survey problems ?

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positivenote

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hi all,
just had house we have gone sale agreed on surveyed, the surveyor said that structurally the house is sound but there is damp on the ceiling of the kitchen due to the bath not being sealed properly around its rim. So as a result these problems need to be addressed. How do we go about getting this done? is it the sellers responsibility to do this before we sign any contracts and how do we ensure that these problems are addressed? Will the surveyor give us the report and do we then pass it on to our solicitor to pass on to the sellers solicitor?

one more thing... is it common for us to carry out these amendments ourselves if the seller knocks the cost off the purchase price?
alot of questions i know.... but thanks in advance
 
The vendor will probably say: "sold as seen"- after all this is not a new house and a simple problem like this (unless there is a lot of unseen/ hidden damage) is unlikely to put most purchasers off in this economy. Changing the purchase price (which is unlikely) will probably mean additional work for your solicitor as a new loan cheque will be required from your mortgage provider. But maybe you haven't gone that far yet? You can always try and negotiate a grand or two off the price- I probably would, but don't be surprised if they say no. Depends on whether they're prepared to let a sale fall through and how much you want this house, but it's worth a shot.
 
In this market, unless the house is structurally in very bad condition, a vendor will never reduce the price, and similarly, most buyers will simply accept the reality that there will always be bits and bobs to fix in a second hand house.
 
Positivenote,

I think at this stage you should probably just take the house as is... In the current market houses get sold in all sorts of states and I think surveys are only really done anymore to ensure that they're structurally sound, as already mentioned above. I think if you try and haggle the vendor might get put off and move on....
 
yeah i think thats the way we are gonna go. after the stress we have gone through i think it may be tempting faith if we start asking the seller to drop the price... as im sure someone would be willing to pay what we have already agreed despite the periferial damage noted by the surveyor.
 
Yeah go for it. I'm still looking and the stress is such a killer! I am tired of looking at houses...and so wish I had found one, so don't jeopardise it!!!
 
just off the phone from the surveyor and he clainms that the property we are in the process of buying needs a knew ceiling in the kitchen because of the dampness. He claims that it would cost up to 2grand. however is also suggested to us that the money lenders may specify that this work should be carried out before any mortgage is handed over? is this a true, has it ever happened to anyone? we also have a fear of asking the seller to fit any bill incase they pull out of the deal because they are selling us the house 'as seen'... im startig to stress out about it im droping the surveyors report over to the estate agent tomorrow morning so if anyone has any advice to pass on it would be great.
 
Houses get bought and sold all the time that require renovation. Your damp ceiling need attention but is hardly a sale -cancelling issue. The bank will not refuse to lend money because of a damp ceiling. The bank only requires a valuation survey which states that the stated value of the house is the value- Your lender will probably give you some recommended names who will do a valuation survey on the house - it will cost you approx€130. The survey you have performed is useful and highly recommended but is for your benefit not the banks.
Dont panic. You have found the house you like. It is structurally sound. Your bid has been accepted. It took a few months of heartache and rejected bids to get to this stage, You just have a few small hurdles to get over and in no time you will be moved in and admiring the damp ceiling.
Good Luck
 
thanks, i wasnt sure why the lender would need to see the survey myself as they have organised the valuation which has been done. We are prepared to take the house as is but we'd rather save ourselves the 2 grand to get it fixed. in anyway, hopefully it will all sale smothly and as you say we will be in the house smiling up at the damp ceiling in a few short weeks
one more thing i need clarifying is do we provide our solicitor and the sellers solicitor with the surveyors report or is this strictly for our own good to see if the house is structurally sound? excuse the ignorance but we are FTB's
cheers
 
Check with your solicitor. He or She will probably only want to know it is structurally sound and that any extensions/conversions have planning permission. Don't think the vendors solicitor will be interested.
Did you have any luck with getting a price reduction from the EA?
Don't get disheartened if you don't. The damp ceiling may not cost as much as suggested when you shop around for different qoutes.
Nearly there. Stay positive
 
cheers guys for the advice. EA got in touch today and told me that the seller will knock half the quoted costs of repairs from the price. At least thats something... now its just the waiting game for the contracts to be drawn up and of course the mortage and home insurance
 
On a similar topic, I have just got a Survey Report which states that an attic conversion does not meet Building Regs and is only suitable for storage. We are sale agreed but no contracts signed yet. What are my options here ?
 
Again I don't think there's much you can do. From my (limited) experience it's quite common for attic conversions not to meet the requirements for a habitable room (2/3rds of room higher than 7 ft, stairs wide enough and not too steep and stuff like that - I made those proportions up by the way!)

The only possible implication is if the house was advertised with the attic as a habitable room (i.e. if it said 3 bedroom and was including the attic as one of the bedrooms)

If you're planning to use the attic a lot you might want to ask your surveyor which building regulations it did not meet. You don't want to fall through the ceiling some day...

Good luck!
 
Hi beecee,

I just spoke with the surveyor and, like you said, its very common to have this kind of problem. He said it did not meet the regulations for a habitable room (ie a bedroom) but would be OK for use as a play-room or an office. The house was advertised as a 5bed including the attic as a bedroom. Maybe I could ask for a reduction in price now that its a 4 bed ?

The vendor was told by my surveyor that he needed to get a Structural Engineer to certify the structural integrity of the roof conversion. I'm told this has been done - I'll get my solicitor to get a copy of the certification before signing any contract.
 
The house was thus advertised incorrectly as a 5 bed.

But you have probably made your money anyhow the way prices are going these days so factor that in.

 
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