Buyer has pulled out after being spooked by survey

[BunnyWilliams]

We're absolutely devastated. Our buyers pulled out today after getting their full survey back over the weekend. Surveyor was from Countrywide and sent by Nationwide to do a valuation and he also did a level 2 survey.

Apparently, he has stated that the house is "liable to collapse" and the roof needs extensive work. We've already had a roofer out and there are a few cracked tiles which we're replacing. Definitely not extensive work needed! He was doing a level 2 survey and has made these claims with no evidence or further investigation to back them up.
We only moved in 4 years ago and had a level 3 survey which raised none of these issues.

Our buyers were getting a structural engineer round tomorrow because they'd already been spooked by his initial findings but they've now cancelled it.

I am devastated and furious (with the surveyor) in equal measure. Our buyers aren't willing to have a conversation about it. We've already said we'd cover the roof repairs and I'm getting 3 builders out this afternoon to look at the one ceiling that has cracks to quote to repair/replace it.

I'm sure we'll now lose our onward purchase. Of course, we'd completely fallen in love with it. We've already done all the searches. Our survey is booked for Thursday but I think we'll probably have to cancel it or we'll be liable to lose a further £800. Our house was on the market since September and we only had 4 viewings. The market here is beyond dead. Nothing new has come on in the bracket we're looking at since November!

That's so infuriating @BunnyWilliams . We are trying to sell an old house and I'm dreading the survey. There's nothing I'm aware of that's wrong with the house but being so old it has minor cracks and uneven floors. When we bought it we had a level 3 survey and you'd have thought it was about to collapse. We still bought as we have experience with older houses but it would have put others off. It's still standing solid!

Sure it would if that was the case! It has been very well cared for.

It sounds to me like a combination of the house being overpriced and then having some minor issues with the survey that tip the balance toward another property they are interested in. It's a crap situation. I recommend you get the issues fixed before re-marketing and adjust the price more toward the valuation. Fingers crossed next time it goes smoothly.

We had the same issue as you not two weeks ago.

Except, we’re selling our new build. We’ve been in it 8 years and when I showed their surveyor round, he was kind enough to let me know although ‘he shouldn’t really be speaking to me about this’, that our house could also be on the brink of collapse. I was in a state of total panic, we got a structural engineer in at his suggestion at OUR cost.

They took one look at his area of concern on an external wall and said, it’s settling cracks…no further action required. He did a full report and said what a complete waste of time and money it was. They don’t even factor on the scale! We have no internal cracks whatsoever but our buyer just wouldn’t have it.

It’s infuriating, as you say. We could’ve easily completed before the stamp duty changes, but hey ho, let’s waste everyone’s time and thousands of pounds instead. The only upside is we sold again within 6 days of being on the market for more money. I really hope the market isn’t as dead for you as you think it is!

I am so sorry this has happened.

Not Nationwide but I think Halifax (could be wrong as I’ve tried to blank it out for the sake of my blood pressure). Very similar scenario wiped five figures off our sale price for what was a very easily fixable few thousands pounds of work and very nearly collapsed the chain with his “riddled with damp and dodgy roof death trap” report. I hated him for years.

As has been said there needs to be some level of standard rather than just random opinion. The house before that we had 4 buyers and 4 surveys which all raised different issues. One of which was deeply, deeply concerned about a random plant stand I’d constructed from bricks which could destroy the very foundations unless it was immediately demolished (or some such utter toot).

Wishing you well going forward.

I had one when I was sorting out a mortgage on my apartment
Like a bulldog with a clip board
He down valued it by 20k and told me a private garden on a ground floor apartment adds no value unless it's totally private fence wise

We refused to have a survey done - cash buyers and knew we would have done pretty much anything to live here. Solicitor said 'it is my duty to tell you I can not advise you to proceed'. We said we are going ahead whatever. She then replied 'good, professionally I had to say that but personally you are doing the right thing'! Would have freaked us 30 years ago.

What a bizarre comment.

They all lowered them. The market was looking very iffy, interest rates were climbing and everyone especially the EA’s wanted to complete the chain and seal the deal.
As it was, it was good timing. The London market died for the next two years as interest rates were so high.