof not being attached properly to the side of the house.

There are the usual things about cosmetic issues that we could see when we viewed like guttering, fencing etc.

It is the downvalue and the roof issues that make me very worried.

OP posts:

Flamingolingo · 14/10/2020 23:09

I cannot say this strongly enough. WALK AWAY!

DramaAlpaca · 14/10/2020 23:10

@Flamingolingo

I cannot say this strongly enough. WALK AWAY!

Absolutely walk away! The build must be terrible quality.

Anordinarymum · 14/10/2020 23:23

I agree about walking away. Surely the surveyor would have been able to put a realistic value on the house given the state of it. Are the vendors even aware of the problems?

Original poster

Tomatoandbasil · 14/10/2020 23:33

@Flamingolingo not even find out how much to fix?

@Anordinarymum no the vendor is unaware. They’ve had it since it was new and it’s very well looked after inside. Just not in the loft!

OP posts:

Mosaic123 · 14/10/2020 23:41

Run away.

Those issues sound expensive to fix and perhaps you would need to move out while they were being done? Would that be OK?

Whatisgoingdown · 14/10/2020 23:43

Walk away, if the builders were that shoddy with the roof there's bound to be other, albeit possibly smaller issues too, things that the survey might not cover

CatAndHisKit · 15/10/2020 01:24

So basically the roofer/builder was incompetent! And that's a new built! who knows what else comes apart later on. You could get a tradesman in and see, nothing to lose, but I bet the quote will be eye watering as it's the whole roof AND the garage! Never heard of such shoddiness before.

Seeingadistance · 15/10/2020 02:13

Bloody hell!

Run! Those are seriously major issues and there will be other horrors still to be discovered.

HeronLanyon · 15/10/2020 05:29

The next step would be
you instructing specialist firms to investigate and send you report and quotes (agreeing access with owner through ea).
If you still wanted to proceed you make a revised offer - reduction to reflect cost and some for inconvenience of you having to do the works etc.
I’ve recently sold (much older house) where exactly this happened Re unknown significant defect. Buyers sent me full reports and revised offer. I agreed it.

However - the defects you describe are huge. I would definitively think about just walking away. Water damaged insulation would worry me most - rectifying that who knows where and who knows how bad could entail hacking out walls etc.
Also agree with others - if the work was so shoddy in the first place it feels like a money pit to me.
The only reason to stick with it might be if it’s the perfect house otherwise - defects will mean significant reduction if you can live through the works and seller will realise that anyone else buying will find the same so they will not be in a position to quibble.
Good luck. Walk away would be my strong feeling.

Chumleymouse · 15/10/2020 05:52

The roof should be attached to the walls with metal straps , I suppose the surveyor would see if they weren’t there by looking in the loft , it would be interesting to know how it got past the building inspector when it was being built ? Last couple of roofs I worked on both inspectors were keen it was strapped down properly at the wall plate and the gables.

Flamingolingo · 15/10/2020 05:59

Oh god yes! Wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. The roof is one of the most important parts of the house, and it’s rotting. It’s only 15 years old! The vendors can’t be completely oblivious either, but it sounds like it’s been happening a long time and the ridiculous thing is that that’s exactly the kind of thing that is covered by an NHBC.

Some friends of mine walked away from a 10 year old house because of a major structural defect - that house was sliding down the hill on which it was built. Once the defect is uncovered in this way you won’t be insured. The vendor might be insured because the fault developed while they owned it.

It is not worth the time money and stress a defect of this kind will cause.

FurierTransform · 15/10/2020 08:56

Before jumping to conclusions OP, i'd definitely get a second opinion.
I'm not saying the surveyor is wrong, but the roof not being attached properly on a 15 year old house? Very unlikely... Is this on a large estate built by a well known developer or a one-off?

Flamingolingo · 15/10/2020 09:07

I agree re: second opinion. But assuming the first surveyor is correct it’s actually astounding that a house so new could have so many faults.

Chumleymouse · 15/10/2020 09:48

I would get somebody you know builder etc to have a look at it . I doubt the roof is that rotten after only 15 years ???? If the leak was that bad it would show up on the ceiling. I’ve seen timber outside last a lot longer that 15 years without rotting .

A survey that says the roof has rot in it sounds like a big job and huge cost , but sometimes it’s as simple as just replacing one bit of it without too much trouble,

If your that interested in the house, get a second opinion on it 👍

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