Not getting a survey

[WitchyWay]

Are we crazy for considering not getting a home buyers survey?

We're purchasing our 4th home so used to the process although this time we're borrowing a lot more money (mortgage will be close to £500k).

We're buying a detached property that looks to have been taken good care of. It was built in the 1960s and has had a new bedroom added in that time. Everything looks really well done, albeit is old and needs decorating. No signs of damp that would be obvious given the age and condition of the decor. The boiler is three years old, good make and model and the owners are going to have a service completed before exchange.

We know some bits need doing; wooden window frames need attention, potentially replacing over time. Bathrooms are old and we'll be redoing these asap. Roof and brickwork looks in good solid condition.

We've never found our previous surveys useful and I'm wondering if they're actually needed. I mean, if people are inexperienced perhaps, but my husband has many trades in the family and is very aware of the main issues if he saw them.

I've heard surveyors are limited in what they can check anyway and so it's rarely worth it.

What do you think? For reference, quotes for a level 2 survey have been £600-800, so significant money I could spend on parts of the house I know already need work.

Thanks!

Are you sure that your lender will give you a mortgage without a survey?

I had a survey and they missed all sorts of problems that my excellent builder spotted straightaway. If I moved again, I’d skip the survey and use the £800 to put the builder on retainer, without a second thought.
Can you bring a tradie on a viewing?

Yes, they've done their valuation survey. This is a home buyers survey.

That's a really good suggestion, will see who can spare an hour.

We are not going to bother. We trust the sellers implicitly- they are extremely responsible people. She actually told me when they bought it that her own surveyor marked it being in need of decoration as a ‘risk’ - ffs. Reminded me of how stupid they are.

So no, I am not going to be paying someone £500-900 for an arse covering exercise that almost certainly won’t be legally enforceable if anything goes wrong.

As we will have savings when we move and still have a pretty a high disposable income, we can cope with most things that might go wrong.

I do have one concern - if a converted bedroom can cope with the weight of us fatties in a rolltop bath. But I am just gonna get a builder to look at that after we move in. If we have to reinforce it, sobeit. I am gonna replace the flooring anyway.

Wouldn’t recommend anyone who is stretching themselves financially do the same though.

Sounds like you know your stuff and I agree, spend your money on a builder looking at instead.

I wonder this, I’ve seen some surveys through work and it read like it was covering their back. This might need doing in x amount of years. Boiler is so old so might need replacing ……….

I did on the house we are buying as we had structural concerns from a big crack in the wall.

We paid for a specialist in listed and period homes and he was brilliant. He did all the usual arse covering statements in the actual survey but he also does a separate report and said we are buying a gem of a house and its one of the best period properties for all its original features, how to restore them and maintain them etc. he was besotted with a fireplace and wrote half a page on it.

If it was a run of the mill house though I wouldn't bother unless I had concerns about anything. We purchased a 5 year old house and DH insisted we get a survey. Basically arse covering central. I am a little bit renegade when it comes to house buying

We didn’t get a structural survey on our current house as I hadn’t found them particularly useful in the past and I knew we wouldn’t be able to knock them down on price any further so felt like what’s the point? The house appeared to be really well maintained which turned out to be true.

I don’t regret it. However, I’m not particularly recommending it to others because obviously there is always an element of risk.