Survey new roof advice?

[NotChained]

House is 1930s. I assume it's original roof. Have spent quite a lot doing the property up, have only hit equal with sale price and what was spent on it. Received an offer and price was in region of and we were offered 8k less than asking price.

Survey has come back saying needs a new roof. Buyer has asked me to get a new roof, and said even if it needed replacing in five+ years they couldn't afford it so it needs to be done by us.

I'm waiting on a roofer to come out and assess, but what is peoples stance on this. We have never had issues with the roof. It does have some algae on it due to trees in the area but not leaking.

I cannot afford a new roof, the house in my opinion was priced with the roof in mind so if there is no issue with it other than age then I don't feel it should be replaced. If it does need replacing then I would expect the value of my property to increase in line with the new roof?

What would your thoughts be on this I have already accepted a lower offer at 8k so I would argue this is already a discount in itself.

I think the buyer is maxed out finance wise. I want to be fair but can't be any more out of pocket.

I would not be getting a new roof. I wouldn’t even have a roofer assess it. If it’s obvious it’s an old roof and you’ve already reduced the price then that’s all you need to do. The buyers finances aren’t your problem.

Depends how badly you need to sell. You’re looking at effectively a 15k+ reduction tho so factor that in.

@Symposium I am just getting a roofer as it also mentioned a damp reading so I need the condition checked to ensure it isn't leaking or faulty as I would get that fixed.

I wouldn't be budging on price. You've accepted 8k under asking and was probably priced taking into account age of roof.
Do you really need to sell now/ to these buyers

A house that age with original roof regardless of current condition would survey up as it’s reaching the end of it’s lifespan and will need replacing
I’d knock it off the price of the house rather than replace it because people always put offers In on house's so if you replaced roof a new buyer would still try to knock price down with offer

@madroid I want to sell the property but the buyer has already had almost 10k off. The house was priced with the roof condition in mind. Houses in the area have sold for 10-20k more with newer roofs so surely I wouldn't reduce any further? I would make good any repairs if needs be.

Well if the buyer is maxed out and you can't afford to drop then what are the alternatives ?

Either they accept without the roof being done or it's a no go ?

This is the only option ?

What does the survey actually say ? Does it elaborate why they think it needs a new roof ? Also what kind of survey was it ?

Absolutely not. There’s no way I’d get a new roof in these circumstances. I’d say that the property was priced in accordance with its condition and they’ve already had 8k off. You are not aware of any issues with the roof other than it’s old. If they want a new roof they can bloody well pay for their own.

FWIW I’m 8 months down the line trying to get our house sold to our buyer (house was only on the market for a week!) and I wish we’d walked away from them at the first sign of them being a fucking nightmare to work with. Our house is a doer upper and it seems she would like us to do it up before she buys it. Everything is a back and forth, delays, workmen, negotiation. Wish I’d just gone to auction!

@GasPanic The only other option would be to put it back up on the market. It has been noted it is a 1930s original roof. Possibly asbestos I'm not sure if it is or not at this moment. Buyer hasn't shared survey points and photos so I don't have all the facts. Apparently high reading of damp but it's bone dry up there so not sure if it's the rafters no sign or rot or woodworm. I'm obviously willing to fix any issues of there are leaks or damp.

Do you know the type of survey ?

I would be asking for at least the specific survey details as respect to the roof so you can check it out. To me there would be a bit of a difference between a thorough survey (not sure the level) detailing specifics of why the roof needed to be replaced and a homebuyer? survey stating simply that it is very old and most roofs of that age need replacing sooner rather than later. I am not a roofing expert.

At the end of the day though surely all this is moot. If you cannot lower and they cannot afford the costs of the (potential) repair then they either need to accept as it is or pull out ?

@GasPanic it was a level 2, so not a full structural.

I am willing to repair if it is stated that the roof needs some remedial work.

I would reduce slightly more for instance if the roof was going to cost x amount, i would reduce.

I would not replace as the sale price of my property was already lower than others in the area due to the roof and other cosmetic reasons, plus the buyer already received a further discount.

I'm hoping we can meet somewhere in the middle, but trying to garner what is reasonable and whether to just walk away. I won't have any further insights until a roofer comes and tells me the condition of the roof.

You're not even going to get the benefit of a new roof so no way would I get one. Hold your nerve. Surveys always say original rooves are at the end of their lifespan for 1920s/1930s houses but most people only replace once they start having issues with them.

Are they first time buyers? Many surveys aside from new builds will say you need a new roof - I spoke in depth to a RICS 3 surveyor who explained in most cases with older houses this usually means ideally it would be done in next 5 years, doesn’t meant it needs to get done tomorrow. I would not be budging. Potentially I’d offer them an extra 2k off so you’ve effectively lowered the asking by 10k which is about half a new roof (location dependant)

We bought a 1929 house which was already reduced a fair bit due to elderly couple wanting a quick sale. Needs roof repair/replacement at some stage but is fine for now. Had internal asbestos ceiling removed at our own cost. All other work was aesthetic. Didn't ask for any more off, it was already a good price and was a lovely house in a great location. Despite the fact that these internal works did stretch us a fair bit (we didn’t have unlimited funds by a long stretch!) we figured it was going to be our home and we love it so why jeopardise the sale over relatively small amounts. Similarly our buyer was reasonable we gave them 2k off to meet half way on a maintenance issue, but other than that they paid almost asking.

You just have to be reasonable as a buyer in my opinion. The extra stretch to carry out a few works meant I had to sacrifice my dreams of a brand new kitchen (for now!) so I’m renovating it and painting it myself. You just have to make it work it’s not up to the seller to lose out due to your finances (assuming the property is priced fairly)

I guess it comes down to your onward plans, can you afford to put it back on the market ?

The roofer is hardly likely to say "You don't need a new roof" is he?

i was told i needed a new roof 15 years ago, i had the chimney flaunching re done and a couple of new slates and all is good.

You need a surveyor who specialises in this sort of thing to advise.

Take some photos of the roof, blow them up and look closely. Are there any missing or broken slates or tiles? Any slippages? Have you ever had a roof leak?

If not, the roof does not need replacing. I'd reject their request. You could quite easily be looking at £20k for no benefit to you.

We bought a 1930s house earlier this year which we had a level 3 survey on
Guess what? The survey said it would need a new roof because it's the original.

We would never have dreamed of asking the previous owners to replace the roof. Perhaps if we had believed it was likely to need replacing immediately we would have negotiated on price but given most houses in the street still have their original roof and we saw no signs of damage either when reviewing photos from the surveyor, or when my husband went in the loft we decided to chance it.

Now the flat roof on the extension, that we have had to make a repair on!

No not ftb but the survey has obviously spooked them as they are adamant they need a new roof now and cannot afford one. I have a feeling this sale is going to fall through :D

We had asbestos on our roof on a house we was selling. We was unaware when we purchased but our buyers survey picked it up as “potential asbestos” and they advised our buyer to test and replace if it came back positive, the buyer put this to us and we refused. Told them the house price reflected the age of the roof, it’s in sound condition as in it had no leaks or gaps and 90% of the houses in the area would contain some sort of asbestos. It was also a 1930’s house. They pulled out and we went back to market and accepted an offer £5000 above previous offer a day later. You have already accepted £8K less and your house has been valued to reflect the original roof, I would decline and put the house back to market.

@lemonwrighty thank you for sharing your story and your kind words. I've put everything in writing and just got to wait and see the buyers position now. It sounded like if I didn't replace the roof they are going to pull out so I expect that's going to happen tomorrow.

Is the roof leaking? any joists sagging? any issues at all?

If not then tell the buyer to move on.

Plenty of houses in UK built in 1930's with original roof and no issues. I know - I'm a surveyor!

@Propertydad101 should I suggest they speak to the surveyor about the roof comments?

I've had no issues with the roof and I'm happy to fix anything that is wrong with it. I've a bit concerned about this damp reading of "999" but the buyer is refusing to share the survey points and photos for investigation.

Could you suggest reducing the price by the cost of putting in a few roof vents? It might just need more air flow in the attic to solve the damp.
I would not even think about replacing it, you're not only paying for it but you're taking all the risk and you might end up with a substandard roof when you've got a perfectly good one now. And you'll have to wait several months at least to get the work done as good roofers are always busy.
I'd play hard ball and be ready to put the property back on the market if these buyers continue with their nonsense. Bit suspicious that they won't share the survey too or at least the relevant parts.

ETA could the damp being caused by roof insulation? I just uncovered the soffit vents from my roof and air now flowing and all good. I also stuck a dehumidifier up there to dry things out which could be an idea for you.

@redboxer321 I'm not sure the attic itself is bone dry. I have all my stuff up there and it's not wet. So at this moment I'm not sure where the damp reading was coming from. There is moss on the roof from surrounding trees in the area but I was advised to leave it alone on an old roof.

I've had the relevant points shared with me over the phone by the EA last week but I asked for them to be sent in writing and the photos would help when I get someone out to inspect. Still going to get someone to come and check the roof for sanity.

I did advise if I replaced the roof I would expect my property to increase in value.

Roofer said I need a new roof it's apparently soaking oh wellll 😂

What a surprise!