Bit of background. Sold my house during the chaotic housing market last year and was hoping to buy but as there was little on the market we ended up in rented accommodation.
Been looking to buy somewhere but prices have gone stupid and even if I find a place that ticks the boxes on paper it goes within minutes. (Pretty sure people aren’t even viewing places)
Fed up with watching my money drain away I have decided as back up to buy a smallish flat where I can squeeze us all in for a hopefully short period of time until we get somewhere.
Been to view a flat that I think could work for us but it has a few issues and isn’t exactly in the best condition but I have tackled worse in various houses
The only thing is (and I have seen this in a couple of other flats I have viewed recently is that the floors slope. But in different directions.
They don’t sag in the middle but more one room will have the floor sloping down towards the window whilst the next room/internal parts of the flat slope towards the neighbouring property in a different direction whilst some rooms have no visible dips.
I know if you go into a house and the floors sink in one direction then the house has settlement and I can understand if all the floors slope one way or into the centre of the room but the floors are at all different angles.
My thoughts are
1 The floors have been laid dreadfully and it is human error.
- Settlement (even on the 2nd floor) although the entrance and ground floor areas seem even. Flat beneath has similar issues in one room
- There is a leak or leaks that have rotted the timbers and the floors have gradually sank as the joists have got spongy
- Dry rot and all the joists/timber needs replacing
Any ideas gratefully received. I know I am going to need a structural engineer if I do decide it is a potential buy but would like to see if people know what it is just so I know in case I don’t go for this place but see something like this again and don’t dismiss it in case it isn’t too worrisome and can be put right without too much issues.
For me replacing all the joists is not an issue but settlement which could potentially (even if underpinned and corrected) affect mortgaging or selling a place could be. We might need to get some of our money out of it to buy our next place.