House we are buying, some of the ceiling has come down!

[MillieMollieMandi]

We are currently buying a house, due to exchange at the end of the month. I've just had a call from the estate agent and some of the ceiling in the front reception room has come down!
In order not to slow down the chain & fix it himself, the seller has suggested a reduction in price & we fix it.
However how on earth do we figure our how much to reduce or the next steps! I just don't know what to do now.
Anyone experienced anything similar?

Get them to get three quotes from proper businesses, not his mate and reduce it that much

You need to know why the ceiling came down before agreeing to anything. Are there major plumbing issues you aren't aware of? Structural issues?

I would want to know WHY some of the ceiling has come down before I went any further!!! possibly have a surveyor in to check no underlying reason eg subsidence, rot etc.

Get three tradesmen in to quote for the repair and ask for a reduction equivalent to the average.

You would need to get a builder in to find
a) what they would charge to fix it
and
b) Why it has come down - as that is the bigger issue potentially. It might mean something else is wrong, to have caused this.

Then, once you have the builder's price, you need to add something on for decorating, and, indeed, the inconvenience of needing to get the work done.

That's a good point. we had a survey which picked up some damp at the front of the house but nothing major. Might call the surveyor back for his thoughts

I would send in my choice of contractors get three quotes, add a bit on for the inconvenience of the mess and lack of use of that room and reduce the house by that amount.
You need to be reassured why it happened and if potentially there are underlying problems like dry rot or woodworm in beams.
So you need a full report if the sellers insist on getting quotes.

Try your local Nextdoor network for recommendations for contractors.

Personally, I would want to go there myself to see the damage with my own eyes and take pictures.

Check for dry rot before signing anything! Ceilings don’t come down for no reason.

As others get quotes, I would also want to see it for myself.

Get quotes, but also get them to pay for a full structural survey (or reimburse you for the cost, regardless of whether you continue with the sale).

You might also want to consider asking for cash rather than a reduction in price as if you reduce the price you'll need to get a new mortgage agreed.

Why can't he claim on the house insurance and get it done?

Agree that you need to establish what caused the ceiling to come down.

If you do decide to go ahead, I'd be looking for a reduction in price to cover the full costs of repairs, plus cleaning costs (ceiling collapses and repairs can be very messy) plus the cost of making good any associated damage, for example, to walls and flooring, and also an amount for the inconvenience.

How old is the house? Has it had an extra plasterboard layer added at some point.

@ThankYouHunkyJesus

Why can't he claim on the house insurance and get it done?

I assume this is because there isn't enough time to get it done prior to completion, but I'm wondering if he can keep his insurance policy in place after completion in order to get the works done under it? It might be worth asking them to look into whether that is an option.

To @MillieMollieMandi - are you aware that at the point of exchange you need to have taken out buildings insurance (and upgrade it to include contents from the day you move in)?

Thanks everyone very much. We are going to see it tomorrow with a builder friend so hopefully he can advise.
I hadn't thought about a reduction in price meaning revising the mortgage paperwork etc.
Lots to think about & appreciate all the points, v helpful.

There are pros and cons of the owner sorting this vs you:

• them: more convenient, but may not care about quality of finish
• you: can insist it’s done right but hassle/room needs to be clear/mess, can’t unpack. Also unlikely you can get someone to agree job unless you own house so you’ll be waiting

I think I’d ask him current owner to put right to your satisfaction and make good it should be a few hundred pounds & a days work to overboard and skim: you don’t want to be dealing with that when moving house (unless you were planning any plastering anyway).

The clean up is a pain and I would not unpack until that is done as dust would ruin your TV etc.

I’ve just had plastering done in a new to me house): removed patch of ceiling which was about to blow, overboard, skim; £580 in London, done in a day

How old is the house? If it’s eg Victorian lathe & plaster which has had its day then it’s not necessarily sinister. Otherwise, I’d want to find out why it’s gone too

Agree you need to know WHY more than the ceiling itself being an issue to repair. So say you want them to go halves on an additional survey just on that issue perhaps - should only be a couple of hundred quid for a surveyor to look at a single room.

Do not be pressured regarding the chain, this is your biggest purchase ever.

Good of them to be upfront with you I think, that is a fairly encouraging sign that this can be resolved? Unless the cause is something bad.

The survey will help you know what is the correct price adjustment.

PS - add decorating ceiling & walls, and consider that carpets/flooring may be wrecked by plaster dust too. Probably £5-700 to redecorate room

Insurance might just do a crappy job of a patch repair (so you see lines in the ceiling), I’d probably want my own contractor

Them paying for the repair or giving you cash will be miles quicker vs redoing paperwork

Agree with everything everyone else has said. It’s not just about the ceiling falling down, it’s getting to the root cause of it. Also, it would make me question whether the owner has been properly maintaining the property. We found this out when we bought our first house and there were lots of things wrong that (whilst weren’t huge) were down to poor maintenance and took time to fix. Good luck and don’t be afraid to walk away if things don’t seem right.

I'm wondering if he can keep his insurance policy in place after completion in order to get the works done under it?

Unlikely, as once they no longer own the property they no longer have an insurable interest in it. Plus the OP will need to have her own insurance in place as a requirement of the mortgage, so there’d be a conflict of interest if two parties independently insured the same property.

Good that you had a survey, get straight back on the phone to the surveyor and get him round to look.

Also get round there yourself. Do you know how much ceiling?

How old is the house? Some older houses with lath and plaster ceilings do fail over time. The plaster ‘key’ - the bit that sticks through the lath (lots of tiny wooden sticks) breaks off and the ceiling comes down. Sometimes this is just an age thing but it could also mean a structural issue, rot, damp, etc. Is there a bathroom/water above? Even just a heating system that could be leaking?

The worst thing you can do right now is rush; take your time to work out what is happening, why, and how to remedy it. If it’s structural, it’s currently covered on the vendor’s house insurance, but likely won’t be on yours.

The offer of a price reduction is pragmatic but you’re going to need to involve the mortgage company, and they are possibly also going to want to look, or at the very least might take your surveyors advice.

Good luck! Just don’t be pushed into anything…

Yes need to find out why this happened, is there a bathroom above? We had a ceiling down in a previous home, caused by a leak. Lath & plaster, Victorian terraced house, what a mess! No point, in replacing the ceiling unless you know what causes it to come down. Get a couple of builders to take a look, and don’t exchange until you have quotes and know the position. Good luck.

If this is a house in Essex (it's prob not ) but if it is please DM me .