Surveyor, Roof Insulation, and "catastrophic roof failure"
Discussion
Aluminati said:
I 100% agree, however, i would imagine lenders pay peanuts for these surveys, and this appears to be a case of ‘ Get what you pay for’
If i was committing a large amount of money to a house purchase, i would have an intensive survey carried out on my behalf anyway, but that doesn’t appear to happen that often nowadays ?
I would also imagine lenders surveyors are always going to look at worst case scenarios anyway what with insurance issues and them probably having a bulk deal with lender ?
I wasn't even thinking it was a mortgage survey, I'd be surprised if they even look in a roof space never mind getting involved with requests to have the plastic removed before an inspection. I'd have thought this was a survey for the buyer, rather than the lender.If i was committing a large amount of money to a house purchase, i would have an intensive survey carried out on my behalf anyway, but that doesn’t appear to happen that often nowadays ?
I would also imagine lenders surveyors are always going to look at worst case scenarios anyway what with insurance issues and them probably having a bulk deal with lender ?
The surveyor has advised the buyer that the plastic sheet "could've caused catastrophic failure to the roof". As a statement that is 100% correct.
If the OP has actually seen the full report? Is there anything written which follows that statement, or is this just a selected extract being banded about to chip the price?
If the OP has actually seen the full report? Is there anything written which follows that statement, or is this just a selected extract being banded about to chip the price?
The Surveyor said:
The surveyor has advised the buyer that the plastic sheet "could've caused catastrophic failure to the roof". As a statement that is 100% correct.
If the OP has actually seen the full report? Is there anything written which follows that statement, or is this just a selected extract being banded about to chip the price?
I haven't, none of us have. The line is from the estate agent who phoned the mother-in-law. That's all that's happened so far, but you can understand (given the situation) she's worried. So I wanted to get the facts about what could be done in an event where the buyer tries their luck.If the OP has actually seen the full report? Is there anything written which follows that statement, or is this just a selected extract being banded about to chip the price?
sgtBerbatov said:
The Surveyor said:
The surveyor has advised the buyer that the plastic sheet "could've caused catastrophic failure to the roof". As a statement that is 100% correct.
If the OP has actually seen the full report? Is there anything written which follows that statement, or is this just a selected extract being banded about to chip the price?
I haven't, none of us have. The line is from the estate agent who phoned the mother-in-law. That's all that's happened so far, but you can understand (given the situation) she's worried. So I wanted to get the facts about what could be done in an event where the buyer tries their luck.If the OP has actually seen the full report? Is there anything written which follows that statement, or is this just a selected extract being banded about to chip the price?
If they ask for a reduction based upon that snippet from the report, it's not unreasonable for you to ask to see the report so you can see the context of the comment before giving their request for a 'chip' any credence. Personally I'd be more annoyed with the behaviour of the Estate Agent for getting involved in such games rather than something their surveyor may or may not have written (but I would say that...).
Good luck and keep the thread updated.
Pre purchase surveys have become another victim of lenders greed. The price paid to surveyors has been chipped away to provide banks etc with a handsome profit. Consequently the job has become de-skilled. If only the MOT style approach of independent inspectors had not been abandoned owing to political lobbying we would all be in a much better position.
In this case the polythene may been concealing leaks to tiles, under felt or rot to underside of rafters . It’s a bodge that I’d be very concerned to see & give a strong warning about.
In this case the polythene may been concealing leaks to tiles, under felt or rot to underside of rafters . It’s a bodge that I’d be very concerned to see & give a strong warning about.
Edited by N111BJG on Tuesday 20th August 17:58
Edited by N111BJG on Tuesday 20th August 17:59
paulwirral said:
I had almost the same problem a few years ago on a house I bought to flip .
I completely renovated the house and put it up for sale , buyer came in and offered , deal agreed and the buyer got a survey . The surveyor couldn't find anything wrong anywhere so put on the report that the slate roof would need replacement sometime in the future .
The buyer then decided she wanted a further 5k off the agreed price so i asked the agents how much she'd paid for the survey, it was £1200 and they also pointed out that she loved the house as it was the best she'd seen at the price point , the agents are your best friend in this situation.
I took a deep breath and told the agents to put the house back on the market , and if the buyer really wanted the house I had no problem with them getting a roofing contractor in , at her cost , to do an independent report .
The buyer panicked at the thought of losing the house and her £1200 and said she'd complete at the agreed price after speaking to the agent , who themselves realised they were going to be waiting much longer for their fees . I also pointed out to the agents that we were coming to the end of their contract and I'd probably switch agents .
It's a roll of the dice but good luck if you follow my method , it was a nervous couple of days as I really needed to sell , I'd already committed to something else with the money !
Exactly what I would do.I completely renovated the house and put it up for sale , buyer came in and offered , deal agreed and the buyer got a survey . The surveyor couldn't find anything wrong anywhere so put on the report that the slate roof would need replacement sometime in the future .
The buyer then decided she wanted a further 5k off the agreed price so i asked the agents how much she'd paid for the survey, it was £1200 and they also pointed out that she loved the house as it was the best she'd seen at the price point , the agents are your best friend in this situation.
I took a deep breath and told the agents to put the house back on the market , and if the buyer really wanted the house I had no problem with them getting a roofing contractor in , at her cost , to do an independent report .
The buyer panicked at the thought of losing the house and her £1200 and said she'd complete at the agreed price after speaking to the agent , who themselves realised they were going to be waiting much longer for their fees . I also pointed out to the agents that we were coming to the end of their contract and I'd probably switch agents .
It's a roll of the dice but good luck if you follow my method , it was a nervous couple of days as I really needed to sell , I'd already committed to something else with the money !
Lets face it, the plastic sheet is a huge bodge which would ring alarm bells to anyone thats seen it, the surveyor has no idea how long its been up and how much damage it may have caused. From a buyers point of view, it would make me weary of everything else in the house that may have been bodged.
Thats the type of bodge job that ends up on facebook.
Thats the type of bodge job that ends up on facebook.
Surveys are a racket. As are structural engineers reports to some degree. I paid to have one done recently and everything in the report was wrong. Soil type, geology, address(!), and even someone else's name in one paragraph. Was basically a copy of another report and I had to keep correcting them . Should have charged for my time. Muppets.
As for op I'd tell sellers to decide if they are backing out or going ahead but just make a decision based on the agreed price.
As for op I'd tell sellers to decide if they are backing out or going ahead but just make a decision based on the agreed price.
OK so an update on this.
The buyers have been back to the MIL and said the roof structure is fine - however there are a few loose tiles that they'd like to have remedied along with some of the underlying felt. And for this, they'd like £7,000 knocked off the purchase price. I'm not a roofer, but £7,000 for a few loose tiles and some felt? They must be gold plated.
The MIL was in a bit of a tizz about it, as she's already knocked money off the house to sell. I relayed the advice given here (thanks for that all by the way), and I said she can either tell the buyer that she can't come down on the price as she's already had an offer on a house accepted, or she can get a roofer to come in and quote for what they want done and knock the money based on that.
The buyers have been back to the MIL and said the roof structure is fine - however there are a few loose tiles that they'd like to have remedied along with some of the underlying felt. And for this, they'd like £7,000 knocked off the purchase price. I'm not a roofer, but £7,000 for a few loose tiles and some felt? They must be gold plated.
The MIL was in a bit of a tizz about it, as she's already knocked money off the house to sell. I relayed the advice given here (thanks for that all by the way), and I said she can either tell the buyer that she can't come down on the price as she's already had an offer on a house accepted, or she can get a roofer to come in and quote for what they want done and knock the money based on that.
Nothing more has happened as of yet, but I found out more stuff about the whole thing.
The surveyor report notes some cracked tiles, loose tiles on the roof. The surveyor also said that a new roof would probably be required in 5 to 7 years time. The buyer has latched on to this, saying the house needs a new roof hence the £7k deduction. Which is laughable but there we are. The MIL also told me on the weekend that she's already dropped it by £7k, so this is the second reduction the buyer is asking for.
Told the MIL everything said here, and essentially she's going back to the estate agent (who's been absolutely useless, but that's another story) with an email drafted essentially saying the buyer has already had the price of a new roof knocked off the price, take it or leave it.
The surveyor report notes some cracked tiles, loose tiles on the roof. The surveyor also said that a new roof would probably be required in 5 to 7 years time. The buyer has latched on to this, saying the house needs a new roof hence the £7k deduction. Which is laughable but there we are. The MIL also told me on the weekend that she's already dropped it by £7k, so this is the second reduction the buyer is asking for.
Told the MIL everything said here, and essentially she's going back to the estate agent (who's been absolutely useless, but that's another story) with an email drafted essentially saying the buyer has already had the price of a new roof knocked off the price, take it or leave it.
sgtBerbatov said:
Nothing more has happened as of yet, but I found out more stuff about the whole thing.
The surveyor report notes some cracked tiles, loose tiles on the roof. The surveyor also said that a new roof would probably be required in 5 to 7 years time. The buyer has latched on to this, saying the house needs a new roof hence the £7k deduction. Which is laughable but there we are. The MIL also told me on the weekend that she's already dropped it by £7k, so this is the second reduction the buyer is asking for.
Told the MIL everything said here, and essentially she's going back to the estate agent (who's been absolutely useless, but that's another story) with an email drafted essentially saying the buyer has already had the price of a new roof knocked off the price, take it or leave it.
Sounds very similar to what has happened with our sale. The surveyor report notes some cracked tiles, loose tiles on the roof. The surveyor also said that a new roof would probably be required in 5 to 7 years time. The buyer has latched on to this, saying the house needs a new roof hence the £7k deduction. Which is laughable but there we are. The MIL also told me on the weekend that she's already dropped it by £7k, so this is the second reduction the buyer is asking for.
Told the MIL everything said here, and essentially she's going back to the estate agent (who's been absolutely useless, but that's another story) with an email drafted essentially saying the buyer has already had the price of a new roof knocked off the price, take it or leave it.
Survey stated that the roof was coming towards the end of its life. The buyer then decided he wanted a new roof.
The mortgage valuation came in at our agreed purchase price based on current condition.
In the end we agreed a further reduction, albeit not as much as they wanted off.
Moving house is a pain in the arse.
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