Survey results what to do?

[Chillli]

Hi we are first time buyers and the results of homebuyer survey is quite bad

Some of the main points

Roof structure - wet rot representative of the timber -advised to get roof contractor - large gaps between party/firebreak wall need filling for fire safety

Roof coverings - need replacing

All windows not compliant with fire/building regs need safety glass and reglazing

Wall structure - bulging front wall , cracks to render on extension - advised to get structural engineer report

Guttering all needs replacing and redirecting

Needs rewiring electrics

No existing damp proof course some signs of damp in living room only

these are a few of the main points but a whole host of other faults found

What would you do in my shoes I don't have much money to spare to fix these things and it'd a 1900 mid terrace

Thank you!

I think I would walk away I’m afraid. Surveys always sound scary; ours was but there was nothing structural. However I would add we were told we needed a new roof, a local roofer said it was fine and just needed a few tiles replacing. Have you spoken to the surveyor about it? They normally give a better opinion over the phone

Also to add, if you don’t have the money to fix things I think you’ll be pretty miserable if they really do need fixing. I imagine (but could be wrong) that the wet rot might be expensive. Rewiring I’d probably expect on an older house

Look for another property.

From what you have described the works sound very expensive.

I think you need to remember as well, that even if you didn’t fix all the things on there when you did eventually come to sell the house they would flag up on someone else’s survey and if you haven’t sorted them it might make selling it harder. The bulging wall alone would put me off (but then I’m anxious anyway!)

First things first, what type of survey ? As the lender down valued the property or with held funds until work completed.
sounds like you have had the full Monty, in which case they list every defect in their eyes whether major or minor which can seem a lot worse than they are. It’s an old house,
the roof may not be felted beneath the slate/tiles, so you get water ingress which can cause rot in the roof timbers, this can be relatively minor or major, get a builder you trust to have a look, don’t use a timber and damp company, they are only interested in replacing everything in site. Bricks between part wall common for some to be missing, no big deal. Roof covering think he may mean the felt, which is more costly, slates off felt on, slates back on, material cost not to much, mainly labour, scaffolding can be expensive. Windows compliant in 1900, they have lasted 120 years, don’t worry. Bulging wall, and render cracks, depends on amount, again the builder is your man. Electrics, get an electrician to have a look, as far as most surveys go, anything over 15 years needs replacing, however it may be perfectly safe and usable as is. Damp course, the house is 120 years old, if the damp is in an exterior wall,then it could be plants growing up the wall, blocked air brick or may be rendered down to soil, again a good trustworthy builder can answer most of your concerns. Of course you could ask for an allowance towards the work.

The wet rot timber and bulging front wall requiring structural engineer report are not really minor things. If you were to progress you need reliable and relevant people checking these out.

I would walk away tbh. Most things are solvable but at a cost and all of these added together represent quite a cost factor. As a ftb this would not be for me. I know it’s disappointing but this is what surveys are about. I agree that they point out everything but these are not just normal small matters. They may be easily resolved but with money thrown at them. Though a bulging front wall is a major issue to investigate.

Thank you all. Given me food for thought as if my mind wasn't fried enough!

@takeaflight it's a level 2 homebuyer survey... I realise they over exaggerated alot so things sound worse Appreciate the insight / practical info thank you. I wish I had the spare cash to get the additional inspections done .

Truthfully if you don’t have the spare cash to get the additional surveys done which really are necessary, you don’t have the money to buy this property.

even just rewiring and doing the gutters are several thousands. Then add in bulging front wall which could be serious, plus wet rot in the timber of the roof.

I’ve bought four properties and I would walk away from this one due to the costs.

Try and reframe it in your head that you’ve dodged a bullet and the survey has done you a favour. I know it’s hard as it’s a sunk cost but it’s for the best. And I say this having wasted two surveys and costs on one of my property moves where I ended up buying the third house due to issues.

If you were buying a project and were going to have 50-100k to put things right first off, before looking at decor etc, then nothing too concerning.

Without that, walk. For sure.

If money is tight for you, I think I might look elsewhere and see if I could find something with fewer issues that was affordable. Some of that list might be easily fixed, though it woud cost a fair bit. Rewiring will cost a good few thousand, and your lender may insist it is done pretty much immedately. The bulging wall would worry me most, though- that might be nothing, or it might be a show-stopper, and it will cost a bit for a structural engineers report even to find out. The wet rot- depends on how extensive it is. Just a bit from a leak or two that can be easily fixed, may be not a big deal. Extensive and needing a complete re-timbering, and it's a walk-away thing if you haven't much spare money, to say nothing of the mess and disruption. 'Roof coverings needing replacing'- is that just the extension, (flat roofs, ugh, if it is one, they often need replacing) which will cost a bit but not too bad, or the main roof? 100-yr old slates don't usually all need replacing, tiles is a different matter. We've just reslated reusing nearly all of our old slates. But if all your slates/tiles need replacing, that's going to be expensive.

I would walk away tbh and find a property with fewer issues. Yes the surveyor always finds problems but this is a lot and expensive problems to fix.
House prices are likely to fall so there’s no hurry to buy this particular one.

Do you love the house?

Some of these things will come up with many properties of this age, some will need addressing. I've lived in lots of period properties and the one that leaps out at me as most worrying is the roof timbers. Roof coverings often come up, as do windows, party wall gaps in the roof and you are highly unlikely to not find a patch of damp somewhere. Get a trusted sensible builder to look and quote (but not for all of it, windows can be ignored). You can ask for a reduction in the house price but keeping to the big problematic stuff, not just the 'its an old house' stuff.

Given the current economic climate you also need to consider your mortgage product and rates before you walk away. Will you lose a deal you won't be able to get again? So many products have bee pulled from the market this week.

Sounds like the survey we got on our new house 😂😂 but we had quite a bit of money set a side as we knew it would need a roof etc so we continued with the purchase. But only as we had the money. The works you described op will cost a lot of money and aren't work you could skip I'm afraid. You will need to assess the money situation but maybe walk away.

Run away! Those are not cheap or easy things to fix.

Definitely speak to the surveyor before walking. My called me and said there were only very minor issues. I then read the report and it sounded like the house was falling apart in places from all the things mentioned.

Had another conversation and the surveyor was totally reassuring, said they had to flag certain things but I could just wait and see if they were actually a problem before taking action. He told me that what had come up definitely wasn't anything to worry about and that I was unlikely to find somewhere of that age in better condition.

I think what goes on writing is often very doom and gloom.

If the house is sensibly priced to start with and you can use the survey to get more of a price reduction then it might be worth continuing. Some of the issues could be solved relatively easily & relatively cost effectively. If you love the house, or it's giving you a step onto the housing ladder that you might otherwise not have then it might be worth the risk. Get a trusted experienced builder to have a look, they may be able to give some clarity on what's do-able.