Advice on Survey Results

[Clare1207]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are in the process of buying our first house and we've just got the survey back. The house is a 3-bed mid-terrace and was built in the 1930s in Liverpool that we're paying £137k for and it has flagged up the following issues that I'm concerned about:

1. Chimney Stacks - eroded pointing, with vegetation growth.
2. Roof Coverings - broken, loose and tilted tiles that need replacing.
3. Gutters - made of stone and evidence of elevated moisture in the bedroom underneath it, posible asbestos in the pipe connection.
4. Mains walls - evidence of damp proof course but high levels of dampness were present internally so likely DPC has failed. Evidence of Chemical Injection Damp Proof Course but looks like it wans't done properly.
5. Render on front of property - cracked and uneven render observed, could cause further dampness so advised to re-render
6. Windows - uPVC double glazed but front upstairs windows are too low to the ground and are considered a safety hazard. A few windows are sticking/catching with loose handles. Gaps noted between render finish and window frames.
7. Loft - The roof space does not have enough ventilation. Poorly insulated. Large gaps between this and neighbouring loft due to a removed chimney stack - this could allow fire to pass easily and advised to build it back up. Posibile structural issues due to this removal.I've included a photo of this.
8. Internal walls - dampness found in most walls and damp and timber survey is recommended.
9. Floors - possible asbestos in floors. Some uneven/springy spots on the landing/bathroom.
10. Chimney Breast with removed fireplace - damp in chimney breast detected, likely due to flue deteriorating or a missing vent.No ventilation/vents.

Mostly it is the damp/chimney issues I'm concerned about and the massive gap between this house's loft and next doors which the survey mentioned may have caused a structrual issue.

My question is, is the above acceptable, I'm going to get a damp inspection ordered but it just seems like such a lot to deal with, these were just the things that stood out as concerning to me, there were loads of other things in the report that also needed sorting urgently but were little jobs from what I could tell. Anyone who has moved recently, I'd love your opinion on this! I know surveyors have to cover themselves by being overly cautious but it's just all scaring me a bit! Anyone who has had similar issues with damp/chimney issues - could you let me know roughly how much it cost to sort?

Thank you in advance!

I would walk. The asbestos floor and structural issues from chimney removal could be a real pain to rectify and it sounds like the building needs rerendering asap which I think is likely to be thousands?
Damp surveys are normally a waste of time as they are usually people who are trying to sell you an injection damp proof course. If there is a slate dpc then it won't have degraded, it may have been breached by high ground levels or made less effective by low airflow under the floors or a leaking gutter.

That sounds like a looooottttt of work. Do you have a budget for getting people in and fixing things because even things that sound like small jobs can cost a fair whack these days, and the roof stood out for me. You could find there’s a bigger problem than a few slipped slates (voice of bitter experience here).

It really depends on your budget, what you are willing to spend on top of what you’re paying, and how much you love the house.

Your estate agent should offer some help and you may need estimates for larger repairs. Send a copy to their estate agent who is obliged to share repair needs with any new buyers.

Once you have a costing you may negotiate a new price or ask the seller to complete the repairs and provide evidence of the work any any guarantees

Always negotiate on any amber items on a survey report

Hm as an owner of a similarly aged house, most of this just sounds like standard old house stuff - but I really could not be bothered to faff with the chimney/loft issue and for that reason alone I’d give it a miss. The rest I think is mostly what you should expect from an old house.

Are there newer houses in your budget in the area?

Our survey was absolutely awful, we’ve been here 5 years and most of the ‘it could have’ was just arse covering. The roof tiles, windows, springy floors etc wouldn’t bother me, neither would the need to put vents in the chimney or the asbestos as long as I wasn’t planning to do anything that would interfere with it. The removed chimney stack and potential structural issue would really concern me and I’d walk away probably based on this.

Hi I’m buying a house with chimney issue both chimneys need work done, apologies my head is mashed so can’t remember full details definitely repointing & I think replacement flashing, also roof tiles replacing. Contractor with after sending up a drone has quoted me 3k to complete the work. Seller has knocked this off the sale price. It may not be as big a job as you think. Ask the agent to have a contractor look at what’s needed is my advice - good luck

What sort of price have similar houses in better condition gone for? Sounds like lots of faff for no additional value, if better looked after houses are similarly priced then hold on for a different one. One or two of the things on your list might be ok but it sounds like a money pit to me.

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate the comments and experiences.

Almost everyone I've asked about it has said walk away. We don't have the budget to be spending thousands/tens of thousands on getting things fixed and the damp, the asbestos potential issue in the floor, and the chimney issue (especially the issue in the loft with the wall needing rebuilding and potential structural issues) really worries me.

Everything else I'd probably be fine with, as I would expect it from an older house, even the roof tiles even though that will probably be expensive to fix as we would need scaffolding etc. I think we're going to have to just take the hit and walk away which is absolutely gutting as we love the area. Not even too fussed about potentailly losing the house itself, as it's actually quite small, but the area made it worth it for us!

I asked the surveyor that did my hosue survey for a quote for looking at the damp issue and they've quoted £750 just to survey it which is so expenisve for something that we might have to walk away from and twice what we've paid for the homebuyers survey. There was another potential buyer who was also willing to pay around the same as us so I can't see the seller accepting the reduction we would need to make it worth it!

Might have to take the small finacial hit that we've already paid out in terms of solicitors checks and survey and keep on looking.

What is the actual evidence of damp?

Are there visible signs of damp or did the surveyor just take some moisture readings from the wall?

If the latter I wouldn't be bothered as those moisture meters they use always show damp and are frankly a bit of a scam.

I was going to say the same as notdavidtennant

i also had to have firewalls built - seller did this - (2.5k) starting to wonder if you are me 🤭

anyone buying the house will have same issues, I’d suggest get agent to get quotes & negotiate with seller. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Damp gets mentioned often so unless you can see strong evidence of dampness I would not bother with a survey specific for that.

The chimney stack and missing brickwork comments are the most significant.

There was a similar house in the same road that sold 2 years ago for the same price, difficult to see the condition just based on the photos but looks in a bit better condition. Most of the issues in this place can't be seen from the photos though so who knows really!

There are some visable signs of damp but I thought it was to do with the drainpipes being a bit blocked due to where they were. I asked them specifically if there were any issues with damp before I put the offer in and was told no issues. I've spoken to a builder in the family and showed the full report and they've put me right off saying the chimney and roof issues are major and going to cost thousands to fix and the wall issue picture I posted may have caused structrual issues. We just don't have that sort of money to spare. There are also no evidence of any checks ever being done in terms of electric, gas, boiler, etc. and the surveyor specifically pointed out that everything they could see in terms of changes made to the property would have needed planning permission and they don't have any of that from what I can tell.

I know surveyors need to be overly cautious but the list is just too long for things wrong with the place, like I mentioned previously that list I posted isn't even everything, it's just the major things that stuck out to me. If it was just one of the major issues (except structural) I think I'd go for it regardless because we do really like the area. I'll speak to the estate agents but can't see the buyer budging as they wanted us to actually go over the asking price and wouldn't accept any offers below.

Thank you all, your comments have been really helpful!

Most surveys can look frightening but most of yours are going to cost a lot of money or be a ballache getting trades in. On a 500K house it would be worth spending, but a 137K? Nah.

I would be worried about the chinmey removal and the asbestos the most, the rest are just money eaters.