Survey is back… what next

[JohnNutLips]

We’ve had our level 3 survey back which has highlighted a number of areas needing urgent attention. Some of these do not give us cause for concern, but others do.
Do we just accept the fact a 1920s house will have things that need doing and use the survey to inform our focus on improvements when we move in, or, should we approach the seller for a reduction in price based on the things we are bothered about? I don’t know what the norm is here … paid asking price for house (450k) and surveyors estimated cost to repair the things we are bothered about is roughly £5k (total was 7k ish). What would you do?

It really depends what those issues are!

Roof mortar crumbling, rotten garage door frames, electrical box not meeting current regs, boundary wall with big crack. Most expensive single item listed as £1500.

5k work does not sound particularly significant. If it was visible you should have taken it inti account for your offer.

I’d ask for the electrics to be sorted, but the rest I think is five - garage door & boundary wall you presumably could see, roof mortar isn’t a big job. £5K jobs on a £450K house sounds reasonable.

No fuse box will meet current standards unless renewed very recently, it is not necessarily a safety issue. As long as house is watertight and secure the rest can wait surely.

Works will cost just over 1% of your purchase price. I wouldn't ask for a price reduction in those circumstances- but depends on you LTV for mortgage, whether you can afford to pay for the repairs etc etc
Would you pull out of purchase if they don't reduce?

I don't thin' you can ask for a reduction based on those things. It all sounds very minor as houses go. Most of it quite obvious even without a survey. And not uncommon at all for the electrics to not meet current standards. They are updated so often most will be out of date.

This, all day long.

Roof mortar - depends how extensive. If its to one area that's already been repaired then get them to redo it.
Rotten door frames - assume that was already visible and you should have accounted for that in offer price
Boundary wall - you should have noticed that and reflected it in your offer already
Electrical box not meeting current regs - seeing as how the regs get changed every two years (feels like it anyway), then hardly any boxes meet current regs unless house built in the last two years. Focus on whether it says dangerous.

So no, no house will ever be perfect but the above not worth haggling over £5k especially considering two should have already been noted by yourselves prior to offer.

If it was the house you live in now, how urgently would you deal with those problems?

I think I'd get an electrical survey done and want anything needed to make it safe done before completion. I wouldn't drop the offer for it though.

Just had ours replaced to a modern RCD one (necessary for new kitchen installation), was pretty cheap. Took the electrician about 2 hours and cost £400.

Thanks everyone this is all really useful feedback.
We wouldn’t look to pull out over it at this stage so I think we just need to think of the survey as the guide for us.
Also need to remember to look more closely at things when viewing! But we were keen to offer on it so as not to lose out.