Surveyor Report - Pests
Discussion
Sorry, another one from me...
So, I've had a surveyors report back, which knocked me for 6 as I'm used to new builds and the house is a 1960's chalet style next to a field.
After reading the 10 items on the urgent list, I'm tackling those related to health and safety first as have an 8 month old son.
I have been advised by some that I should negotiate on price, however don't feel comfortable going down that route as feel the property is at a good price for the area and was advertised as needing some work.
What I am requesting the seller to do is the following as listed in the surveyor report:
1) remove a wasps nest.
2) professional in to sort out wood boring beetle in airing cupboard (this is in a cupboard within a dormer so likely poor ventilation).
3) professional to sort out 'vermin/rodents' in attic and clean + provide a report.
In my opinion, it is a reasonable request when taking into account I'm not negotiating on price and our forecast move in date is 3-4 weeks away.
On the above:
1) should be approx £50
2) I'll probably buy a de-humidifier and leave next to the airing cupboard with the door open and clean/hoover but not use any strong sprays due to the little man
3) heard about ultrasonic plugins that may be better than smelling poisoned rotting mice
Thoughts/recommendations appreciated :-)
Oh just to add, the estate agent said my request was unreasonable/unusual
So, I've had a surveyors report back, which knocked me for 6 as I'm used to new builds and the house is a 1960's chalet style next to a field.
After reading the 10 items on the urgent list, I'm tackling those related to health and safety first as have an 8 month old son.
I have been advised by some that I should negotiate on price, however don't feel comfortable going down that route as feel the property is at a good price for the area and was advertised as needing some work.
What I am requesting the seller to do is the following as listed in the surveyor report:
1) remove a wasps nest.
2) professional in to sort out wood boring beetle in airing cupboard (this is in a cupboard within a dormer so likely poor ventilation).
3) professional to sort out 'vermin/rodents' in attic and clean + provide a report.
In my opinion, it is a reasonable request when taking into account I'm not negotiating on price and our forecast move in date is 3-4 weeks away.
On the above:
1) should be approx £50
2) I'll probably buy a de-humidifier and leave next to the airing cupboard with the door open and clean/hoover but not use any strong sprays due to the little man
3) heard about ultrasonic plugins that may be better than smelling poisoned rotting mice
Thoughts/recommendations appreciated :-)
Oh just to add, the estate agent said my request was unreasonable/unusual
Edited by fastgerman on Thursday 26th November 11:53
fastgerman said:
the property is at a good price for the area and was advertised as needing some work.
Oh just to add, the estate agent said my request was unreasonable/unusual
IMO, the agent in right. If the property is near fields get used to mice or seal up all the gaps (tiny) that they can enter by.Oh just to add, the estate agent said my request was unreasonable/unusual
We had an almost similar thing with the property we were selling.
Although we "only" had the Wasps nest - we hadn't even noticed it, as it was on a side of the house where we didn't usually access it and it was all in the loft and we didn't use the loft to store anything.
I would just ask them to sort the items out before Exchange, please. They may well not be aware of the issues and will surely be more than happy to resolve them for you.
Most of these should cost peanuts - max £200 to resolve all three.
We got the Wasps nest sorted out via the council (just to be clear, we were the sellers) and I think we had the boiler serviced for them before they moved in. The Wasps Nest was something like £35 - the Council can arrange this via an approved contractor and they may well cover the other two - it's probably worth batting the ball back in to their court on these matters.
Just out of interest were they flagged as Amber or Red (levels of severity)? I'm not even sure how severe the items were on our property, but we resolved all those that we felt were reasonable to do so.
Our fusebox was flagged - but we resisted on changing this - there had been no issues when we moved in and even the 7 or 8 year old property we were moving into had this flagged as Amber!! Which we were fine with.
Although we "only" had the Wasps nest - we hadn't even noticed it, as it was on a side of the house where we didn't usually access it and it was all in the loft and we didn't use the loft to store anything.
I would just ask them to sort the items out before Exchange, please. They may well not be aware of the issues and will surely be more than happy to resolve them for you.
Most of these should cost peanuts - max £200 to resolve all three.
We got the Wasps nest sorted out via the council (just to be clear, we were the sellers) and I think we had the boiler serviced for them before they moved in. The Wasps Nest was something like £35 - the Council can arrange this via an approved contractor and they may well cover the other two - it's probably worth batting the ball back in to their court on these matters.
Just out of interest were they flagged as Amber or Red (levels of severity)? I'm not even sure how severe the items were on our property, but we resolved all those that we felt were reasonable to do so.
Our fusebox was flagged - but we resisted on changing this - there had been no issues when we moved in and even the 7 or 8 year old property we were moving into had this flagged as Amber!! Which we were fine with.
Thanks for replies All
The comments are under the Urgent list to resolve, however this report seems to be worded a bit strong compared to those who have seen the property and then seen the report - surveyor covering themselves keeps being quoted.
Wasps nest and beetles I think I won't push too much on but the vermin/rodents is a problem, especially with my 8 month old son. If it's rats, then we aren't doing any deals until its sorted.
I've hit the ball firmly back so will wait on responses
The comments are under the Urgent list to resolve, however this report seems to be worded a bit strong compared to those who have seen the property and then seen the report - surveyor covering themselves keeps being quoted.
Wasps nest and beetles I think I won't push too much on but the vermin/rodents is a problem, especially with my 8 month old son. If it's rats, then we aren't doing any deals until its sorted.
I've hit the ball firmly back so will wait on responses
fastgerman said:
Thanks for replies All
The comments are under the Urgent list to resolve, however this report seems to be worded a bit strong compared to those who have seen the property and then seen the report - surveyor covering themselves keeps being quoted.
Wasps nest and beetles I think I won't push too much on but the vermin/rodents is a problem, especially with my 8 month old son. If it's rats, then we aren't doing any deals until its sorted.
I've hit the ball firmly back so will wait on responses
Although I haven't seen the report, I'm curious about people stating that the Surveyor is just 'covering' himself.The comments are under the Urgent list to resolve, however this report seems to be worded a bit strong compared to those who have seen the property and then seen the report - surveyor covering themselves keeps being quoted.
Wasps nest and beetles I think I won't push too much on but the vermin/rodents is a problem, especially with my 8 month old son. If it's rats, then we aren't doing any deals until its sorted.
I've hit the ball firmly back so will wait on responses
If he saw one mouse dropping in the attic, he really should say 'signs of vermin present' as if he didn't he could be sued for not mentioning it.
The same goes for one isolated beetle hole or a gold ball sized wasp nest.
It's not worth not mentioning anything anymore as people are always far too willing to sue.
As an example, I visited a house last week where they had lived for nine months and had suddenly developed damp problems, I investigated and found that the gutters were blocked with moss and other debris.
The owners first words to me were -
'Can I sue the surveyor for not noticing this 9 months ago?'
Issi said:
fastgerman said:
Thanks for replies All
The comments are under the Urgent list to resolve, however this report seems to be worded a bit strong compared to those who have seen the property and then seen the report - surveyor covering themselves keeps being quoted.
Wasps nest and beetles I think I won't push too much on but the vermin/rodents is a problem, especially with my 8 month old son. If it's rats, then we aren't doing any deals until its sorted.
I've hit the ball firmly back so will wait on responses
Although I haven't seen the report, I'm curious about people stating that the Surveyor is just 'covering' himself.The comments are under the Urgent list to resolve, however this report seems to be worded a bit strong compared to those who have seen the property and then seen the report - surveyor covering themselves keeps being quoted.
Wasps nest and beetles I think I won't push too much on but the vermin/rodents is a problem, especially with my 8 month old son. If it's rats, then we aren't doing any deals until its sorted.
I've hit the ball firmly back so will wait on responses
If he saw one mouse dropping in the attic, he really should say 'signs of vermin present' as if he didn't he could be sued for not mentioning it.
The same goes for one isolated beetle hole or a gold ball sized wasp nest.
It's not worth not mentioning anything anymore as people are always far too willing to sue.
As an example, I visited a house last week where they had lived for nine months and had suddenly developed damp problems, I investigated and found that the gutters were blocked with moss and other debris.
The owners first words to me were -
'Can I sue the surveyor for not noticing this 9 months ago?'
There is evidence that rodents/vermin are in the roof space. As electrical cabling, insulation and indeed health could be harmed, the roof space should be cleaned through and sealed as much as possible. Rodents/vermin should be eradicated via a pest control specialist and electrical wiring should be the subject of a safety check.
Issi said:
There we are then - not covering his arse at all, just stating that there is vermin in the roof space that need to be dealt with.
He has stated that there is evidence of, not that they are there. It could be a single mouse turd, it could be a herd of capybara. I'd ask to have a look myself to see which.spikeyhead said:
He has stated that there is evidence of, not that they are there. It could be a single mouse turd, it could be a herd of capybara. I'd ask to have a look myself to see which.
Does it matter? If they've been in once they will be in again in no time (especially this time of year). You need to sort the point of entry not just keep killing them.As has been said, I'd have a look yourself. If you're moving somewhere rural for the first time get used to mice. Sealing a house to keep em out is no easy task. I'm forever killing the buggers in the loft space above the garage.
When we fist moved out of town into the country we thought the world was about to end when one night there was a plague of beetles attacking the house. Think of that Mummy movie. Millions of them, massive as well, bouncing off the windows making a right din. Wife took a dead one in a match box down to the local garden centre to be told they're May Fly's. Happens every year apparently but as a townie I'd never seen one before.
When we fist moved out of town into the country we thought the world was about to end when one night there was a plague of beetles attacking the house. Think of that Mummy movie. Millions of them, massive as well, bouncing off the windows making a right din. Wife took a dead one in a match box down to the local garden centre to be told they're May Fly's. Happens every year apparently but as a townie I'd never seen one before.
Harry H said:
As has been said, I'd have a look yourself. If you're moving somewhere rural for the first time get used to mice. Sealing a house to keep em out is no easy task. I'm forever killing the buggers in the loft space above the garage.
When we fist moved out of town into the country we thought the world was about to end when one night there was a plague of beetles attacking the house. Think of that Mummy movie. Millions of them, massive as well, bouncing off the windows making a right din. Wife took a dead one in a match box down to the local garden centre to be told they're May Fly's. Happens every year apparently but as a townie I'd never seen one before.
Haha this, I'm definitely a 'townie'. If you've seen Withnail and I, I'd have the shotgun going fishing :-)When we fist moved out of town into the country we thought the world was about to end when one night there was a plague of beetles attacking the house. Think of that Mummy movie. Millions of them, massive as well, bouncing off the windows making a right din. Wife took a dead one in a match box down to the local garden centre to be told they're May Fly's. Happens every year apparently but as a townie I'd never seen one before.
d things. spikeyhead said:
Issi said:
There we are then - not covering his arse at all, just stating that there is vermin in the roof space that need to be dealt with.
He has stated that there is evidence of, not that they are there. It could be a single mouse turd, it could be a herd of capybara. I'd ask to have a look myself to see which.'There was evidence of vermin - possibly the common house mouse or maybe even a brown rat, although it could be a dormouse/field mouse or even an escaped hamster. BUT as I am a Surveyor and not the curator of rodents at London Zoo, I can't be sure which one it is'
I'd agree that mice in the attic is something you will have to get used to with an old house near fields. You will need to get it checked to make sure they haven't been nibbling the electrics but it is not something to get concerned about. Ditto wasp nests.
The one that I am surprised hasn't been picked up on though is the "wood boring beatles". That could be anything from defunct wood worm that was present in the wood when the house was built to death watch beetles that is slowly making the house structurally unsafe! Don't forget the holes you see are just where the larva have come out of the wood to hatch. They have spent all their life up to that point hollowing out the inside of the wood. Wood worm is fairly easy to get rid of but death watch beatle is a difficult one, particularly because of the long life of the lava chewing away inside the beam.
I would also consider that what is visible in the airing cupboard might be the tip of the iceberg so I would be getting a specialist in to have a look and assess if there is a problem or not before buying the place.
That is not trying to put you off the place (I bought a house with visible woodworm, my brother bought one with death watch) but don't ignore it and don't assume you can fix it easily just by drying the timbers out.
The one that I am surprised hasn't been picked up on though is the "wood boring beatles". That could be anything from defunct wood worm that was present in the wood when the house was built to death watch beetles that is slowly making the house structurally unsafe! Don't forget the holes you see are just where the larva have come out of the wood to hatch. They have spent all their life up to that point hollowing out the inside of the wood. Wood worm is fairly easy to get rid of but death watch beatle is a difficult one, particularly because of the long life of the lava chewing away inside the beam.
I would also consider that what is visible in the airing cupboard might be the tip of the iceberg so I would be getting a specialist in to have a look and assess if there is a problem or not before buying the place.
That is not trying to put you off the place (I bought a house with visible woodworm, my brother bought one with death watch) but don't ignore it and don't assume you can fix it easily just by drying the timbers out.
Hi All,
Thanks for the replies and all going well, we are moving in on Monday.
Pest control has removed the wasps nest and advised the beetles are no longer present. They were in a boiler room outside the main house but attached so not too much of a concern if some timber had to be replaced.
Confirmation that only mice in the attic and the third round of bait trays have been placed there. 10 in the attic, 1 under the sink in the kitchen and 2 in the garage. The ones in the attic have been 'covered over', which is apparently something mice do. The ones in kitchen and garage haven't been touched so advised to cut all hedges down touching the house in case mice are climbing up.
Electrician coming over on Thurs to check wires in attic.
Any other suggestions on stopping mice? Pest control says they see mice droppings in houses that have the sonic plug ins so don't think they work. Some have been around the plugins.
Thanks for the replies and all going well, we are moving in on Monday.
Pest control has removed the wasps nest and advised the beetles are no longer present. They were in a boiler room outside the main house but attached so not too much of a concern if some timber had to be replaced.
Confirmation that only mice in the attic and the third round of bait trays have been placed there. 10 in the attic, 1 under the sink in the kitchen and 2 in the garage. The ones in the attic have been 'covered over', which is apparently something mice do. The ones in kitchen and garage haven't been touched so advised to cut all hedges down touching the house in case mice are climbing up.
Electrician coming over on Thurs to check wires in attic.
Any other suggestions on stopping mice? Pest control says they see mice droppings in houses that have the sonic plug ins so don't think they work. Some have been around the plugins.
fastgerman] said:
Any other suggestions on stopping mice? Pest control says they see mice droppings in houses that have the sonic plug ins so don't think they work. Some have been around the plugins.
Electronic Rat Killer!!!!!They are amazing, and don't splat blood all over the floor as traditional mousetraps can.
I'm in a chalet style 60's house near fields too and heard scurrying. I bought a "sonic" thing - it had 2 settings, 1 ultrasonic and 1 that "pulsed" round the electrical system, apparently the vermin hate the sound. Didn't seem to bother ours, clearly the loft was still preferable to a cold damp outdoors.
Eventually got a vermin bloke round, he found the likely entry point - a thin plastic air brick which he later showed me had been cleaned by their ingress/egress, and replaced it with a much deeper clay version.
Fingers crossed...
RE wasps, the same vermin bloke removed 4 nests this summer.
He reckoned if they liked your house they'd come back next year no matter what you try.
Eventually got a vermin bloke round, he found the likely entry point - a thin plastic air brick which he later showed me had been cleaned by their ingress/egress, and replaced it with a much deeper clay version.
Fingers crossed...
RE wasps, the same vermin bloke removed 4 nests this summer.
He reckoned if they liked your house they'd come back next year no matter what you try.
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