Hi
We've had an offer accepted on a 1930s house in London.
We got a Level 3 survey which stated:
"There are issues of structural movement within this property which give us great cause for concern as reported and certainly cannot be confirmed as to whether or not these issues are continuing without the benefit of long-term monitoring. We would strongly advise against proceeding with the purchase of this property".
Obviously, the first thought was to walk away. However, there are some big question marks for us. Firstly, the same surveyor had found similar problems on a property we offered on in the same sort of area, but not too near (25 min walk away), which seems a bit strange. The structural movement 'issues' seem based on a small number of hairline cracks and a claim that the vendor has tried to cover it up with fresh paint - but it's not at all freshly painted, walls are very marked and tired.
A review of the report by an established, experienced builder said it was surprising given the evidence the surveyor had cited and his knowledge from working on neighbouring houses. A structural engineer's initial review of the report called it 'pessimistic'. And the vendors have provided some pretty clear evidence to contradict the basis of some of these claims of structural movement. For example, 'trees were removed suggesting vegetation movement' but the tree referenced was a small dwarf conifer removed a decade ago and was 20 feet from the property (there are no other trees nearby).
So we are getting out a structural engineer for a second opinion. My main question is, if the structural engineer dismisses these concerns, how do we proceed with getting home insurance? Do we still need to declare the original report? And has anyone experienced a rather dramatic report that's turned out to be fine? Or is it wishful thinking on my behalf...