House surveyors - advice please

[danstevens]

Hello,

I'm looking to buy a property in sydenham - 3 bed split level flat - which occupies the 1st and 2nd floors of a victorian style town house - there is a one bedroom flat underneath on the ground floor. Couple of questions:

1) What type of survey should I go for - normal home buyers survey or a full building survey?

2) Can anyone recommend surveyors in the local area?

many thanks

Dan.

[kster]

In my humble opinion, a home buyers report is a waste of time and money. We had one done “to be on the safe side”, it told us nothing. The survey was littered with comments like “couldn’t check the floor as it was covered in carpet” or comments to cover himself like “obtain a timber survey for xxx”. Basically anything that has even the remotest chance of being dodgy and they simply tell you to get another in-depth survey. Completely useless as a tool to help you decide weather to buy a place or not.

If you are buying a Victorian house then it has stood for over 100 years through; floods, droughts and 2 world wars. Unless someone has done something stupid to it, then it is unlikely to fall down in the next 20 years. The issue you face is, was the flat conversion done properly? I would first speak to the other flat owners in the house and see if they have any problems. If you have concerns over the quality of the conversion then I would either get a full survey or walk away and look for another flat. If everything looks fine then I would save the money and put it towards your first maintenance project.

[sydenham Don]

Sound advice from Kster I would say. We also bought a three bed conversion flat a couple of years back and went for a homebuyers report. We were stupid and didnt check the lease agreement (we actually own everything above the ground floor including the roof and loft) - our chimney is crocked and now we have to pay for a new one (dk if a full structural surveytwould have picked this up though).

my advice is check the details of the lease, make sure you are aware of what is your responsibility and make a decision from there. Good luck with it.

SD

[Juwlz]

I had a full structural survey on one property and a homebuyers report on another and would agree that its probably best to go for the full structural survey just in case. However this is despite the fact that I actually found that the full structural wasn't that much more in-depth than the homebuyers report really (though the full structural survey was was on a smaller property so maybe not a good comparison).

They also covered themselves by saying "couldn’t check the floor as it was covered in carpet” or comments to cover themselves like “obtain a timber survey for xxx" on the full structural almost as much as they did on the homebuyers report surprisingly enough. Maybe I didn't pick a very good company.

The other thing to bear in mind is that the full structural survey will make you gasp with horror even if the house is basically okay, so don't be put off too easily by stuff like evidence of a bit of old movement (subsidence) which affects nearly every Victorian house in London, apparently.

Good luck, sorry I don't know any local companies I could recommend.

[raymondus]

I think the best thing you can do is attend the survey with your surveyor. The older ones will probably tell you more stuff than they would care to put in their report, as the report is the document they get sued on (I remember the case that started it all - Smith v Eric Bush - ah yes - law school days!).

[Knighton]

If you are buying on mortgage your lenders will insist on a survey to be carried out by a surveyor of their choosing.

No variety of survey is entirely satisfactory. In this area a Structural Engineer should be called in to examine a property of that age. Even then you will have similar cover clauses to those mentioned above.

[raymondus]

Not entirely true about the choice of surveyor. Whilst the mortgagor will insist on the basic valuation being carried out by their man (which you will have to pay for), there is no obligation for you to use the same guy to carry out a full strutural or home buyers, which are additional services. Hence, when I bought my pad recently, the lenders wanted Countrywide to do the survey. They called me and asked if I wanted a full structural at £1,200 extra (on top of the £340 had already shelled out). I told them no and got someone else to do it (the full strucutural bit, anyway) for £500.

I agree about getting a full structural if a house. I am never sure when it comes to flats. Even though its a Victorian property, it is presumably leasehold and in that event, doesn't the freeholder take out buildings insurance (which you have to pay for, naturally) and is generally responsible for the building not falling down? I could be wrong so don't quote me. I suppose, it is only £600 extra so why risk it on what might be the biggest investment in your life?

[Knighton]

It is the occupiers who have to insure. High Rise developments probably have a component for insurance within the service charges that apply. I used to own a flat together with the freehold of the whole building. The leaseholders for the other flat had to ensure they had full cover.

It is not impossible, however, for a lease to incorporate different provisions.

[Liberty]

I have just brought a Victorian house in the area and I went with the middle survey I think it is called a homebuyers report. I had a full structural survey on the house I was trying to buy before and I can honestly say there was not much different between the two. When I sold my last flat the buyer had the basic one and the surveyor only spent 30 seconds in the flat a waste of my buyers money I thought.

[danstevens]

thanks for all your replies - very useful. I'm going to attend the survey with the surveyor - going for a normal home buyers survey at this point - unless it becomes clear I need a building survey when the chap or chapess arrives

thanks again

dan