Would you buy a probate house with massive cracks..

[Carryingon]

... tree and ivy in front garden? And the estate agent didn’t know if the loft had building regs?
Otherwise great location for schools and amenities.

I wouldn't buy any house without a survey. Why not ask a surveyor yo have a look?

It depends what is causing the cracks... and the price! Can you take a surveyor/structural engineer to take a look at the cracks? The sellers (even if probate) can find out from the council if there is building regs (I don't think you can, they have to).

I’d get a builder to check it out first. I’ve bought an old house with cracks before. Builder said it was cosmetic. Guess once it’s yours you can get rid of ivy and the tree if you want.

Lack of building regs wouldn’t bother me if it was priced appropriately....so they should be pricing it /marketing it as having that extra attic bedroom if it doesn’t have building regs/doesn’t meet fire requirements. If it was marketed and priced as having that extra bedroom then I’d want to see building regs and if none forthcoming it needs the price reevaluate.

Not until I had a survey to rule out subsidence and not unless I had lots of money and knew lots of decent builders etc. to do the work needed!

Are the cracks inside/outside/both? Do you have a link to the house?

There is also the problem of insurance. Are you prepared to pay for putting the house right? It could be a huge bill. Huge cracks are usually a no no. The vendors should claim on their insurance and put it right. If they have insurance of course!

The survey should be done by a Structural Engineer. Surveyors defer to them regarding major structural faults. The tree could be significant. Ivy probably not. However an engineer needs to evaluate the soil, the cracks (size and direction etc) and give you remedies. It won’t be cheap so the price must take account of the work needed. You might not be able to insure it before it’s structurally sound.

I would if I had the money to do it up, but not otherwise. I was recently interested in a probate sale in north London, it’s cash buyers only, not insurable or mortgageable with subsidence. I’m a cash buyer but don’t have enough money to do it up so had to reluctantly walk away.

Get a proper structural survey, not a home buyers, it’ll just tell you there’s cracks and tell you to investigate further.

Thanks all. I think it is odd that the executors haven’t bothered to get a structural survey. I didn’t measure the cracks but they were inside and out and diagonal and I think wider at the top than bottom.

Can you post some photos?

I didn’t think to take photos of the cracks at the time unfortunately.

We looked at a house with cracks , which turned out to be a collapsed drain which was making the ground wet and unstable.

You will have to get a surveyor round to have a look.

And no, we didn't buy it.

It is up to you to get a structural survey done, not the other way round.

The only survey worth having is a full structural.

Why would the sellers get a survey? They know about the house. It's you who don't.

Get a structural engineer round. Surveyors often get them in anyway to look at serious cracks.

Sellers don’t get surveys. Your responsibility I’m afraid.

The reason I am surprised the executors didn’t get a survey is because the cracks are so awful, I would think they would try to get a survey to show it was not serious so they could sell it easier. If there is a big problem then all that will happen is a succession of buyers dropping out when they get their own survey.

I think a builder will buy it, fix it and flip it.

Buyers would be advised to get their own surveyors report. It could cause legal issues later down the line if they tried to rely on a seller commissioned report. In England anyway.

This gives you an insight:

But it is serious. They cannot get a report that covers it up and minimises it. They don’t want to spend the money. If it’s insured they should sort it out. A standard buyer won’t get insurance.

@Carryingon

Thanks all. I think it is odd that the executors haven’t bothered to get a structural survey. I didn’t measure the cracks but they were inside and out and diagonal and I think wider at the top than bottom.

If you're in England, that's your job, not theirs. The executors just put it on the market like any other vendor.

I wonder why the owner didn’t fix it while he was alive. Maybe it wasn’t covered on his insurance or maybe he wasn’t bothered. Anyway, I will see what the survey says.