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Home Repair Renovating

Shocking RICS report

2 years ago

Hi everyone, have you ever seen a building surveyor report with 17 items listed under “elements that require urgent attention”? Our dream home just unveiled to be even more a fixer-upper than we thought it would... at what point does a property become a money pit? And how much of this can we ask our seller to contribute to? The house is a semi-detached 3 bedroom bungalow.

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Comments (15)

Wumi
2 years ago
I don’t think this is particularly bad. The usual wear and tear of an older property that hasn’t been updated in a while.

Since this is your dream home and you hopefully plan to be there long term I would approach this house as a long term project and tackle the big/most pressing things first (if finances allows) and then tackle room by room.
Daisy England
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Half the time these ‘surveyors’ have to bulk out their paperwork. I don’t think there’s anything to be overly worried about.

I’ll give you a for instance quote here. My husband did a flight of stairs for a customer who was selling their house. The surveyor spouted so much claptrap to the customer who then got concerned and got back in touch with hubby who assured her he was correct in the stairs fitting and headroom and what the surveyor had said was of no relevance at all. Hubby was correct. The house was sold immediately. Take half of it with a pinch of salt.

Older properties will have their issues. They were built before the surveyor was born!
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Tani H-S
2 years ago
I've read the first few so far.
We have a 30's semi bungalow and our structural on it was horrendous. However, we knew we had to replace most of it - including the roof, so it wasn't a big issue.
Surveyors - as the others have mentioned - have to comment on every little thing just in case it comes back on them. Things that aren't important and things you will have already seen and know about. It just seems scary when they put it all on paper! I read ours back sometimes and it makes me panic even though we have repaired everything 🤣

The high priority comments about the ceilings and walls are a bit extreme as they have said it's unlikely structural so really, these should be in an Amber category!??!
I'm sure you know already that polystyrene on a ceiling is not good and would intend to remove it anyway.
Most of the houses of that era had lathe and plaster walls and whilst we have over boarded some of ours, we just plastered over others as they were fine. They can just cause cracks more than a new ceiling but there's nothing actually wrong with them.
Same with condensation on walls. If no massive mouldy dampy patches then a good airing should sort it.

The roof structure I would say is worth getting checked out. Might be normal movement but get a good roofer in to have a look as peace of mind. Might cost very little to put a brace in or it might need completely replacing so best to be safe.
Tani H-S
2 years ago
So I've read the others and again, not much if significance to particularly worry about. A lot of terms are 'might' and again is covering their backs.

So our timber floors were the same. When we moved in the house had been empty for a year and the bottoms of the walls had all been re plastered. When we lifted the floorboards we found that most had rotted at the ends because most of the brick vents were blocked up by the old cavity wall insulation. Basically the house needs to breathe and have air flow to keep the wood dry.

Bearing in mind the old houses might have some natural sloping towards one side from normal movement so that could be a factor in sloping floors. But the surveyor can't see under the floor so has to make assumptions.

We did have the rotten joists replaced which wasn't cheap and the vents were fitted with the tunnel that goes through the cavity wall to stop any crap from blocking it again. Builders can do this for you.

I don't think any house escapes issues but if they are the worse things mentioned then just get those main things checked out.

Our surveyor had put things in that were wrong ie wet rot which turned out to just be brick dust!

once you have had those worrying you more, inspected, then make a decision as to whether it's worth it or not. And get two opinions on major things.
Jonathan
2 years ago
There’s not that much maintenance suggested by the report.

So the thing to do is be pragmatic:- perhaps jobs would have been done anyway (such as removing old fires and ceiling tiles), some jobs might not have been on the list such as having timbers braced since they are inexpensive jobs and the housing market is buoyant it may not be worth rocking the boat to the point where the seller chooses an alternative buyer.

That being said the most costly job is likely the felt to the roof which means ultimately taking off the slates and rehanging them. Consider getting a quote from a roofer. This might not be too bad as being a single storey house makes it easier but it could still be £3/4K and armed with that quote you may be able to negotiate something with the seller.
Ricky Watkins
2 years ago
Pretty standard report, the surveyors like to cover there backs so sometimes go overboard. Depending on what you got house for £ against what it is worth compared to what it will be worth once done to your taste you need to weigh things up. The mortgage company may flag roof report up and ask for an independent roof report. You could ask sellers if they're prepared to get one. Then if it flags up urgent work they either get it done or knock more off house. Normally your lender would ask for the roof to be repaired before they'll lend against it.
sarh123
2 years ago
Personally I would not go ahead without getting an expert second opinion on the roof and potential heave. Are you getting a mortgage? If so it would be interesting to know your lenders interpretation of the report. If you’re a cash buyer, by how much did the surveyor discount the value for the problems? I’d also have a good discussion with the surveyor to understand the risks of going ahead. With houses, I’d always prefer to be disappointed at the house I missed out on than stuck in a house with structural issues.
arc3d
2 years ago
It's a "nothing to see here" report.
Jonathan
2 years ago
I think sarh has misread the report- there are no structural issues mentioned
sarh123
2 years ago
I haven’t misread - I’ve bought a few houses in my time and always look for floors which are uneven due to possibility of heave/movement. Also the comments on the purlin specifically refer to structural risks.
Juliet Docherty
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Is the price reasonable given the age and condition of the property?

Were there others after it?

If you think it's overpriced then there might be grounds for negotiation. Some people are prepared to take on a house with some issues if they plan a huge refurbishment and will still make money.

Where we live, houses that are being sold on behalf of an elderly person who may need care tend to be very highly priced, due to the astronomical cost of care.

Finally, nobody reads a surveyors report without some feeling of trepidation, they always sound worse than they are. Do you have any builder contacts who you could show it to in order to put your mind at rest?
Jonathan
2 years ago
Saying there are structural risks is alarmist language as it suggests there is an immediate and costly fault. Most likely this is a minor remedial repair. As Colourhappy says ask a builder friend to put your mind at rest- they will most likely tell you the repair is simply a prop of wood under the purlin that is sagging. They might even go further and suggest £2 metal braces to the rafters.
Flora Poggio
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you to all of you for your valuable comments - we have had a roofer look into it for the time being and he mentioned that the insulating of the roof is actually going to be more expensive than the correcting of the purlin. (Which highlights how little I know about these things!)
As for the rest, I will take the majority of your advice and tackle little by little without letting it scare us.
Thank you again - if the purchase does go through (fingers crossed) I will have you lot to thank, among others.
Angie
2 years ago
The survey for our current home highlighted the need for re-slating the roof and lining it. You could see the sky through the slates! We got quotes, went back to the vendor (via estate agent) and agreed to meet half way on the cost. We had the roof done a few months after moving in and it cost less in the end than we were quoted which was a bonus.
Good luck with the purchase and renovations. Angie
Flora Poggio
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you Angie, appreciate your input!

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