Getting a house survey

[Landslide]

Future Mrs Landslide and I just got into this house-buying lark, and we need a survey.
We're tied to the bank's own surveyor for the valuation, but we also want to get a more detailed view of any work that'll need doing etc.

I had a good chat with a local surveyor, and it seems there's not a lot of point going for the more expensive Buildings Survey, in our case the Homebuyer's Survey should do the job just fine.

Armed with this knowledge, we've set about getting some quotes from local companies.
They range from £225 (inc VAT) to ~£300 (exc VAT).

Assuming that all the surveyors are members of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, is there anything to be gained by going for one of the more expensive companies? What (if any) corners might be cut by the cheaper companies? Anything else we should look out for?

 

[4F]

How old is the house that you intend to buy ?

 

[Landslide]

About 1910 or thereabouts.

 

[4F]

Given that the property is just short of 100 years old then if it was me I would go for the full building survey. Whilst it may seem like a lot of money it could save a hell of a lot of grief in the long run if you end up with a lemon

See here http://www.surveyorsreports.co.uk/house_survey_report.htm

 

[Theseus]

+1, saved us a lot of problems once. Found out the house had lead pipes and a modification without plannig permission or building warrent. We could have ended up having to fix it all at our cost if the council insisted. Simplest option was to walk away.

 

[Landslide]

That was our initial thought, but the surveyor we talked to suggested that the Building Survey wouldn't really flag that sort of stuff up, and we'd be better off getting a builder in to have a look at any potential structural problems instead.

 

[Archie_tect]

Is house built of brick with a slate roof?
Are there any visible signs of cracking over or diagonally away from door and window heads and cills?
Looking along the outside walls can you see any bulges in them?
Are there any internal door or external window heads which aren't level?
Are the floors level? [use a spirit level to check]
Are there any dips or uneven joints in the ridge tiles on the roof?
Are the gutters clean without any weeds growing out of them and not dripping or streaky.
Have the walls been recently repointed anywhere?
Look in the roof/loft space and check the internal timbers and walls for any white streak marks or dark patches which show leaks- should be a good through draught. Has it got 300mm min insulation to the ceiling?
Are windows double glazed and do all the opening windows open and lock easily? Are there soft areas in the timber if wood or cracked joints if plastic? Is there any condensation between the panes of glass?

Checking these things will help to show whether the house has been well looked after and stable and not suffering from unexpected movement.

Ask them to run the central heating- check all the radiators heat up evenly, run the cold and hot water for spluttering and flow rate and test electric sockets and how fast the sink drains away.

If you're happy that these things appear OK, still ask a surveyor to go along to check in more detail and tell him what you've found or what's concerning you so he can check in more detail.

In a 1910 house there may be cavity walls with a dpc but don't be too worried if there isn't as long as the plaster in internal corners internally is dry and not powdering or flakey.

If you know a builder and trust him that's fine, if you don't please don't find someone in yellow pages, ask your friends and neighbours who's done a good job recently and get a quote from them.

A survey may seem a bit expensive but you have a reliable person to turn to for help and advice- once you've completed a purchase it's your problem if any emerge.

Lots you can do yourself but do get someone in as a professional second opinion- you're the one who has to live with it so worth being sure.

 

[Globalti]

If the house was built in 1910 it will certainly have something that needs attention, unless the seller and previous owners have been absolutely assiduous about maintenance and haven't skimped on expense. If you go for a full structural, the surveyor will fanny around and won't lift carpets, move furniture and delve into the structure of the house if it's too much effort but will just insert a standard clause in the survey about "fixtures prevented a full examination; further investigation is recomended..." If subsequently you discover something wrong they will simply fall back on that let-out clause. A friend bought a house with a serious structural problem; they failed to spot it, she bought it then got into an almightly row with the surveyors who tried to fob her off as she was a single woman. What they didn't know was that she is a former Detective Sergeant. After four years of battles she got the house put right at their expense.

If you know a builder who you trust, why not? He will go around with an experienced eye and spot the problems. But you really must be sure he is experienced and will look at all the other bits, not just walls (where for example a certain amount of settlement can be allowed in a 1910 house as long as it has taken place over a long time and been pointed in) and roof. He also needs to check wiring and plumbing or get a sparky and a plumber in to check those for him.

Take a long hard look at the vendor - is it somebody who has had the time and the cash over the years to carry out maintenance? Are they the sort who are likely to understand the importance of maintence items like regular painting, clearing out drains and gutters, air bricks, flushing the heating system, oiling door locks and hinges, sorting dripping taps etc? Is it a DIY muppet who proudly shows you all the great stuff he's built without telling you about all the bodges he's hidden?

Have a careful look at other similar houses in the same street - have any of them got recent new roofs? Windows? Pointing? Obvious signs of repairs? If so, yours might be heading for the same repair, which could just be the reason why the vendors have decided to sell.

If you see a problem but don't mind fixing it, go ahead but use it as a bargaining tool and make a cheeky offer. If the vendor is desperate to sell they will accept, once you've made the all-important gesture of some small concession to give them something to boast about to their friends and family and save face. If not, move on, it's still a buyer's market.

 

[dellzeqq]

Archie Tect has, doubtless, more experience with houses than I have, and I couldn't agree more with Rigid Raider's, especially the first paragraph. My experience is that Surveyors are handier at exclusions and limiting liability than they are with buildings.

Most houses of a certain vintage don't measure up to modern standards, but, then again, most of them will be around in another 100 years time. What really concerns you is the prospect of undertaking big remedial works in the next (say) 20 years.

If you have the slightest doubt about the solidity of the building consider instructing a structural engineer. Not some wet-behind-the ears kid, but somebody who's been doing it for a long time, and isn't going to write you a long report covering their backsides.

 

[Archie_tect]

Agree about the exclusions... you need a person who has practical knowledge not a jumped up tick boxing nerd.

 

[jeltz]

Since you will be paying for the lenders survey I presume the surveyor will have a duty of care to you to spot major structural defects, but its worth asking to make sure they do I would hope that you can specify a more in-depth survey.

As for bits and pieces that may need doing, survey reports are often littered with caveats (couldn't inspect this or that) and standard wording which makes it very difficult to claim against the surveyor (or their indemnity insurance) for anything but the most major gaff. In which case your buildings insurance may cover it anyway.

You may find it useful to ask a builder with experience of remedial work on old houses to have a look, but its a bit like taking your car to the garage and asking the mechanic if he can find any work to do!

 

[dellzeqq]

I would say this: I don't rate builders. Not one bit. They see what they know. And what they know is not a lot.

If you have a worry about the electrics or the plumbing, call in an electrician or a plumber.

 

[Theseus]

A lenders survey is not for your benefit, but for the benefit of the lender to determine if the property is worth at least as much as they are lending. They couldn't give a toss about the structural integrity, they are only after the value. Most are done on a drive by basis, i.e. the man drives by in his car, looks at the type of property, sees what something similar went for a couple of weeks ago in the same area and base it on that and how much you are wanting to borrow.

 

[Manonabike]

It's been over 10 years since we bought our house but anyway here goes our experience.... I read in a magazine at the time that it was a good idea to get the best survey we could afford so we went for the most expensive one and at the time it was £750 if I'm not mistaken.

I was rather disappointed that the whole report was written in a way that it would be extremely difficult to hold them responsible if they missed something. For example, it said the "water supply appears to be in good condition" when it was obvious that it was in perfect condition. A friend found out with a friend of his that reports are written in that way for anything that is not inspected thurely....in other words, the surveyor probably turned the tap on, water came out and that was as far as the inspection went. The same thing was said about the wiring , gas central heating, etc. There was no way to be sure of anything. The things the surveyor recommended we took care of were only cosmetic things which we have never bothered yet. Fortunately, the seller had invoices for a new boiler, double glazing, etc that had recently been installed and we were more relax about the purchasing. I phoned the surveyor and I complained the report was nearly useless and he said there was no way he could inspect the wiring or central heating system completely, hence the words "it appears" - I realised after a minute that whatever I said it would be a waste of time and this so called top survey was nothing but a waste of money. My friend's friend said off the record that the top survey is nothing more than a waste of money couse the surveyor cannot possibly check everything properly so they have to write the report in a way that if anything goes wrong they could not be hold accountable in court.

I remember reading a copy of the survey done on the house we were selling and although it was only about a third of the pages our report had and a quarter of it cost, it was just as good in our view. Our report had long paragraphs but basically the conclusions were the same.