Homebuyers report
Posted by: Mekon on 23 June 2005
I am in the process of buying a house, built in about 1900. Looks in great nick to the untrained eye. It's passed mortgage survey, save the apparently normal request for a damp and timber survey. Additionally, I was planning on getting a RICS homebuyers report, but there seems to be a fair discrepancy in terms of price, and some sites reckon that they don't actually tell you much, and just passes the buck where anything isn't straightforward.
Is the homebuyers report worth getting? As long as the homebuyers report is from a chartered surveyor, are they much of a muchness? Is it worth spending the extra on a building survey when the house doesn't appear to be a risk?
Posted on: 23 June 2005 by Aiken Drum
Mekon,
I think you may benefit from a full structural survey as I understand more items are looked at in greater depth, and you are then better placed to support any dispute you may have with your surveyor should problems emerge which they ought to have spotted.
The homebuyers report is in more depth than the valuation survey, but it is no substitute for a full structural survey. Given the request for a damp and timber survey, you might want to consider the full monty and give yourself more security/peace of mind.
B
Posted on: 23 June 2005 by Julian H
I would say, with a property of this age, a full structural survey is prerequisite.
Julian
Posted on: 23 June 2005 by HTK
What Julian said.
Posted on: 23 June 2005 by MichaelC
ditto
Notwithstanding piece of mind.
And why? Our previous house was a victorian semi. Paid for full structural survey. We managed, as a result of the report, to chip a little off the purchase price. We subsequently undertook remedial works highlighted in the survey. On sale of the house we showed our buyers the report and provided details of remedial works carried out. Consequence - happy buyers and quick sale.
Posted on: 23 June 2005 by garyi
We left it to our solicitor and we got a full report.
Does this not happen as a matter of course? It told us about flood plains and everything.
Posted on: 23 June 2005 by Mekon
Building survey it is then. Can anyone recommend a chartered surveyor in Cambridge? If not, I'll just pick one off the RICS site.
Posted on: 23 June 2005 by Roy T
Might be an idea to find one in a partnership who may well be jointly and severally liable with others if thing go wrong.
Posted on: 23 June 2005 by Paul Ranson
The property has stood for more than 100 years. The mortgage company are happy, you can usually tell from their report whether there's a smell in the air. Even a full structural survey isn't necessarily going to go into places where there might be an issue.
Personally I'd be more worried about a 10 or 20 year old 'Barratt' style house than a late Victorian brick job. The latter will definitely be cheaper to repair and any work will add value.
If you like it buy and be damned. This advice is worth what you paid for it, and liability is similarly limited.
Paul
Posted on: 23 June 2005 by garyi
We have a housed built in 1790 the solicitor basically said that if it had been up that long it wasn't going anywhere, so we got a 'medium' survey.
Its still here.
Posted on: 24 June 2005 by Berlin Fritz
So! Was it haunted then ?
Posted on: 24 June 2005 by Aiken Drum
Very witty Fritz - you just brightened my afternoon and made me laugh. Just the boost I needed.
B
Posted on: 24 June 2005 by Berlin Fritz
My pleasure Sir, I'm glad you got there in the end
Posted on: 25 June 2005 by charliestumpy
... IMO what Paul Ranson said, (with appreciation of 'medium' Berlin Fritz comments).
Posted on: 25 June 2005 by Chris Dolan
I probably shouldn't say this......but.... very frequently if you go round an old house with a good builder you learn more than you would from a housebuyer's report.
A structural survey is different but again they will still only identify issues rather than costing them.
Also it irritates me when you read comments that surveyors could not get access to a particular area so they recommend a further specialist report.
..and then people ask their solicitor if the survey is alright!
Chris
