Property survey showed these risks, what do you think?!?

[homeandstay]

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Should I be worried?

Second time buyer and our current property didn't have this.
Thanks

Wow - run. Japanese knotweed would be enough for me to pull out. Damp/Roof issues and woodworm? no thanks.

Although.. is it an absolute bargain taking all of the above into account and you'll never need to sell it again?

Wow, surveyors are notoriously risk averse but if it has all of those seriously just run!!

I think I would get a more indepth survey as these are mainly possible so they might all be fine or could be a money pit

Risks to people (largely) wouldn’t bother me. Surveyors always say gas/elec/heating needs to be checked. Asbestos is often highlighted as a risk in properties of a certain age. Not an issue unless it’s disturbed Lack of smoke alarms wouldn’t bother me (and what surveyor says lack of CO2 alarm is a concern? I assume they mean Carbon Monoxide?) Both easily remedied.

Risks to grounds I’d want to look more into

Risks to building would give me significant cause for concern. Enough to at least consider pulling out, especially the reference to knotweed. If I loved the property I might look more into whether the defective gutters were the only cause of damp/get a specialist survey. Would have to LOVE it tho. Plenty of properties without those issues.

It’s a run from me. Japanese knotweed no way.

did you offer thinking you’d have to gut it?

Wouldn’t touch with a barge pole

Are you demolishing it, and rebuilding on the land?

I'd get a better survey done by someone who didn't fall out the wrong side of the bed & go with them so you can talk to them.

The plans was to move straight it, didn't want a money pit as we can't afford really. The house is close to lots of trees and greenery which I think the Japanese knotweed could potentially be.

They accepted a lower offer from us and said they don't want us re negotiate after survey.

Not sure how to play this one now, I've got cold feet.

Are those actual findings or just potential risks due to limited access and assessment. Without more specific detail it is not terribly helpful.

@homeandstay Is that all you got with the survey? There must have been further details of why the surveyor considered all these issues?

How old is the house is the first question and what is it built of.

I would want to know how the damp was checked, a defective roof can mean anything from a new roof needed to a slipped slate. Defective guttering may mean joints need resealing through to new guttering required. Knotweed - where is it, how far away from the property, I would want photos to show it is knotweed etc.

Former mining area - yes that is fine as loads of other houses are there.

Safety checks - standard surveyor backside covering. Pay to have an electrical check done, normally about £100 if you proceed.

Op it sounds like a very large money pit, especially the damp and woodworm. I would definitely avoid.

Unless you buy a new built home nearly every survey is likely to have similar issues.

The council will get rid of knotweed for you (should you take it on) well maybe check with your LA actually- they do it here.
Sounds like it needs new guttering and a damp course (I’m not a professional by any means!) I imagine many old properties have these issues.

Asbestos requires professionals to remove it if you start tinkering with it? That one would concern me the most…

I'd get a quote from a competent roofer.
I'd check with the council whether they deal with Japanese knotweed.
I'd get a quote from a tree surgeon on halving the height of the trees, and check whether any have tree protection orders.

And I'd get a builder to quote for sorting the damp. It may be you need to replace all gutters & drain pipes, and redig exterior drains, or the foundations may need repointing.

But this isn't a house you can move in and experience no problems. The existence of asbestos would put me off. It's very costly to remove.

Damp and woodworm would worry me.

The rest is par for the course. Especially the gas electric etc they never say about those.

Not true if it's well maintained. Old houses don't always have damp walls, woodworm and Japanese knotweed.
That survey shows that there's likely to be work needed re the damp and woodworm which should be investigated further. If they won't negotiate after the survey I'd walk away because it's going to cost you.

Absolutely bloody not.

The damp might be because the roof is faulty and the downpipes are leaking. You will only know if a roofer/builder can look at them. A leaking downpipe really can cause lots of damp, I had it in a kitchen wall as the drainpipe had a massive crack in it. The bricks just act like a sponge and hold all the water. If it's internal walls, where are they? Are they directly under the roof of on the ground floor nowhere near external walls?
Electrics/gas etc, yes I would always have those checked. When we moved here the main fuse had to be replaced. That's a job for the powergrid.
Otherwise my main worry would be that it's a former mining area.
Edited to say are there any blocked airbricks as that can cause damp.

I think it depends on the property and location of these issues. Is there damp because the gutter is overflowing and running down an external wall? That's easy to fix. Or is there damp across the whole ground floor? Much harder. Likewise the woodworm - how old is the property? Does it have beams? Where is the woodworm located and is there any evidence that it's active or are there just holes which are indicative it's been there at some point? With Japanese knotweed, again - if it backs onto a railway track (for example) then it would be surprising if you didn't have it. How close is it to the house/how established is it?

I would not be bothered by the 'risks to people' because that is a fairly standard list. But the 'risks to building' would definitely bother me.

The damp is probably due to the defective roof coverings and pipes/guttering. If I'd got the house at a good price, had enough in the budget and didn't mind doing the work I might still go ahead. It depends how much work is involved, but it is offputting because it indicates the owner has not taken care of the property.

The main thing which would put me off is Japanese knotweed. If the surveyor is sure that is what it is I would not buy the property.

That's a terrible survey report as most of them are "possible" problems and really the surveyor is arse--covering rather than helping you in any way.

If you like it do some more investigations - a builder can look at the roof, an electrician and plumber etc can assess better what's needed.

I'd run for the hills op.
Unless you want to buy a money pit and deal with the stress of all these problems I wouldn't bother. There's always another one!

I'm sure the sellers don't want you to renegotiate after the survey!
Run, especially from the knotweed and damp issues.

Not sure if you can see this but this is what was said about the Japanese knotweed