Damning survey

[PracticalLady]

We are in the process of buying a property, a three bedroom 1930's semi. The accepted offer is £5,000 under asking price, but it was described as needing tlc throughout internally and that is very true. Tenants have been in there for 4.5 years, since the current owner bought it and very obviously, nothing has been maintained for many years. Anyway, we knew certain things needed doing eg the garage door replacing, the render patching and painting and the tiny, very tatty kitchen extending into the dining room, the bathroom updating, but we didn't expect anything major structurally. Unfortunately the level 3 survey uncovered plenty of things to worry about. There is a list of urgent issues and also a second list of up and coming issues to be tackled in the near future. For example, the main roof needs re-felting and re-tiling immediately, the small extension (utility and toilet) needs internal insulation and a new roof, also ASAP, the windows and doors need attention and replacement in the next couple of years, if not before. There's lead water pipes, concerns about poorly installed cavity wall insulation and also what that process does to the fabric of the building over time (no positive effect there, but a negative for the future) and the garage, well it may be more cost effective to just knock it down, but there is most likely asbestos in the roof, so maybe not. So, do we try to negotiate a lower price with the vendors, or do we just walk away? What would you do? What have you done in the past? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as we are overwhelmed with all this and very disappointed.

It's up to you. Are you prepared to take on the work? If you are get quotes in and get negotiating

My daughter had a similar experience and walked away. She was a FTB and even if the price had been reduced the work required was substantial and like your house, much was structural rather than cosmetic. The house was eventually bought by a developer

A lot of what you had said is for the future, not has to be done now and with most surveys it doesn't actually means it has to be done.

The roof, why does it need refelting and tiling now? What more did the survey say?

Level 3 surveys usually say the worst of the worst to cover their ass as they are liable. If they tell YOU to investigate or fix it they are no longer liable as they passed the responsibility back on to you so they just tell you to check and fix EVERYTHING.

Our said we needed a new bathroom sink as it was broken, there was a tiny superficial scratch on a painted bit.
Also said the foundation where cracked because there was a crack in the concrete drive with a £15k quote to fix.
Also said it needed new kitchen worktops as there was 2 small chips.
Apparently needed all new windows as one panel had blown and so on.

That is on top of the standard red mark for electric, gas, asbestos etc...

EVERY SINGLE THING bar the drains (which weren't tested) came up as red lol. Now granted that house DID need a new roof (which we already heavily suspected) and had historic structure issues but the silly little things they marked down made it hard to take any of it seriously.

It told me nothing of actual worth... was £600 wasted.

The only bit that I'd be too bothered about onthere would be the roof. Old houses often have zero or rubbish insulation as standard. Lead pipes are common. We drink bottled water, though you could buy a water filter.
The doors & windows can't be that bad or else you'd have noticed yourself?

Honestly this stuff is standard for a survey on an old house. If it makes you jittery walk away but maybe accept older properties may not be for you!

I'm no expert but I'd be very concerned about lead water pipes. Thai would be a game changer for me.

Lots of houses still have lead pipes

I walked away from a house with a similar survey but I'm very risk averse and really not interested in taking on any kind of building work beyond basic DIY. I have friends who wouldn't bat an eyelid at the issues you've raised so it really comes down to how much you feel you can take on board.

In my experience in estate agent speak the sentence 'in need of tlc throughout' usually means that there are loads of issues to be dealt with.

If you do proceed, definitely get quotes on how much you would expect to pay to get the works done and knock at least that price off. If your survey finds this, so will future buyer”s survey.

Phone them!
“But why does it need replacing?”
”And why does that need to happen within five years exactly?”
”What did you see that suggests the windows need replacing?”

I am a pretty nervy, risk adverse FTB, and for some bizarre reason your surveyor is picking up stuff an EPC will cover, i.e, “this room may not be warm” - but even as a nervy FTB I find some of these things laughable to put on a survey. It sounds like he was trying to pick it apart for faults because he couldn’t really find much to report on.

I would push for more information on the roof as the first priority because they can be quite expensive.

Red is a surveyor’s favourite colour because it means fewer people can sue them. Always remember that.

That may be, but the UK banned lead in pipes because lead is known to be detrimental to health.

For that reason I would not go near a house with lead potentially leaching into the water supply.

Obviously OP needs to make her own decision on this.

Compare the price you are paying with a house that is well maintained. Work out the price of what needs doing (you didn’t mention electrics?), then add on a huge dollop more and double the amount of time.
I’d be concerned at ‘patch rendering and repaint’. That could easily, and probably should, end up as remove all rendering and re-render with a flexible stucco. Next is ‘poorly fitted CWI’. What’s that? Spray in foam? What’s poor about it?
Unless the roof is leaking and has damaged timbers, it most likely won’t need doing immediately. Central heating? What’s up with the windows? 1970s/80s double glazing is coming to the end of its lifespan now. What’s the drive like?

In most cases, nowadays buying an already done property is far cheaper than a fixer upper.

It’s certainly a negotiating point, as sooner or later, someone will be shelling out to get them replaced.

My concern is that workmen and materials are now so expensive with silly quotes, I would rather buy something with minimal requirements. A bit of decor and minor diy max. That's just me.

Apparently the roof felt has been patched several times and still has holes in it , so it needs completely replacing. Some hip tiles have become loose and the mortar around the roof is also loose and missing in parts. There is no ventilation in the roof, the chimney needs repointing and roll top cowls put on two chimney pots, with lead seals removed first and the TV aerial has come loose from the chimney and needs removing.

We have lead pipes in the house we are in now, built in 1925. I realise it's not a good thing to have but we have lived with it for 6 years. We do have a water filter.

Felt can be patched again, no need for a full refelt. Hip tiles and mortar can be sorted, that doesn't mean a new roof is required.

Types of cowling are really a surveyors remit - get a sweep or Hetas engineer to look at them, TV aerial get it fixed or get satallite!

None of that sounds like anything major. If you really want the house, I would purchase it and accept all of the points you mention as standard maintenance.