Is it really worth getting a home buyers survey?

[Invisiblewoman1]

Now, I can hear you all gasping with horror now but hear me out....

The property I am buying needs a full renovation. It will have completely new central heating system, full rewire, new windows and doors, new bathroom and kitchen.

There are absolutely no cracks anywhere to be seen external or internally and no sign of any damp.

I have booked in a roof survey to inspect fully external and internal roof. This isn’t actually done in a home buyers survey and it’s one thing I cannot tell so I’ve done that.

But every home buyers survey I’ve ever had I’ve always regretted as they are so vague and seem like a total waste of money.

My mortgage company do not need a survey completing.

So I’m torn between just sticking with my my roof survey and nothing else or having roof survey and a full building survey which will cost £1000. Although frustrating that most they will highlight I am going to change.

If your doing that amount of work and your having the roof looked at then I wouldn’t bother , it sounds like you know what your doing. I never do as we always do slot of work to our houses anyway and I would just be a waste of money for us .

I think they are essential for people who are not expecting to do work but you sound prepared. It may bring up damp or subsidence issues which you may not have budgeted for. If you have engaged a builder could you ask if they could look round instead? It's a risk but probably fine in these circumstances

Get a proper survey. Too many horror stories. But you might be lucky. It's a risk.

Roof is one thing, unstable walls and chimneys being taken out is something else. If you want to wing it then do so. It’s your decision but we prefer to consider everything. Builders are not qualified to make decisions about complex roof structures. Surveyors or engineers are. Ditto problems like heave and drainage problems.

We did a full refurb like you are planning. We didn't have a survey done. DH is a builder and fully inspected every inch of the house!

In my opinion you need a full building survey. I wouldn't buy a house that needs a full refurb without knowing the extent. You don't know the walls are perfect. Remember, if you have a survey and the surveyor misses something then you have legal recourse as they are insured.

Put it this way, imagine you have fully renovated the property only to find there is a problem with the structure of the building.

Residential roofs are not complex structures, there is very little to go wrong that you can’t see ( even less so if it’s a trusses roof ) the average person can google for a couple of hours and find out all they need to know .

Currently weighing this up myself. My sister bought an older house with no survey on the basis they were going to gut it anyway. Turns out the vendors had sawn out all the roof beams to increase head height. The front and back of the house were parting company. They had to take off the roof and an entire wall.

Roof structures absolutely depend on the age of the house and the alterations (if any) made to it. Some are very complex and added to and cut away over the years. Cutting into rafters is not unheard of. The op does not say if it’s 300 years old or 3 so we don’t know what the roof structure could be. DH is a structural engineer and lots of roof structures are butchered!

I had a basic mortgage Val done by the mortgage company, then paid privately for a full structural survey, as the mark up for surveys with mortgage lenders is significant. They wanted £1000 from me for the mortgage company to arrange but I paid £560 privately (company was Gold Crest surveyors)

Worth every single penny and picked up on all sorts we hadn't spotted

Having had homebuyers surveys in the past, I've found that they are very vague and take responsibility for nothing. About everything they literally say "can't see a problem, but advise a specialist survey", and thereby absolve themselves of any responsibility should a problem later be discovered.

I would say either get a full structural, or just a valuation. The cost of a homebuyers isn't worth it IMO.

Op has said they are doing a FULL refurbished and and having a roof survey, a homebuyers survey will be a complete waste of money. They will uncover more on the refurb than any surveyor will be able to see with his eyes . For people who know nothing about building , I would recommend a full survey, but for someone who is doing a complete rip out it’s not worth it ,

We once went to look at a big Victorian detached with about an acre of garden , lovely house needed a bit work, but if you stood back from the house it was out of plumb by about 2 foot !! Safe to say we didn’t buy it but you didn’t need a surveyor to spot that 😃. They never sold it and they are now going to knock it down and have planning for 7 houses.

Yes I have had a full roof survey today, instructed someone who actually inspects the roof rather than a home buyer survey where they just look from the ground. They been in the loft and on the roof and take photos Of everything. So much more detailed than any survey I’ve ever had. Even the full building survey when I asked how they inspect the roof was told they use binoculars!

I’ve decided not to get a survey on rest of house but what I have done is asked a local surveyor to check it for damp and any construction issues to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Much cheaper and much more helpful given I am replacing everything else!

That sounds good, the only way to check a roof properly is to get on it , I’ve been on roofs and they look perfectly fine from the ground but once up there you can lift ridge tiles, chimney pots and even take bricks off chimneys with your hands. It’s a lot easier to spot if anything’s been cut/ removed from inside the loft. Most surveyors wouldn’t dream of going on the roof .

How old is the house ?

It’s late Victorian. Based on the style I would guess late 1890s.
It’s only a renovation job as it’s been someone’s home for 50 years who have cared and looked after it but not modernised it. In terms of how well maintained it is, it is perfect. But the surveyor having a look will reassure me more than a survey which won’t really help