Survey Query - What to do?

[craig_E]

I had a Homebuyers Survey done on the flat we are due to buy and got the report on Christmas Eve. As a first time buyer I don't really know what to do with this information. Do I ask that these be repaired before I move in? Or if I lower the asking price to budget for this, how much will this work cost?

Shall I pull out completely? I have not budgeted for repairs as I am stretching myself in any case.

The main areas of concern are:

The property has a flat roof above the kitchen with built-up mineral felt covering. The appearance of the covering suggests the materials to be relatively new and may have been laid within the last 5 years. However the workmanship of the roof covering was questionable with felt at the verge noted as lifting in places. It would be prudent to budget for early repairs to the roof covering to prevent ingress and premature failure of the roof covering.

Parts of the painted render have failed to the front elevation. The evidence suggests this has been due to poor preparation and workmanship generally, with leaking rainwater goods above exacerbating the problem

Rising damp is suspected to have occurred in a single location, the master bedroom. Specialist testing and a budget for repairs including redecorations is strongly recommended, prior to your commitment to purchase i.e. exchange of contracts.

The rainwater goods were noted to be leaking to the front elevation at the junction of pvc / cast iron gutters with a past failure of the gutter to the left hand side resulting in damage to the fascia and soffit below. The gutters should be cleared of debris immediately and leaks repaired to prevent ingress to the building fabric. It may be prudent to budget for replacement of the remaining sections of cast iron gutters at high level.


Do I need to worry or are these just standard points? Please help!!

Many thanks.

[drhouse]

Originally Posted by craig_E

I had a Homebuyers Survey done on the flat we are due to buy and got the report on Christmas Eve. As a first time buyer I don't really know what to do with this information. Do I ask that these be repaired before I move in? Or if I lower the asking price to budget for this, how much will this work cost?

Shall I pull out completely? I have not budgeted for repairs as I am stretching myself in any case.

The main areas of concern are:

The property has a flat roof above the kitchen with built-up mineral felt covering. The appearance of the covering suggests the materials to be relatively new and may have been laid within the last 5 years. However the workmanship of the roof covering was questionable with felt at the verge noted as lifting in places. It would be prudent to budget for early repairs to the roof covering to prevent ingress and premature failure of the roof covering.

Parts of the painted render have failed to the front elevation. The evidence suggests this has been due to poor preparation and workmanship generally, with leaking rainwater goods above exacerbating the problem

Rising damp is suspected to have occurred in a single location, the master bedroom. Specialist testing and a budget for repairs including redecorations is strongly recommended, prior to your commitment to purchase i.e. exchange of contracts.

The rainwater goods were noted to be leaking to the front elevation at the junction of pvc / cast iron gutters with a past failure of the gutter to the left hand side resulting in damage to the fascia and soffit below. The gutters should be cleared of debris immediately and leaks repaired to prevent ingress to the building fabric. It may be prudent to budget for replacement of the remaining sections of cast iron gutters at high level.


Do I need to worry or are these just standard points? Please help!!

Many thanks.

Certainly don't ignore the report ! Speak to the surveyor for clarification on the points raised and get his/her advice.

A flat roof needs regular maintenance anyway and you should budget for this. Get an estimate or ballpark figure from a builder.

The paintwork should be done regularly and if it is not prepared properly it will look shabby very quickly. The guttering is more important and needs cleaned out and damages repaired. You said this is a flat so is there a common responsibility for this with other owners ?

The damp is an issue. You should get a specialist to look at this and quote for remedial works. It is repairable though and not uncommon.

Overall you should get costs for repairs and ask them to reduce the price accordingly. You could ask them to do the works but if it was them who did previous repairs it doesn't appear they made a good job so it would be safer tp get them done yourself.

As I said speak to the surveyor and take advice also from your legal advisor on how to proceed.