Building survey... help?

[Hayleyberry]

Any house experts or owners,
SORRY FOR THE LONG READ!!

I need some advice on a building survey done which has highlighted immediate action. As first time buyers and been private renting all our lives this has scared us a bit. It is a semi-detached 1930s build and whilst extra maintenance is required on older properties, how do we go about discussing these findings with seller if not at all.
The repairs are about 16k in total. Have included the major ones on the report.

External chimney [CONDITION]: The chimney has an open cage cowl. It would be beneficial to have this replaced with a cowl that offers protection from the rain. Over time, rainwater ingress will damage the flue internally, and potentially cause dampness to appear on the chimney breasts.Works to this part of the property are likely to require the erection of
scaffolding.
Estimated repair cost: £1200

External roof(s) covering: There is a roof covering of lapped concrete tiles.
The roof covering appears to be a replacement to the original. This work should have been carried out with Building Regulations approval to confirm that the correct materials were used, and
that the insulation in the roof is up to modern standards. Your legal advisors should check that the correct documentation is in place. Without the correct documentation, the future resale of the property could be hindered.
Roof cover [CONDITION]: We observed perished bedding mortar to joints to the ridge and hip tiles, which has resulted in the hip tiles becoming loose and dropping. Re-pointing the joints is often not adequate enough maintenance, as the bedding has normally perished beneath. We, therefore, recommend that you have the hip and ridge tiles re-bedded in fresh cement mortar. The
old cement will require removing from beneath the tiles prior to re-bedding.
Estimated repair cost: £1000

Exterior rainwater fitting: The rainwater fittings appear to be of metal, however, as the fittings are painted, it can be difficult to confirm. You should be aware that the fittings may be of asbestos cement, however, closer inspection will be required in order to confirm.
Rainwater pipe [CONDITION]: There is apparent corrosion to the metal rainwater fittings and these will require replacement soon by a reputable roofing contractor. This will help prevent damp penetration internally and damage to the masonry.
External Elevations (Left Elevation)
Exterior rainwater fitting [TYPE]: Same as above.
Rainwater pipe [CONDITION]: The condition of this part of the property is similar to the front elevation.
Estimated repair cost: £800

Rainwater pipe [CONDITION]: There is also a wrongly discharging down-pipe to the porch. Downpipes should properly discharge so that rainwater drains away and not directly into the ground. Rainwater penetrating into the ground can erode away the substrata underneath the foundations of a building, resulting in structural movement. A drainage channel should be installed
in the ground which can lead to the nearby gulley.
Estimated repair cost: £300

Damp proof [CONDITION]: The DPC (Damp Proof Course) is low due to the raised ground height, which appears to be contributing to the dampness found internally. We therefore recommend that a ventilated box drain gully is installed at the base of the wall to help remove moisture away. This work should be carried out by a reputable drainage contractor, in due course. The DPC has also been bridged by the masonry paint that has been applied to the lower brickwork, and we would recommend that the paint is removed, in order to allow the DPC to
perform as intended.
Estimated repair cost: £800

Sub-floor ventilation [TYPE]: There is 1 subfloor vent [CONDITION]: Alterations have been made to the property, in the form of a porch with a solid concrete floor, without the appropriate provision of cross ventilation to properly ventilate the subfloor voids within the property. Alterations could, therefore, be necessary in an effort to meet current standards. Restricted ventilation can result in noxious gases and/or condensation that can cause dry rot to affect the floor timbers and other components of the building. We would be unable to confirm the full effect of this issue without a subfloor inspection of the building. We, therefore, recommend that the subfloor is inspected by a PCA (Property Care
Association) registered timber treatment specialist, and this will require removal of some of the floor boards to allow a thorough inspection. A less comprehensive option would be an endoscope inspection through the external vents; this option would be less disruptive. If a replacement floor is required due to the lack of ventilation, this will require Building Regulation approval from the local council.
Estimated repair cost: £1500

Exterior Conservatory or porch:
There is a brick porch.
Conservatory or porch [CONDITION]: The porch generally appears to be in a poor condition. We observed a number of damaged roof tiles, and these will require replacement to prevent water ingress to these areas. The external joinery was found to be weathering, and redecoration is therefore recommended in order to prevent rot and deterioration.The porch is of single skinned masonry construction. This type of construction is not thermally efficient, and is prone to dampness. In addition, there is render which terminates at ground level,
which will likely trap mositure within the wall, and therefore, removal of the render is
recommended.
Estimated repair cost: £1000

Roof structure [CONDITION]: A representative sample of timbers were tested for dampness with our electronic moisture meter and moderate/high damp readings were recorded. We suspect this is due to condensation. Further ventilation of the roof is required and this should be discussed with a reputable roofing contractor. We also recommend that measures are taken to help reduce condensation, such as installing extractor fans that have humidity sensors, to reduce the amount of moisture in the air. If high levels of dampness continue, the timbers are likely to become rotten.
Estimated repair cost: £500

Chimney: The fireplace opening has been bricked up and plastered over. Whereas flues abutting external walls can be vented externally at low level to help remove condensation within the disused void, which can lead to dampness and damage, flues abutting party or partition walls only usually require ventilation with a capping vent to the chimney pot.
Chimney [CONDITION]: Ventilation should be installed in the base of the flue to help remove dampness from within the disused void and to prevent the brickwork from becoming damaged.
Chimney [CONDITION]: As recommended above, ventilation should be installed at the base of the flue. A CR3 has been applied due to dampness observed.
Estimated repair cost: £200

Ground floor (Living Room, Kitchen, Hallway, Porch)
Energy efficiency lighting: Same as above.
Electricity [CONDITION]: There are unprotected lighting tubes. These types of tubes can have toxic chemicals in them. Therefore, protection should be added to the light fittings.
Estimated repair cost: £6000
Clarification note: Cost to rewire the property and replace all necessary electrical fittings
The presence of a rewire-able fuse board is an indication that the property may require rewiring, and this should be confirmed by your electrician.

Plumbing [CONDITION]: We observed staining below the waste under the sink, which may be an indication of a leak. It is recommended that the plumbing is inspected by a reputable plumbing
contractor, and it repaired/replaced where necessary.
Estimated repair cost: £200
Roof plumbing [CONDITION]: There is a header tank in the loft. Legionella can grow in stagnant water that is in between 20-60 degrees centigrade, making this kind of water system vulnerable. Cold-water storage tanks should be cleaned periodically, and water should be drained from hot water cylinders, to check for debris or signs of corrosion. We recommend that you plan to upgrade the system to one that prevents Legionella growth, as it can be hazardous to human health.
Estimated repair cost: £200

Drainage [CONDITION]: We found standing water in the drainage chamber to the front. This is an indication that there could be a defect within the drainage system. Defective drainage can cause movement to buildings, by softening the substrata beneath the foundations. You should, therefore, have the drainage tested by means of a pressure test, possibly followed by a CCTV inspection. A CCTV inspection alone will not confirm whether or not the drainage is leaking. If leaks are found near to the base of the walls, you should obtain further advice from a reputable and qualified structural engineer, who should confirm whether or not the foundations have been affected. The local water company could be responsible for any drainage repairs and this should be confirmed by your legal advisors.
Estimated repair cost: £300

Can anyone shed some insight on any that show as major works and can give us some leverage to negotiate with seller, and do I back this up with quotes from builders? Any info/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Try not to get spooked. Surveyors cover their backs and often it's just a list of 'could be problems' and potential recommendations. Unless you're buying a new build, any house is going to have usual maintenance and wear and tear stuff and it's not necessarily reasonable to expect the vendor to rectify these issues (or pay for you to do so). Loads of stuff came up in our survey that was phrased as being essential/ a problem that we still haven't done anything about years later and the house is still standing!

Re. the electrics and plumbing stuff, you will need to pay for additional inspections by the relevant experts if this is something you're worried about and then you can decide how to proceed. Be wary of a tradesperson saying something 'needs' doing though (they may just be trying to drum up work)

How much do you like the house? Is it a good price? Are there other houses available that you'd be happy to buy if this one falls through? Personally, I wouldn't be quibbling over anything minor that the surveyor says is a recommendation. I haven't read the whole thing closely, but unless there's anything that's structurally essential or actually dangerous (or any of the real red flag things like subsidence or Japanese knotweed) I wouldn't be worrying about it too much

I think the subfloor ventilation and dpc stuff are the only bits that need sorting soonish and you wouldn't have been expected to know before the survey/ won't cost much to fix. I would get a quote for that work and see how much it is and then go back to the vendor. Or you could just try with the quotes given by the surveyor? It's about £2300 of work according ghr the survey.

I don't think any of those are something you should put off doing. Surveyors don't cover their arses, they identify risks to the property, which can have a long term effect. All this work needs done to protect the structure so it doesn't deteriorate further. If you do it later it will be more expensive. I work in construction pricing and completing these types of survey all the time, there isn't a single thing on that list I wouldn't do.

The re-wiring should be done before you move in, it's a big job and you'll need a safety certificate for the property. You'll need to allow for decoration beyond that as there will be some damage from taking out old wiring.

I would caution that some of the prices look quite low; (I really wish they wouldn't put prices on these things when they have no clue!)

The repair to the chimneys will require a scaffold. That in itself could cost £1500 for the time the work takes to do. You'd have all the other high up stuff done at the same time which makes it more efficient.

Drainage channel for £300, that's less than a day's labour rate.

Replacing the cold water tank for £200. Not a chance!

Installing extractor fans, for 500 quid you'd maybe get a couple of them.

The prices are based on a single builder taking on the work, all at the same time. If you choose to do these individually, it will be more expensive. There's probably minimum 3 weeks work in it. You need to get a proper quote from a builder, but I'd be surprised if it came in much less than 25k. You'll need somewhere to stay while the work is being done too.

Your best bet is to negotiate with the buyer and ask them to reduce the price by at least double the 16k estimate.

Buying a house is one of the biggest purchases most people make. We do surveys for a reason. Don't skimp on the repairs, you will only regret it in the future.

How much difference is there between the valuation and the price you paid?

Jesus Christ!

If "surveyors" had their way nobody would ever be able to buy a house. ..

Virtually everything on that list is nonsense. Surveyors deliberately compile catastrophic reports so that they can't be sued after.

Let's start from the beginning . .

The Roof

Building regs for refoofing came in around 2008, virtually nobody has them for semi or terraced houses due to the sharing of loft space. The report basically stated that your roof has had new tiles at some point (could have been pre regs) so unless someone can prove it was done after 2010 then you dont need building regs. A few tiles have come loose, not a big deal. The attic needs venting, again not a big deal, a few hundred quid.

chimney

The report says nothing is wrong with it but advises a vent top to prevent damp issues. Ignore this part of the report as it confirms there's no problem.

Guttering, it's likely metal, not asbestos, new guttering is a few hundred quid.

Drainage

Any paint that breaches the DPC must be mighty stuff indeed, of you're worried scrape it off. The "box" drain could be done anytime, the house has been there for 100 years, don't worry about it. The "standing water" issue. Yes, get a drain inspection, most likely nothing will be found.

Get an electrician out to do a safety check. Again, probably will be fine.

That 16k bill is in reality about 2 or 3k.

Just to add - surveyor estimates of repair costs are total nonsense. Take that first one - the chimney cowl. That's not remotely essential - loads of people have chimneys with no cowl at all, and even more have the wire cage cowls - it's a completely normal thing. Even if you DID want to replace it - it's a quick job that no-one on god's green earth is going to put scaffolding up to do.
In my area of the country, I'm confident I could get a local builder to do a job like that for £150 max.

Tips on reading the survey - watch out for all the "potentially", "will cause x in the future" "prone to" "may" "might" - this is all stuff where the surveyor hasn't actually found a problem, but is just telling you where deterioration could happen in the future. Remember buildings DO deteriorate - you can't expect a vendor to give you a discount based on something that hasn't actually happened yet.

Things where a surveyor complains that an old house is not built to modern building regs are always a red herring. Modern building standards only apply to modern buildings or significant building works, they don't apply retrospectively so there is no requirement for old buildings to meet them. If you want a house that fully complies with all modern building regs as in existence today, you need to be buying newbuild.Cold water tank in loft comes under this category- that's an old-fashioned style of water system, it is totally legal and is not a fault with the house.

It's obvious from the report that this is a property that you must be buying expecting to renovate - if it's got an old-style fuse box, old-style water tanks, lighting tubes etc - you'll have offered on a visibly dated property, which will have been priced as such, you can't expect to get further discount because a surveyor confirms what you already know. You'll have walked in through that weathered porch that needs redecoration, you can't have missed it and you know the house would have been more expensive if it was in tiptip condition.

Look for the stuff the surveyor is saying IS there and is already an issue that is fundamentally NEW information. Then get a proper idea of the cost to repair it rather than relying on surveyor totally made up figures.

@Tupster , you speak good sense.