The nervous wait to exchange....

[b0rn2sk8]

For the spark you are asking for an EICR, for gas you want a gas safety inspection.

Damp people will probably give quote you for a new DPM even if it’s being caused by a leaking cutter. Proper snake oil industry.

Roofers are hard to come by but the work that may need doing should be clear cut. E.g. if a tile is missing it’s obvious, same goes for flashing (which may be causing the damp…)

In first instance you want to approach the sellers to get the remedial done but they’ll probably tell you to politely jog on in this market (sorry, the price reflects the condition). The gas and electrical inspections are on you IMO and they will always be flagged on a survey regardless.

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

Our recent Homebuyers report...

Ridge and and some tiles needs pointing
Buyers "quote"... 7k

No proof the electrics have been looked at needs a rewire .... buyers "quote" 4k
We'll just ignore the EICR I provided that says everything's fine and the massive sticker on the front that says checked April 2022

Gas/Water not looked at in 5 years ...
Have already provided Landlord gas safety check dated April and boiler serviced in Sep, dunno what else they wanted lol

Wall ties "Appear to have failed" ... Buyers "quote" 13.5k
Had this double checked by a Chartered Surveyor, 2 brickies and the company we had our pointing done by....
No evidence of wall tie failings... We can replace them if you want lol
Emailed the surveyor for clarification.... ignored haha

The survey said they'd checked all ground floor walls and no concern for damp... buyers "Quote" to fix this £2750

I then find the "quotes" he's received online are nothing to do with the survey, it was a copy n paste of

https://www.unbiased.co.uk/life/homes-property/survey-problems-and-what-they-cost-to-fix

The 1-10 bits were the "quotes" he got, even tho half of them weren't even mentioned on the survey! the exact figures he gave his conveyancer haha

His was a level 2 survey and it appears to be spending 3-400 on a chap to come out and tell you you best have someone look at xyz as they cant be bothered.
He even advised a video tour of the drains after advising he couldn't locate the access covers... rather visible front and back and never even asked me.
Bloke clearly wasn't a time server surveyor

Buyer took this to heart and thought the RICS Surveyor Handbook was gospel and was asking for ridiculous stuff, so told him to do one and went back to market.

 

[ChrisD.]

Are these management fees on new builds ending any time soon? We've looked at a few and some have them, some don't. Just seems to be a massive scam. Yet another we've found that we like and it has one of these management companies burned into the deeds.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

The issue is local authorities are not adopting the roads and land, I doubt the developers want to go to the expense of setting up management companies etc.

In theory, you should own your share of the management company and you’ll probably have to take your turn to run it at some point. The management company doesn’t make any money, the the contractors you appoint to mow the lawns and maintain the roads obviously will be.

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

• DPC possibly not being put on property, ground level.
• Renderer blocking the damp bricks ventilators
• electricity/wiring needs checking by a specialists
• Gas needs checking by a specialists
• Roof needs checking as thare a few things the surveyor saw like: mose, replacing flashing and replacing some tiles. Surevyor also could not see half of the roof due to access. He only saw it from ground level.
• Check the drains via CCTV survey of the underground drainage system.

L2 or L3 Survey?

The L2 we had was full of possible, could, maybe, perhaps, might want to, nowt conclusive at all really.


DPC - Was this as the surveyor couldn't see the DPC from outside of the building?
Look around the property for brick spalling around the lower courses n see where it stops, if its the same around the entire property you've very likely just found the DPC

Air bricks be easy/cheap to replace tbh woudln't worry me

EICR for the electrics
Gas Safety check and boiler service report/receipt

Roof Access - It's surprising how many surveyors go out ill equipped for the job you're paying them for lol
We had 4 ridge tiles replaced during the storm cost about £130, didnt take long either.


The Drain one was on ours too lol, Are there any issues with the drains? Were there any issues apparent when the surveyor was there? - if not that's wasted money
Just ask the seller

Might help if you give them a copy of the report too so they understand your reasoning

 

[jonneymendoza]

In the first instance we asked the seller if they could resolve similar issues. E.g: we had them replace some missing roof tiles, have electrical and gas surveys, take some pictures under the floorboards for us, etc.

Some items we agreed would make more sense for us to get a quote and us rectify the issue post-purchase. So I got three quotes, took the highest and then still haven't bothered to have the work done!

Edit - as somebody else has pointed out, our sellers were keen to sell within the stamp duty window so did accommodate a lot of our requests. Your mileage may vary in the current climate.

I don't think I will have any luck in asking the vendor to address these issues as the owner of the property is moving or has moved to a care home and I doubt the owners son or daughter has the capacity to deal with fixing damps etc.

The surveyor recommended that I just ask the vendor what work was done before on the DPC and if its under guarantee still.

Also we want to ask for electricity and gas inspection certificate.

For the spark you are asking for an EICR, for gas you want a gas safety inspection.

Damp people will probably give quote you for a new DPM even if it’s being caused by a leaking cutter. Proper snake oil industry.

Roofers are hard to come by but the work that may need doing should be clear cut. E.g. if a tile is missing it’s obvious, same goes for flashing (which may be causing the damp…)

In first instance you want to approach the sellers to get the remedial done but they’ll probably tell you to politely jog on in this market (sorry, the price reflects the condition). The gas and electrical inspections are on you IMO and they will always be flagged on a survey regardless.

Yea I know a family friend who is a professional electrician and his mate is a professional gas guy so both of them can check this out and quote me how much to replace it all.

I wanna replace it all to make the heating /boiler as energy efficient and rewire the whole place as I want to map out where the plugs should go and whilst I am at it, install a few cat 8 cables and possibly a fibre cable or two through the walls etc but that's for another thread I will create on the network sub forum.

Our recent Homebuyers report...

Ridge and and some tiles needs pointing
Buyers "quote"... 7k

No proof the electrics have been looked at needs a rewire .... buyers "quote" 4k
We'll just ignore the EICR I provided that says everything's fine and the massive sticker on the front that says checked April 2022

Gas/Water not looked at in 5 years ...
Have already provided Landlord gas safety check dated April and boiler serviced in Sep, dunno what else they wanted lol

Wall ties "Appear to have failed" ... Buyers "quote" 13.5k
Had this double checked by a Chartered Surveyor, 2 brickies and the company we had our pointing done by....
No evidence of wall tie failings... We can replace them if you want lol
Emailed the surveyor for clarification.... ignored haha

The survey said they'd checked all ground floor walls and no concern for damp... buyers "Quote" to fix this £2750

I then find the "quotes" he's received online are nothing to do with the survey, it was a copy n paste of

https://www.unbiased.co.uk/life/homes-property/survey-problems-and-what-they-cost-to-fix

The 1-10 bits were the "quotes" he got, even tho half of them weren't even mentioned on the survey! the exact figures he gave his conveyancer haha

His was a level 2 survey and it appears to be spending 3-400 on a chap to come out and tell you you best have someone look at xyz as they cant be bothered.
He even advised a video tour of the drains after advising he couldn't locate the access covers... rather visible front and back and never even asked me.
Bloke clearly wasn't a time server surveyor

Buyer took this to heart and thought the RICS Surveyor Handbook was gospel and was asking for ridiculous stuff, so told him to do one and went back to market.

I think its harsh to tell the buyer to go do one. They are only being adviced by the surveyor?

They like many of us here don't have a clue about these things lol.

What else is a buyer suppose to take as gospel on home stuff that majority of us don't have a clue about?

Think you should have cut some slack and just go back to the buyer and said, hey I got my own survey done with specialists and all is fine and here is proof that my gas and electricity was checked a few weeks ago lol

 

[jonneymendoza]

L2 or L3 Survey?

The L2 we had was full of possible, could, maybe, perhaps, might want to, nowt conclusive at all really.


DPC - Was this as the surveyor couldn't see the DPC from outside of the building?
Look around the property for brick spalling around the lower courses n see where it stops, if its the same around the entire property you've very likely just found the DPC

Air bricks be easy/cheap to replace tbh woudln't worry me

EICR for the electrics
Gas Safety check and boiler service report/receipt

Roof Access - It's surprising how many surveyors go out ill equipped for the job you're paying them for lol
We had 4 ridge tiles replaced during the storm cost about £130, didnt take long either.


The Drain one was on ours too lol, Are there any issues with the drains? Were there any issues apparent when the surveyor was there? - if not that's wasted money
Just ask the seller

Might help if you give them a copy of the report too so they understand your reasoning

L3 survey.

I can post some text snippet of the damp stuff here in a bit.

edit:

The main walls are of solid construction which have predominantly been rendered, with the rear partially decorated, and the remaining surface area left bare. We advise solid walls do not have the insulation capabilities of more modern cavity walls. Condensation is therefore more likely to occur on the inner surface, because they are generally quite cold. It is considered likely that a damp proof course (DPC) would have been incorporated within the structure but the type of DPC could not be ascertained as it is concealed by internal and external wall finishes. Please however note related commentary below and within section E3. We believe the air vent to the left of the main door has been concealed with render. We believe the same has occurred to the rear bay structure where these have been likely concealed with timber boarding. As such, there is an increased risk of moisture build up and retention within the sub-floor timbers which can lead to rot. It is advised that the air vents are freed to maintain adequate ventilation. Condition Rating 3.

There is evidence a remedial damp proof course has been installed to the front and flank walls. We recommend you obtain a copy of the guarantee documents, together with any plan attached thereto, to ensure the damp proof course is in all ground floor walls and the guarantee has suitable insurance indemnity. Condition Rating 3.

We noted dampness to the front bay walls, and the flank walls to the hallway. Considering we noted the installation of retrospective DPC to the flank, and partially to the front wall, we recommend the vendor attempts to rectify the matter with the company which provided the guarantee for the works. In the first instance however, we recommend you clarify whether the defective plaster had been removed when the issue was first noticed as salts formed here may be providing a false positive reading. Where the guarantee has expired or cannot be relied upon, we recommend we recommend a member of the Property Care Association reviews the matter to confirm the best course of action whilst being sensitive to the construction of the property.

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

I don't think I will have any luck in asking the vendor to address these issues as the owner of the property is moving or has moved to a care home and I doubt the owners son or daughter has the capacity to deal with fixing damps etc.

The surveyor recommended that I just ask the vendor what work was done before on the DPC and if its under guarantee still.

Also we want to ask for electricity and gas inspection certificate.

Yea I know a family friend who is a professional electrician and his mate is a professional gas guy so both of them can check this out and quote me how much to replace it all.

I wanna replace it all to make the heating /boiler as energy efficient and rewire the whole place as I want to map out where the plugs should go and whilst I am at it, install a few cat 8 cables and possibly a fibre cable or two through the walls etc but that's for another thread I will create on the network sub forum.

I think its harsh to tell the buyer to go do one. They are only being adviced by the surveyor?

They like many of us here don't have a clue about these things lol.

What else is a buyer suppose to take as gospel on home stuff that majority of us don't have a clue about?

Think you should have cut some slack and just go back to the buyer and said, hey I got my own survey done with specialists and all is fine and here is proof that my gas and electricity was checked a few weeks ago lol

He already had the reports, the EICR the Gas safety check, and a response saying I would do xyz after he provided me the survey.
Only to yet again change his mind and ask for something completely different. The surveyors photo even had the sticker in it showing EICR April 22 LMAO

He had a history of long delays, random changes in what he wanted, was happy to exchange prior to 1 July and for our New build to be ready in November.
We took all of this into consideration when accepting his offer, he arranged the survey for after the exchange date we had agreed, then said he wanted in by Sep.
None of the agreements were upheld and ultimately as we've now lost the new build plot were in no huge rush to sell, it was ultimately the negotiations that broke down in all honesty. I even paid for the searches to speed things up lol

If yer planning on ripping out all the electrical install is there any point in the EICR?
Same reasoning with the GSC tbh, All that would likely remain is the main feed to the meter, ours was all redone when we ripped out the back boiler ( we didn't even have proper radiators) They'll be a coupla hundred quid each I think and you could stick that in ya upgrades pot

Did get some canny cash back ripping out all the old copper tho don't forget about it!

 

[jonneymendoza]

He already had the reports, the EICR the Gas safety check, and a response saying I would do xyz after he provided me the survey.
Only to yet again change his mind and ask for something completely different. The surveyors photo even had the sticker in it showing EICR April 22 LMAO

He had a history of long delays, random changes in what he wanted, was happy to exchange prior to 1 July and for our New build to be ready in November.
We took all of this into consideration when accepting his offer, he arranged the survey for after the exchange date we had agreed, then said he wanted in by Sep.
None of the agreements were upheld and ultimately as we've now lost the new build plot were in no huge rush to sell, it was ultimately the negotiations that broke down in all honesty. I even paid for the searches to speed things up lol

If yer planning on ripping out all the electrical install is there any point in the EICR?
Same reasoning with the GSC tbh, All that would likely remain is the main feed to the meter, ours was all redone when we ripped out the back boiler ( we didn't even have proper radiators) They'll be a coupla hundred quid each I think and you could stick that in ya upgrades pot

Did get some canny cash back ripping out all the old copper tho don't forget about it!

ahh ok fair enough! You dodged a bullet there!!!

AND YES!!! i plan to rip out the boiler as its old and do rewiring.

I am quitea tech geek so i dont want my future house tripping the wire whenever i am playing the next Fifa or call of duty game on my 1000w Nvidia GPU

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

@jonneymendoza ah yours is a fair bit more detailed than the stuff on the L2 I was sent


For some Reason I cant quote your edit but:

There is evidence a remedial damp proof course has been installed to the front and flank walls. We recommend you obtain a copy of the guarantee documents, together with any plan attached thereto, to ensure the damp proof course is in all ground floor walls and the guarantee has suitable insurance indemnity. Condition Rating 3.

Id say deffo let the seller see the report (I think you may need permission from the Surveyor tho?) It can only help A little back and forth and quotes would help too

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

ahh ok fair enough! You dodged a bullet there!!!

AND YES!!! i plan to rip out the boiler as its old and do rewiring.

I am quitea tech geek so i dont want my future house tripping the wire whenever i am playing the next Fifa or call of duty game on my 1000w Nvidia GPU

Personally... I'd skip the EICR and GSC if yer gutting it, its just added expense for either yourself or the buyer, spend that on yer changes instead.
I think you might even need a new EICR/GSC If you changed the install that much anyway

I bought the current house without a survey lol, seller had died and daughter was pretty clueless as to what had gone on with the house

 

[LuckyBenski]

I think you might even need a new EICR/GSC If you changed the install that much anyway

1000%. There is literally zero point getting EICR and gas safety cert on equipment you're going to remove, and yes the new install has to be certified in its own right and can't use the old cert lmao

New installs are signed off by the installer who reports to building control (Part P for electrical etc etc).

 

[manic111]

Hey folks! I've received and accepted an offer that I'm really happy with to sell my flat (ground floor maisonette). The pre-contract pack has gone to the buyers, which is exciting. I presume that they'll be sending a surveyor around soon.

Since accepting their offer, I've noticed that some of the guttering and downpipes from the upstairs flat need a fair bit of TLC - some joins are starting to come loose and water is leaking down the outside of some of the pipes. If I was staying, I'd obviously get someone out to fix it, and I'm inclined to do so as I really don't want this sale to fall through. It's a good offer, but I'm also keen to move areas and can't do so without selling.

At this stage, am I better off keeping quiet, letting the surveyor pick up the issue, and agreeing to a knockdown of the price (which I expect would only be a grand or so, and given what the buyers have offered I'd be fine with that)? Or should I get someone in to fix it, which risks (a) having to get the upstairs flat involved who can be a little slow to respond to things like this and I don't want the buyers thinking they're difficult (which they aren't - just slow), and (b) a surveyor spotting the repairs and asking questions anyway. What do you think? Thanks!

In general, bit nervous as I'm really keen for the sale to go through so I can move - even if I ultimately lose £10k from the price offered I'll still have done well.

 

[Scam]

@manic111 if it's from the upstairs flat is it yours to pay for? I would get someone out to quote. Make sure you have a paper/printed copy of said quote. Then do nothing, wait for it to be flagged. If they ask for £5k off and it's going to cost £1k to fix then you can show them that they're taking the mickey. Spenidng money now on something you're trying to sell seems silly, but getting a quote shows you've acknowledged the issue and can show them a price to resolve it.

 

[manic111]

@manic111 if it's from the upstairs flat is it yours to pay for? I would get someone out to quote. Make sure you have a paper/printed copy of said quote. Then do nothing, wait for it to be flagged. If they ask for £5k off and it's going to cost £1k to fix then you can show them that they're taking the mickey. Spenidng money now on something you're trying to sell seems silly, but getting a quote shows you've acknowledged the issue and can show them a price to resolve it.

No, not mine to pay for - I'd be entitled to recover at least half from upstairs. But if I'm looking to get it sorted (or at least quoted for) quickly, I'd rather do the work and then have them pay me back than wait for them to sort it.

Everything online suggests £650-1k to fix that kind of issue, so in the grand scheme of things it's a pretty small figure either way. I like the idea of getting a quote and sitting on it, though.

Are there any other "easy" things which you'd recommend doing pre-survey to avoid issues down the line? Or do you just accept that a survey's always going to turn up something, and wait and see?

 

[ci_newman]

Are these management fees on new builds ending any time soon? We've looked at a few and some have them, some don't. Just seems to be a massive scam. Yet another we've found that we like and it has one of these management companies burned into the deeds.

The short answer is no, they aren't going away.

However don't mistake a leasehold management fee as being the same thing as a freehold management fee. As the home-owner, you have part ownership of the management company.

As was already mentioned the local councils are refusing to adopt the roads and public areas on new-build estates (although they are still taking the council tax... ) and the builders are only getting planning permission with the inclusion of estate management fees.

 

[Andrew_McP]

Just dropping into this thread for a change, instead of eavesdropping into it, to sympathise with anyone buying or selling. My mother's sudden decline means my caring duties may be over soon, so I'm trying to sell my empty flat, 200 miles away in Kent, before life gets complicated. However the form-filling nightmare that is leasehold is doing my head in. Getting ripped off by the estate agent (£3k inc VAT on a £150-ishk flat!) is the least of my worries. I just never want to see another property related form again!

Which is a shame, because I'm executor of Mum's will, so her probate and splitting this bungalow between four of us will be my next unpleasant job.

One step at a time though, eh? Deep breath. Back to TA7 and LPE2 and... or maybe I'll go to bed and hope fresh eyes bring a bit of clarity.

 

[HungryHippos]

Once you've been through the process once, you don't want to see it again for a while. Form filling is never fun.

Sorry to hear about your mother

 

[koolpc]

manic111

I would leave it and address the options if brought up by their surveyor.

 

[Irish_Tom]

Just dropping into this thread for a change, instead of eavesdropping into it, to sympathise with anyone buying or selling. My mother's sudden decline means my caring duties may be over soon, so I'm trying to sell my empty flat, 200 miles away in Kent, before life gets complicated. However the form-filling nightmare that is leasehold is doing my head in. Getting ripped off by the estate agent (£3k inc VAT on a £150-ishk flat!) is the least of my worries. I just never want to see another property related form again!

Which is a shame, because I'm executor of Mum's will, so her probate and splitting this bungalow between four of us will be my next unpleasant job.

One step at a time though, eh? Deep breath. Back to TA7 and LPE2 and... or maybe I'll go to bed and hope fresh eyes bring a bit of clarity.

Sorry to hear that, Andrew.