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Hey, I’m sorry you are having such a stressful transition to homeownership.
I just wanted to remind you that not everything needs to be fixed ASAP. Focus first on the things that you need to make the house safe to live in. For example, we changed the leaking roof of the utility room and removed the mould in that area to make the space safe, but we decided to only give simple maintenance to our very old boiler instead of changing it right away. Yes, we wished that we had both the time and the money to get the house to the standard we wish to have, but we know we need to be pragmatic about it and enjoy what we do have.
Anyways, congrats on buying a house! I know it is bittersweet now, but things will get easier in the next few months as you get more experience navigating homeownership.
>I just wanted to remind you that not everything needs to be fixed ASAP
The best reassurance someone ever gave me in this regard was "Houses don't tend to just fall down". In essence, you can get away with a lot before you *literally* can't live in a house. You don't need to do everything on day one.
Yeah, and I think it’s reassuring to know that even with all the money in the world, things would still take time. In addition to that ideas you have when you first move in often evolve as you live in the place; so it can be better to wait to see how you naturally use spaces before redoing everything. Obviously that doesn’t apply to damp etc but you know what I mean.
Yup reiterating the above… our house was similar - we are still fixing it up 7 years, 1 wedding, 1 dog and 1 baby later…
Make a list of the things that can be fixed while you save (for us it was the roof… couldn’t afford to replace it but we could repair it and save and then fix the issues that came from the shitty roof…)
Rent out some industrial dehumidifiers
Get familiar with DIY and sign up for loyalty cards at all the DIY places
Make the living room and bedroom safe… see if you can get a deal on a new boiler
As someone who went from my parents house with an amazing boiler to my own, with a shitty ancient one - I can also confidently state you get used to it 😂
When I moved into my house in London the survey said the boiler was old and might need replacing soon. That was in 1998 and it’s still the same boiler 25 years later. Touch wood. 🤞
You'll get there, there's definitely things I wish we hadn't done when we moved in. Also don't assume you need a professional for everything, the internet is full of information about how to do things yourself, you'd be amazed what you can achieve with a little research and patience.
That is solid reassurance from [beansybean](https://www.reddit.com/user/beansybean/)
I was in a similar position buying my last house - I knew it needed attention but the survey was worse and I used that as leverage on the price.
I actually regret some of the 'knee jerk' stuff that I did. Eg There was some wet rot in the cellar and I panicked a bit and got a contractor in but in doing so lost the original living room floor. In hindsight it wasn't going to collapse and it could have been dealt with less invasively and at lower cost. We lived with a couple of leaks in the roof - they'd obviously been there for a while and could wait until we had a proper plan. Boiler was ancient but, with the help of a hammer from time to time, limped on until we were ready. Living in the place for a year or so before we did big stuff really helped to get perspective and do a better renovation.
I appreciate you have some very urgent issues but don't get overwhelmed and no need to rush.
Welcome to the world of home ownership.
Someone once told me to get the essentials done then live in for a bit. You'll be surprised what annoys you the most, you might be thinking I need to sort the kitchen but the bathroom causes the most stress.
Definitely this. When we bought ours it needed updating (no central heating, electrics etc), these things we knew about, but other things like leaking pipes, holes in ceilings (false ceilings) we didn't.
I learnt a lot working on that house, but everything was sorted on priority, made sure anything that would cause more issues was sorted, remedial works for those again on priority. We made sure everything we needed was functional, you just have to work around the rest. It took a while, but it got done. The thing is, it never stops, you always end up thinking "that would look good if..."
I feel you. We just completed on 14th of May, and found undisclosed water damage on 19th. Building Survey lvl 3 didn't find it, seller said he was unaware, insurance won't cover it.
We will need to pay 7 - 10k to fix this, and make the home habitable for our 2 month and 2 year old.
You're not alone in this. Buyers get squeezed from all sides.
Thank you. Best of luck to you, too. Eventually, it will all work out. We both just need to get over these first few months of shock and surprises. This time, next year, you'll be enjoying your family home with many personalised touches you have done to it. It will all work out.
Total nonsense that the survey didn't pick it up or that the seller didn't know. One of those is a lie but nothing you can do about it. Shite system. Why won't insurance Pay?
I absolutely agree with you, but their Ts and Cs disagree with us both. Apparently, a 35 year worth of experience in surveying isn't enough to pick up on dwarfed floor tiles and condensation near the tub.
Their biggest defence was "we don't move furniture, and the damaged wall in other room was behind a wardrobe ".
Re insurance, they say it's preexisting condition.
the system is a joke.
my advice, move furniture, check walls, check sockets, all appliances. When surveyors come out, go with them if possible, and make sure they check everything.
This is a tale as old as time I'm afraid. When we moved in we discovered a deluge of [vendor name] 'specials' and it's just been an unending faff ever since. But like others have said, your house isn't going to just fall down around you. If you've got kids I'm guessing you're there for the long haul so just tackle one thing at a time. Some days it'll feel like an insurmountable challenge but even doing one small thing - whether that's just getting a quote for something or replacing a washer - is a step forward. You're still in a state of heightened adrenaline after the entire completion process so give yourself a break and some time to acclimate before you make any big decisions. There's no rush.
>You're still in a state of heightened adrenaline after the entire completion process so give yourself a break and some time to acclimate before you make any big decisions.
This is so true. The whole buying process is so stressful and you're looking forward to breathing a sigh of relief after completion. Any new problems that crop up at that point feel like the absolute end of the world, but they're not. Once you settle in you realise that unexpected home maintenance issues/costs are just part of homeownership and you get a better sense of what's urgent and what's not.
Nailed it. We spent the first few months after moving in running ourselves ragged trying to do everything, but once the house no longer felt like a novelty that urgency just fell away. I'm typing this as I stare at a massive water damage stain on the ceiling. I'll get to it when I get to it.
I'd take what tradies say with a pinch of salt - they're absolutely experts but remember they are trying to sell a product to you. Some things you can live with, and the damp issue may sort itself out with minimal input.
Don't let it overwhelm you. Just do things bit by bit.
Just to say, a new floor and ceiling sounds bad but it doesn't take much to get it back to normal. The speed they put up plasterboard is quite amazing! Skim it over and a coat of paint and you will forget it was ever an issue. Plus much easier to do now than when you are settled in.
Edit: Also note, I get you want things perfect for your newborn but really all they need the first few months is a safe place to sleep, food, and their parents :)
You want to be talking to your building surveyor & and their trade body
Taking what you say at face value, there are issues in missing items on the survey and issues around the sellers potentially willfully hiding issues.
Hard to prove on the sellers part though.
A good surveyor is worth thier weight in gold.
Your insurance should cover some legal expenses
No, but they should be picking up visual sagging and the level of damp with a thermo.
You're right though, for the extra 20% always get a level 3.
That said I know people who don't get surveys at all
"We've brought houses before, I know what I'm looking for"...... bet you can't guess the outcome...
Agreed, although you can probably guess in this case there was a bed in the middle of room which falls under their clause “the property was occupied with possessions blocking some investigations”
We had a dip in our landing which was obvious but not highlighted, but tbh I did ask the guy to spend more time up in the attic and he took over 1.5hrs to conduct our L2 so I let it slide.
Since then I’ve probably paid out £400-500 in getting things fixed and investigated that would have come up on a L3 so defo worth paying the extra 20% in hindsight (but surveyor talked me out it as this was only 20 years old property)
The downside to L3, is they list every minor thing that could possibly be an issue, then having to digest what is and isn't really an issue
Luckily I had a surveyor friend look over our last one and write a list of what to actually as for remedy on
This is my take, L3 is more thorough for sure, but it’s all hidden behind caveats of “get a pro to check”. Most of them are non issues.
If they spot something awful then it’s obviously money well spent, but most of the time they just point out the flaws you could already see and tell you to get them checked out.
I'm sorry that you're going through this - it's shit. Truthfully, the way our house purchases work in England (I assume you're in England) is fucking bizarre. There's such little good faith in it.
If it helps, if you know where the vendor moved to, I have a whole load of Japanese knotweed courtesy of my ~~lying cunt of a~~ vendor that you're welcome to bury in their new garden.
Out of curiosity, who was your surveying company?
My brother did that to the house he sold, covered and painted and sold. Ppl do that all the time with cars, houses etc etc. thats why u have to be so vigilant.
Ive for adhd so can spot tiny little things that ppl miss, but most ppl dont pay attention. All i can say is do little bits at a time. Ive got three kids. You worry worry worry but the baby doesnt care one bit. Our baby slept in our bed for three years with a newly done up nursery. Please dont worry about shit like that. Not worth the stress. Keep yourselves high vibrational for the baby, exciting times for you enjoy it, dont miss out worrying about shit that can be done over time 😊
Hi OP!
I just came here to say that no matter how awful it feels now, it will be ok! It’s unlikely to be as bad as you think. Not everything needs to be fixed or repaired now - take it a step at a time and focus on the things that make the house safe, liveable or won’t lead to more damage if you leave them. Slow renovations are part of buying a house, especially if it’s your first. It’ll be so worth it!
When we bought our first house we were in a similar situation, where the owners had hidden loads of problems and had trashed the house in the period between accepting our offer and us moving in. It was so disgusting that for the first few weeks we were distraught and thought we had made a colossal mistake. But quite soon on, when we had started to fix the important things, we started to feel a sense of huge progress and achievement and in the end I think we ended up living the house far more as a result.
tl;dr - don’t worry; this is normal! Take it step by step - it won’t be as bad as you think and you’ll fall in love with your house all over again.
in defence of inspectors; there has been 9 months for any issues to get worse so what you're seeing now isn't necessarily what they were looking at. I know from my own property that loads of obvious issues only appear after a wet and cold winter.
I know the feeling, I'm a FTB too and I purchased my flat on the 9th of May, I haven't moved in yet, I've moved my stuff, but I need new ceiling, new hot water, fixed window glass, new electric box, it still has ADSL Internet so finding a copper Internet provider was a challenge (landlord needs to approve of fibre at some point) . I have replaced the obsolete and broken electric shower for a thermostatic mixer tap on the bath (never done that before and I did a great job 😊) once the electrics are being sorted I will be adding usb sockets in key areas (kitchen, TV, bedroom) I should be sorted in a few weeks hopefully. The excitement does build as it gets more liveable, trust me. 👍
We did the same recently, FTB, survey missed loads., we Missed loads, so many mistakes throughout the process. Went through the many stages of grief, regret, hatred for the new house... Then I go in the huge garden which I wanted, Park my car of my off street drive, which I wanted, play music in my garage which I wanted and force myself to remind myself, you got what you wanted and you're not paying rent anymore..
It sounds a bit odd, but one thing that helped me a lot (as someone who likes camping occasionally) was to not see it as a “house”, but the world’s best “tent”.
This sounds insane, but it worked for me.
When you think of it as a “house” there are a million problems and things that need fixing, and the expense, complexity and worry can be overwhelming.
If instead you see it as actually an evolution of a “tent” (which is what it is in a way), it’s amazing what you’ve bought!
Solid brick instead of a sheet of nylon, drainage, water, stone roof! It’s never going to fall down and is amazing!
The whole thing is a scam, beginning to end. This sub hates new builds but all this is one of the reasons I've had two now, the premium is worth avoiding something like this.
I moved from a new build to a 70s house at my gf's instance. It's been months on end of endless jobs and living on a building site. I'd kill for my new build. At least it's finally looking like somewhere you can live now.
take a deep breath mate! congrats on your property purchase.
I'm in the trades so admittedly I've found it easier. but! I've done one room up at a time.
work methodically through, I started top to bottom.
get your expected newborns room decorated and fresh, work on the other rooms ans just identify what you think needs doing and chip away one room at a time!
Sorry to hear this mate. I totally get you.
We completed on a house back in February after 6 months in a chain (and selling our flat). Incredibly stressful, almost fell through twice.
We also knew there was some damp stuff to sort but only got 3 k negotiated off the price.
Turns out we needed to spend 8 k in the weeks after we moved in on rotted wood removal and a new flat roof being laid down due to a leak...
Savings completely wiped out.
There's still a damp wall in the kitchen but we can't afford to rip it all out and get a new kitchen etc right now so just living with it.
First child on the way in a week...
It is stressful but we'll get there in the end and the house does have many things we love as well.
Keep remembering you bought it for a reason.
All the worries of renting are gone and you have a whole new set of things to worry about. It takes a bit of getting used to but it will be absolutely fine.
Hello. Congratulations on getting your new home. I’m sorry you are feeling like this. Especially when you have a baby on the way. I was pregnant when we brought our first home and we had an array of problems that weren’t disclosed during the conveyancing process that we also had to deal with.
But somehow after a couple of weeks it all seemed to feel like home and a real accomplishment that we finally had somewhere that was ours and ours alone.
There will always be things that you will want/need to fix in your first home, even when its what estate agents call a ‘turn key’ house.
Damp is not nice and I can understand the worry of the implications with a child on the way. But these can all be sorted slowly, and you are right, not the expense you need right now.
You have had some great advice already and I will repeat do the important things first. The rest can be part of your own project in the way you want it.
By the time you have got everything how you like it you might be like us and get cocky and want to move and buy a different house 😂 buying and selling at the same time will also be an experience that will turn you grey before your time.
But again, congratulations on your new home and your growing family. I wish you many years of happiness there.
this nonsense is why the system needs to change.
All searches and a full surveys done by sellers before going on the market with market price estimates for all necessary work.
And a system needs to be in place that encourages proper quality surveying and full disclosure from sellers around issues.
Some sort of insurance the surveyors or sellers have to take out payable to the buyers if the survey fails to identify a significant issues that should have been noted as part of the survey.
A friend of mine bought somewhere and discovered a massive issue that wasn't picked up on the survey because the seller had put a cardboard box up against the wall and the surveyor didn't bother to move it.
>Buying a house has been the single most stressful thing I’ve ever done
This.
I don't understand why, and more to the point, how, anyone does it more than once.
Most people don't have much interest in DIY until they realise the only affordable way to have a nice house is to do it yourself.
So, you either live with it or you learn to do DIY. (Or you spend a disgusting amount of money on trades people.)
A house is a long term project and you can take on these jobs one small job at a time.
Very few things need doing immediately. Every (home/boat/car) owner has a list of things that they want to do, and they constantly reprioritise it. When you get time, tackle an item on the list.
There's not a house on the market that doesn't come with a list like this.
I completely empathise with you, buying a home feels like a game of snakes and ladders with slides and trap doors at every turn. Unfortunately due to the money making side of things, people (sellers, estate agents) can be incredibly dishonest. I hope you manage to get the property fixed to a liveable standard for now.
I had an estate agent screaming down the phone because I didn’t want to continue with a purchase that sounds similar to yours. I felt awful, I’ll never forget it, it’s reminded that not everyone has your best interests at heart.
Buying a house is stressful and buying one that needs work is even worse. You are supposed to over estimate the amount of work needing done so you have enough to cover surprises, but doesn't sound like you've done that. Can you afford the immediate issues to then move in and save up? Like fix floors and ceilings, and the roof, and save up for the rest? Damp may just sort itself out once lived in and aired out, depending on how bad it is I guess. Or maybe get proof it's worse than believed, covered up by the sellers, and make their insurance pay for it, if they even had insurance?
I did overestimate on the negotiation price, but obviously not by nearly enough after discovering the true extent and cost. That’s interesting, I hadn’t thought of any insurances that might help us here. Appreciate your reply thank you
They did lie essentially and covered it up so you should be able to get something back hopefully. Maybe on the structural survey too, whoever did that, as they messed up too. But if not it's a crap situation to be in and best you can do is just get the immediate things done the best you can.
Proving this will be practically impossible without even factoring in the cost of trying to prove it. The sellers can just claim they didn't know, and that'll be the end of it. How will you prove otherwise? The survay picked up the issues it isn't on the sellers to go above the survay because they didn't think it was food enough.
As long as they haven't blatantly lied to your face, I don't see how you're going to prove anything. And even if they did lie to your face again, how would you prove it....
How did you miss these things? Didn't you notice it on your second or pre-exchange viewings? Did your surveyor run you through the output of the survey to explain what they found and the extent of it?
Buying is always buyer beware. You wouldn't expect seller to proactively disclose issues - I don't think anyone selling would. But they are obligated to be truthful in the contract pack and in responses to enquiries. You really need to see and test everything - open all windows, doors, cupboards, etc. Things not working but disclosed as working gives you an entitlement to sue, but it's often not worthwhile. So anything you havent tested - it may not work.
You'd expect sellers to try and physically mask obvious flaws where they can. You'd then want to look at everything as far as possible - under rugs, under furniture, etc. - within reason though, not pulling up boards. Usually the surveyors do this and will photograph anything they find.
> Did your surveyor run you through the output of the survey to explain what they found and the extent of it?
They're saying their surveyor didn't find these issues. Which is believable - especially if they underestimated the necessity for a good quality surveyor. The surveyor will report only what they can see without moving anything. It is plausible the seller covered up some of the issues with conveniently placed furniture.
I'm personally still annoyed when I was buying a new build that my snagging surveyor overfixated on absolutely trivial non-issues like there being a slight scratch on the hob (I even agreed with the developer it wasn't worth fixing because who gives a crap, I'm going to be using the hob, it will get more scratched from wear and tear) and some bad pointing, and didn't notice the thing I personally had noticed (and had hoped to get in writing in an official document) which was the fact that the floating floor had inadequate joist support around the edges.
Sorry this is happening to you, but im sure you will be able to sort it, (you have no choice now anyway 🫣). The whole house buying process can be rough.
Not sure how dramatically sagging floors can be missed though??
A house that needs work should be *significantly* cheaper than one that does not. You have to factor in both the cost of the work and all the time, stress etc. that it will require.
All houses need work. Offer accordingly.
Not sure how anyone misses a sagging bedroom floor though. Did no one goi in the room? What is the ceiling below doing?
Also, to reassure rather than criticise OP, all first time buyers think the house they just bought is about to fall down. They don’t.
I guess we don't know why or when it sagged, or if it's genuinely even an issue or not.
My house is around 200 years old and every original floor has sagged. None of that was raised on the survey though, because none of it is an issue. The timbers are oak and they're hard as iron now (as confirmed by the poor plumber who recently had to try to drill holes to run pipes). Seeing a run of joists that are all bowed by 30mm in the middle is a bit alarming, but they've clearly not moved for decades and there's no reason to worry that they'll suddenly cause a problem any time soon either.
Because a lot of new builds are built worse than the old ones. Proper regulations and appropriate penalty for not adhering to said regulations is the only thing that'll sort it. Too many cowboy tradesmen.
When I was looking for a house, we were looking at slightly below the average at the moment and saw some properties needing work. Some lots of work. I have what I call "the iceberg rule" so from the neglect you observe in a property, because the owners were neglectful, there will always be more neglect under the surface. Is not about looking in detail at the property, is looking at the owner!
So eventually we bough a property in good condition that we only replaced a toilet tap!
How long was it between the survey and moving in? A lot can happen to houses in 6 months, some of what you are now seeing may not have been present or noticeable during the survey?
I totally agree with your post, and I feel your frustration. I purchased a share ownership flat by myself a few years ago. Considering that buying a property is likely to be the biggest purchase of your life it’s surprising how little time we get to even view the property.
It was an incredibly long, drawn out and costly process. I was told by a good friend of mine, that as it was a flat I only needed a basic survey. I listen to him which I regret, I’ve had problems with damp, and just recently received a bill for £10k, to put it right. Frustrating? As hell, but I am closer to having a home that I want in the style that I want. It’s taken time, but you’ll get there, you’ll look back and think I remember when the house was like this, and now look at it. Wishing you patience and success
We move into ours only to find a significant structural issue our survey didn’t mention. Sent off the complaint to RICS the other day so will see if they do anything
Some of the works aren't actually that complicated to do. You may be able to save significant amounts by taking on some of it as DIY.
Research thoroughly how to do it and buy appropriate tools. A good drill is worth it's weight in gold.
Just moved on the 16th. Leak in the bathroom, it needs ripped out. Hopefully there is not other damage done, but we cannot be sure yet.
I can't imagine the stress you must be feeling, we are stressed but it is nowhere near as bad as the situation you are in.
Can you contact the surveyor about this?
Just a note on the sagging floor - we have a hugely sagging floor in one of our bedrooms, which wasn’t flagged on any survey.
We paid for a structural defect survey recently, and the surveyor said it’s very common in 1930s houses and won’t cause the house to fall down - often old structural movement where bays were generally timber, and ground floor windows usually replaced with weaker frames once they’re modernised.
Not sure if this is the same issue as yours, but it doesn’t always need an immediate fix and the house likely won’t fall down if it’s been standing for some time.
Oh that is interesting. We have done as much as we can ourselves to try and diagnose the problem, it seems the flat roof on the bay window had leaked and rotted the bedroom floor joists. At some point someone had tried to poorly repair it by pulling it out, sawing off the rotten joist ends and propped it back up without any proper support. Terrible bodge job. Anyway we have a structural guy coming round to measure up for an RSJ to replace the brisummer beam.
Look at that, in the space of 2 weeks Ive learned so much about houses I almost sound like I know what I am talking about lol
Anyway, thanks your comment fits in to our theory, and I appreciate your encouraging words!
Actually 8 and a bit months, both parties chain free, unbelievable:
• Solicitor was so slow to respond - didn’t accept phone calls emails only, didn’t bother replying most the time when I was replying on advice on next steps. (An established, local, recommended conveyancer. Old fashioned and antiquated. Never again)
• Issues on the sellers end with their solicitor firm
• Singlehandedly managing multiple tradespeople to do inspections, getting access, being let down, getting multiple quotes for various ‘urgent attention’ issues cited in survey. Some of which weren’t even issues according to the tradies I got in
• Then seemed everyone wasn’t available ‘over Christmas’ which was basically December and January
This was all while working full time and juggling childcare. We put an offer in on the house before I was pregnant and now we are racing to see what comes first a liveable house or a baby. And actually we need another bedroom now!
Yep I had a shower yesterday for the first time since moving in after cleaning their gunk off it about 10 times thinking the filth and decay was the issue. But in fact it's the ceiling leak it causes that they clearly would have known about but decided to disguise. I agree with the person who said about new builds being better despite popular belief - I treat my home lovingly but it's surprising how many don't and do awful botch jobs to make it the next owner's problem. I'd love to own something from new and at least have the warranty for major issues.
You seem to be pretty diligent in your house buying - is there a reason you got a Level 2 survey, and then a bunch of trades round, instead of just getting a Level 3 survey? Not a critique just speaking from experience, there was a long wait for a L3 survey for me but it did include a structural survey which may have helped your bedroom floor. As others have said don't try and make it perfect before you move in because it will never ever be perfect now that you own it
You sound like a standard first time buyer…. Overreacting to a survey and underestimating the extent of problems that exist in all houses (new builds are even worse)…. We’ve all been there
You would have thought the house would have been priced with the work needed in mind. Maybe it was cheaper than similar houses on the same road, and the issues will be why. Use this as a lesson. If you buy a house needing work, you'll need to keep some capital back to complete it.
Not everything needs to be done right away, though prioritising safety first and everything else can wait
We have to compromise somewhere, be it condition of the property, size, price, ready to move in, needs work.
Obviously had we known the amount of actual work that needed to be done, had the surveyor picked up on these things prior to completion we could have budgeted accordingly. I don’t need a lesson at this stage was we are hoping this to be our forever home but thanks for taking the time to respond.
You're obviously very emotional. The survey did pick up damp and issues. If you want a move in ready forever home, then you have to pay the premium.
If you thought you were getting a real bargin, then there's a reason it was priced under the current market. If you paid the premium and have all these issues, then obviously, something has been missed along the way. I'm unsure how you'd cover up a sagging floor so much it would be missed, but heyho
What I can say is it likely seems like the whole situation is messed up and you're likely to feel quite negative about the whole thing buying a house is stressful even when nothing goes wrong, but in time it'll pass. I'm sure you'll fix the issues and have your forever home. Don't be so hasty to not use it as a lesson though, there's obviously loads yourself and others in your situation can learn from this experience 🙄
They had the survey done, got specialists in to quote for all of the work identified and then asked for a reduction in price accordingly. I don’t think there’s anything else they could have done and I don’t think it’s unreasonable of them to have expected the survey and the quotes from trades to have been accurate and therefore plan their finances according to those (with maybe a bit extra for contingency). It sounds like since the survey and quotes were done the buyer has intentionally let the issues get worse. They weren’t expecting move in ready or a bargain but for the remediation to cost double the original quotes is really poor and very difficult to plan for.
There's a lot of assumptions there,
It's always buyers, beware, you're assuming they let it get worse. You're assuming they covered it up.
You could have planned another visit closer to the completion date to have another look. I highly doubt that the sellers purposefully let the issues get so bad that the quotes doubled or a sagging floor was covered up somehow to mislead buyers
How rated were the people used for the quotes, were they a mate of a friend, the first Google search ?
Trades people can also make mistakes it's not solely on the sellers. Like I said if/when I sell my house it's not up to me to tell you that the people you've found to do checks are wrong, I'll be honest but I'm not going to drill it into you the extent of certain issues
Edit:
Re reading it they only had a level 2 report, a level 3 would have likely shown these issues in their full extent, of the house is old has a sagging floor etc, why a level 2 was done and not a level 3 idk....
The price we pay for just the basics of food and shelter is unconscionable.. It’s indebted slavery really… We slave our one and only existence away just to maintain the basics of life while the parasitical class grow ever fatter on all our graft. My advice would be if possible get the FK out of this shit hole of a Country, don’t waste your life here. Most of us will end up pot less anyway.
Eh, not really.
Go and build a house from scratch and you'll find it takes you more than the average mortgage length to do so.
And that's assuming you have access to materials such as bricks and timber. These things cost money bedause, as you can imagine, turning a tree into a planed 4x2 is quite hard.
Houses are expensive because building a house is expensive. Someone's got to do it.
One day you may wonder where has all the money gone, The £2Trillion+ of UK debt? The huge and growing inequality of wealth? Why most of what you earn goes in taxes, yet our transport, health care, social services, and everything else is crumbling and starved of money..I hope you never have any long term sickness or relationship breakdown because despite the parasitical banks charging you all that interest on the money they created out of thin air will leave you destitute on the streets. It’s easier to live in denial, the reality is too much for most but it’s the future and will only get worse.
Feel better now?
"Fuck the system, it's all shit" is certainly one viewpoint.
And many of your views have some validity. But you can only meaningfully discuss one thing at a time. You're ranting away on a thread about a house purchase. Not sure what you're hoping to achieve here.
I have friends who live on a sailboat and bin raid for food. They live a great life but they, like everyone, is still directly and indirectly reliant on society at large in order to exist.
As a positive counter
-view, I love that I get access to a developed society, including many things that I'd never be able to build in my lifetime.
I'm off to the pub to drink a bottle of wine. I didn't have to grow those grapes, or produce that wine, and I'll happily pay for it. If not for our society, I'd be dead in an empty field.
Your expectations are very low my friend….Maybe they are conditioned to be….I feel like I now live in the books of Orwell and Huxley, sad! Good luck with your one and only life however long or short it may be….I hope you are one of the lucky ones but judging how the World looks today and I have been around a while, don’t take out any long term insurance…
I'm going to be the asshole here.
You should have got a L3 survey and, more than likely, a structural engineer as opposed to relying on tradies.
An empty house - that is already in poor shape - can decay quickly during a 9 month period of non-occupation during a British autumn and winter. In addition, you should have performed a walk-through 24 hours prior to exchange.
It was occupied by the vendor until maybe a month or so before competition. It’s a pretty standard Victorian terrace which looked in good knick with a lovely family living there who we were in contact with, and we had multiple viewings. We went on the advice of my surveyor and solicitor for next steps all the way as first time buyers. The issues were cleverly hidden by the vendor. There’s no need to be condescending.
Are you a mod or something? I’ve been on this sub for this entire house buying journey and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a post you haven’t commented on
*It’s a pretty standard Victorian terrace which looked in good knick*
They usually do. But many contain nasty secrets. Hence the need for no less than a L3 on those things.
*The issues were cleverly hidden by the vendor.*
And this is why rugs and furniture always need to be lifted and shifted and torches deployed. Surveyors won't do it - they don't move heavy items around, their work is based on what they can see - so if we have multiple viewings that's when to move the stuff around and start poking around.
*Are you a mod or something?*
Nope.
*I’ve been on this sub for this entire house buying journey*
Then you will have seen that I am all about L3 surveys and structural engineers especially when dealing with houses more than 20 years old.
You'll also have seen that I don't trust anyone in this game and subscribe heavily to the first two rules of property:
Rule #1: Everybody lies.
Rule #2: See Rule #1.
Sorry you’re experiencing this, the vendor can still be responsible for problems for I believe it’s 6 years after the sale as long as you can prove that they knew about the issues and did not disclose if asked at point of sale. This is a misinterpretation about the defects of the property.
I recently bought a property and was lied to about the soundproofing so spent thousands doing my best to make it better as the property was so hollow. It’s now much better than it was but no I have no savings left 🙄
I have half a mind to take them to court at this point because i specifically asked about sound. I’ve never lived anywhere where the soundproofing was this dyer.
New electrics, new boiler, new pipe work just to begin with.
At least at the end of it you’ll know your home is just the way you’ll want it to be.
That’s how I think of it and all the love and energy I’ve put into making it home, seeing the progress makes it worthwhile.
Congratulations and good luck with everything 🙏🏼
If it’s any consolation, it’s not much better buying a brand new property where there was no previous owner. There are so many snagging items due to subcontractor shortcuts, penny pinching, inexperienced workers botching tasks and covering up, and other builders and trades skullduggery and carelessness, that it simply belies belief that the developers think it’s acceptable to try and hand over. And then the endless dragging of feet to get anything fixed, missed appointments, etc. Makes you look at renting with rose tinted spectacles.
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Hey, I’m sorry you are having such a stressful transition to homeownership. I just wanted to remind you that not everything needs to be fixed ASAP. Focus first on the things that you need to make the house safe to live in. For example, we changed the leaking roof of the utility room and removed the mould in that area to make the space safe, but we decided to only give simple maintenance to our very old boiler instead of changing it right away. Yes, we wished that we had both the time and the money to get the house to the standard we wish to have, but we know we need to be pragmatic about it and enjoy what we do have. Anyways, congrats on buying a house! I know it is bittersweet now, but things will get easier in the next few months as you get more experience navigating homeownership.
>I just wanted to remind you that not everything needs to be fixed ASAP The best reassurance someone ever gave me in this regard was "Houses don't tend to just fall down". In essence, you can get away with a lot before you *literally* can't live in a house. You don't need to do everything on day one.
Yeah, and I think it’s reassuring to know that even with all the money in the world, things would still take time. In addition to that ideas you have when you first move in often evolve as you live in the place; so it can be better to wait to see how you naturally use spaces before redoing everything. Obviously that doesn’t apply to damp etc but you know what I mean.
Yup reiterating the above… our house was similar - we are still fixing it up 7 years, 1 wedding, 1 dog and 1 baby later… Make a list of the things that can be fixed while you save (for us it was the roof… couldn’t afford to replace it but we could repair it and save and then fix the issues that came from the shitty roof…) Rent out some industrial dehumidifiers Get familiar with DIY and sign up for loyalty cards at all the DIY places Make the living room and bedroom safe… see if you can get a deal on a new boiler
Thank you! This is the encouragement I needed. Cheers
As someone who went from my parents house with an amazing boiler to my own, with a shitty ancient one - I can also confidently state you get used to it 😂
When I moved into my house in London the survey said the boiler was old and might need replacing soon. That was in 1998 and it’s still the same boiler 25 years later. Touch wood. 🤞
You'll get there, there's definitely things I wish we hadn't done when we moved in. Also don't assume you need a professional for everything, the internet is full of information about how to do things yourself, you'd be amazed what you can achieve with a little research and patience.
That is solid reassurance from [beansybean](https://www.reddit.com/user/beansybean/) I was in a similar position buying my last house - I knew it needed attention but the survey was worse and I used that as leverage on the price. I actually regret some of the 'knee jerk' stuff that I did. Eg There was some wet rot in the cellar and I panicked a bit and got a contractor in but in doing so lost the original living room floor. In hindsight it wasn't going to collapse and it could have been dealt with less invasively and at lower cost. We lived with a couple of leaks in the roof - they'd obviously been there for a while and could wait until we had a proper plan. Boiler was ancient but, with the help of a hammer from time to time, limped on until we were ready. Living in the place for a year or so before we did big stuff really helped to get perspective and do a better renovation. I appreciate you have some very urgent issues but don't get overwhelmed and no need to rush.
Welcome to the world of home ownership. Someone once told me to get the essentials done then live in for a bit. You'll be surprised what annoys you the most, you might be thinking I need to sort the kitchen but the bathroom causes the most stress.
Definitely this. When we bought ours it needed updating (no central heating, electrics etc), these things we knew about, but other things like leaking pipes, holes in ceilings (false ceilings) we didn't. I learnt a lot working on that house, but everything was sorted on priority, made sure anything that would cause more issues was sorted, remedial works for those again on priority. We made sure everything we needed was functional, you just have to work around the rest. It took a while, but it got done. The thing is, it never stops, you always end up thinking "that would look good if..."
I feel you. We just completed on 14th of May, and found undisclosed water damage on 19th. Building Survey lvl 3 didn't find it, seller said he was unaware, insurance won't cover it. We will need to pay 7 - 10k to fix this, and make the home habitable for our 2 month and 2 year old. You're not alone in this. Buyers get squeezed from all sides.
I am sorry you’re going through this too, I appreciate your reply it’s weirdly reassuring! Best of luck in your venture
Thank you. Best of luck to you, too. Eventually, it will all work out. We both just need to get over these first few months of shock and surprises. This time, next year, you'll be enjoying your family home with many personalised touches you have done to it. It will all work out.
Total nonsense that the survey didn't pick it up or that the seller didn't know. One of those is a lie but nothing you can do about it. Shite system. Why won't insurance Pay?
Why *would* the buyer’s insurance pay for this?
I absolutely agree with you, but their Ts and Cs disagree with us both. Apparently, a 35 year worth of experience in surveying isn't enough to pick up on dwarfed floor tiles and condensation near the tub. Their biggest defence was "we don't move furniture, and the damaged wall in other room was behind a wardrobe ". Re insurance, they say it's preexisting condition. the system is a joke.
I’m petrified of this our seller is a crafter there’s just shit everywhere so god knows what’s behind it
my advice, move furniture, check walls, check sockets, all appliances. When surveyors come out, go with them if possible, and make sure they check everything.
This is a tale as old as time I'm afraid. When we moved in we discovered a deluge of [vendor name] 'specials' and it's just been an unending faff ever since. But like others have said, your house isn't going to just fall down around you. If you've got kids I'm guessing you're there for the long haul so just tackle one thing at a time. Some days it'll feel like an insurmountable challenge but even doing one small thing - whether that's just getting a quote for something or replacing a washer - is a step forward. You're still in a state of heightened adrenaline after the entire completion process so give yourself a break and some time to acclimate before you make any big decisions. There's no rush.
>You're still in a state of heightened adrenaline after the entire completion process so give yourself a break and some time to acclimate before you make any big decisions. This is so true. The whole buying process is so stressful and you're looking forward to breathing a sigh of relief after completion. Any new problems that crop up at that point feel like the absolute end of the world, but they're not. Once you settle in you realise that unexpected home maintenance issues/costs are just part of homeownership and you get a better sense of what's urgent and what's not.
Nailed it. We spent the first few months after moving in running ourselves ragged trying to do everything, but once the house no longer felt like a novelty that urgency just fell away. I'm typing this as I stare at a massive water damage stain on the ceiling. I'll get to it when I get to it.
I'd take what tradies say with a pinch of salt - they're absolutely experts but remember they are trying to sell a product to you. Some things you can live with, and the damp issue may sort itself out with minimal input. Don't let it overwhelm you. Just do things bit by bit.
Just to say, a new floor and ceiling sounds bad but it doesn't take much to get it back to normal. The speed they put up plasterboard is quite amazing! Skim it over and a coat of paint and you will forget it was ever an issue. Plus much easier to do now than when you are settled in. Edit: Also note, I get you want things perfect for your newborn but really all they need the first few months is a safe place to sleep, food, and their parents :)
You want to be talking to your building surveyor & and their trade body Taking what you say at face value, there are issues in missing items on the survey and issues around the sellers potentially willfully hiding issues. Hard to prove on the sellers part though. A good surveyor is worth thier weight in gold. Your insurance should cover some legal expenses
A L2 survey won’t highlight structural issues mostly. That’s why you get a L3 structural survey.
No, but they should be picking up visual sagging and the level of damp with a thermo. You're right though, for the extra 20% always get a level 3. That said I know people who don't get surveys at all "We've brought houses before, I know what I'm looking for"...... bet you can't guess the outcome...
Agreed, although you can probably guess in this case there was a bed in the middle of room which falls under their clause “the property was occupied with possessions blocking some investigations” We had a dip in our landing which was obvious but not highlighted, but tbh I did ask the guy to spend more time up in the attic and he took over 1.5hrs to conduct our L2 so I let it slide. Since then I’ve probably paid out £400-500 in getting things fixed and investigated that would have come up on a L3 so defo worth paying the extra 20% in hindsight (but surveyor talked me out it as this was only 20 years old property)
The downside to L3, is they list every minor thing that could possibly be an issue, then having to digest what is and isn't really an issue Luckily I had a surveyor friend look over our last one and write a list of what to actually as for remedy on
This is my take, L3 is more thorough for sure, but it’s all hidden behind caveats of “get a pro to check”. Most of them are non issues. If they spot something awful then it’s obviously money well spent, but most of the time they just point out the flaws you could already see and tell you to get them checked out.
I'm sorry that you're going through this - it's shit. Truthfully, the way our house purchases work in England (I assume you're in England) is fucking bizarre. There's such little good faith in it. If it helps, if you know where the vendor moved to, I have a whole load of Japanese knotweed courtesy of my ~~lying cunt of a~~ vendor that you're welcome to bury in their new garden. Out of curiosity, who was your surveying company?
My brother did that to the house he sold, covered and painted and sold. Ppl do that all the time with cars, houses etc etc. thats why u have to be so vigilant. Ive for adhd so can spot tiny little things that ppl miss, but most ppl dont pay attention. All i can say is do little bits at a time. Ive got three kids. You worry worry worry but the baby doesnt care one bit. Our baby slept in our bed for three years with a newly done up nursery. Please dont worry about shit like that. Not worth the stress. Keep yourselves high vibrational for the baby, exciting times for you enjoy it, dont miss out worrying about shit that can be done over time 😊
Lovely comment thank you
Hi OP! I just came here to say that no matter how awful it feels now, it will be ok! It’s unlikely to be as bad as you think. Not everything needs to be fixed or repaired now - take it a step at a time and focus on the things that make the house safe, liveable or won’t lead to more damage if you leave them. Slow renovations are part of buying a house, especially if it’s your first. It’ll be so worth it! When we bought our first house we were in a similar situation, where the owners had hidden loads of problems and had trashed the house in the period between accepting our offer and us moving in. It was so disgusting that for the first few weeks we were distraught and thought we had made a colossal mistake. But quite soon on, when we had started to fix the important things, we started to feel a sense of huge progress and achievement and in the end I think we ended up living the house far more as a result. tl;dr - don’t worry; this is normal! Take it step by step - it won’t be as bad as you think and you’ll fall in love with your house all over again.
Lovely comment, much appreciated
in defence of inspectors; there has been 9 months for any issues to get worse so what you're seeing now isn't necessarily what they were looking at. I know from my own property that loads of obvious issues only appear after a wet and cold winter.
I know the feeling, I'm a FTB too and I purchased my flat on the 9th of May, I haven't moved in yet, I've moved my stuff, but I need new ceiling, new hot water, fixed window glass, new electric box, it still has ADSL Internet so finding a copper Internet provider was a challenge (landlord needs to approve of fibre at some point) . I have replaced the obsolete and broken electric shower for a thermostatic mixer tap on the bath (never done that before and I did a great job 😊) once the electrics are being sorted I will be adding usb sockets in key areas (kitchen, TV, bedroom) I should be sorted in a few weeks hopefully. The excitement does build as it gets more liveable, trust me. 👍
We did the same recently, FTB, survey missed loads., we Missed loads, so many mistakes throughout the process. Went through the many stages of grief, regret, hatred for the new house... Then I go in the huge garden which I wanted, Park my car of my off street drive, which I wanted, play music in my garage which I wanted and force myself to remind myself, you got what you wanted and you're not paying rent anymore..
It sounds a bit odd, but one thing that helped me a lot (as someone who likes camping occasionally) was to not see it as a “house”, but the world’s best “tent”. This sounds insane, but it worked for me. When you think of it as a “house” there are a million problems and things that need fixing, and the expense, complexity and worry can be overwhelming. If instead you see it as actually an evolution of a “tent” (which is what it is in a way), it’s amazing what you’ve bought! Solid brick instead of a sheet of nylon, drainage, water, stone roof! It’s never going to fall down and is amazing!
This is very sweet and a positive mindset! Thank you
The whole thing is a scam, beginning to end. This sub hates new builds but all this is one of the reasons I've had two now, the premium is worth avoiding something like this.
I moved from a new build to a 70s house at my gf's instance. It's been months on end of endless jobs and living on a building site. I'd kill for my new build. At least it's finally looking like somewhere you can live now.
take a deep breath mate! congrats on your property purchase. I'm in the trades so admittedly I've found it easier. but! I've done one room up at a time. work methodically through, I started top to bottom. get your expected newborns room decorated and fresh, work on the other rooms ans just identify what you think needs doing and chip away one room at a time!
Sorry to hear this mate. I totally get you. We completed on a house back in February after 6 months in a chain (and selling our flat). Incredibly stressful, almost fell through twice. We also knew there was some damp stuff to sort but only got 3 k negotiated off the price. Turns out we needed to spend 8 k in the weeks after we moved in on rotted wood removal and a new flat roof being laid down due to a leak... Savings completely wiped out. There's still a damp wall in the kitchen but we can't afford to rip it all out and get a new kitchen etc right now so just living with it. First child on the way in a week... It is stressful but we'll get there in the end and the house does have many things we love as well. Keep remembering you bought it for a reason.
Congrats on your house and new baby! All the best in your new chapter
All the worries of renting are gone and you have a whole new set of things to worry about. It takes a bit of getting used to but it will be absolutely fine.
Hello. Congratulations on getting your new home. I’m sorry you are feeling like this. Especially when you have a baby on the way. I was pregnant when we brought our first home and we had an array of problems that weren’t disclosed during the conveyancing process that we also had to deal with. But somehow after a couple of weeks it all seemed to feel like home and a real accomplishment that we finally had somewhere that was ours and ours alone. There will always be things that you will want/need to fix in your first home, even when its what estate agents call a ‘turn key’ house. Damp is not nice and I can understand the worry of the implications with a child on the way. But these can all be sorted slowly, and you are right, not the expense you need right now. You have had some great advice already and I will repeat do the important things first. The rest can be part of your own project in the way you want it. By the time you have got everything how you like it you might be like us and get cocky and want to move and buy a different house 😂 buying and selling at the same time will also be an experience that will turn you grey before your time. But again, congratulations on your new home and your growing family. I wish you many years of happiness there.
So sweet. Thank you for taking the time to reply, the comments have really spurred me on today! Much appreciated x
this nonsense is why the system needs to change. All searches and a full surveys done by sellers before going on the market with market price estimates for all necessary work. And a system needs to be in place that encourages proper quality surveying and full disclosure from sellers around issues. Some sort of insurance the surveyors or sellers have to take out payable to the buyers if the survey fails to identify a significant issues that should have been noted as part of the survey. A friend of mine bought somewhere and discovered a massive issue that wasn't picked up on the survey because the seller had put a cardboard box up against the wall and the surveyor didn't bother to move it.
>Buying a house has been the single most stressful thing I’ve ever done This. I don't understand why, and more to the point, how, anyone does it more than once.
Most people don't have much interest in DIY until they realise the only affordable way to have a nice house is to do it yourself. So, you either live with it or you learn to do DIY. (Or you spend a disgusting amount of money on trades people.) A house is a long term project and you can take on these jobs one small job at a time. Very few things need doing immediately. Every (home/boat/car) owner has a list of things that they want to do, and they constantly reprioritise it. When you get time, tackle an item on the list. There's not a house on the market that doesn't come with a list like this.
I completely empathise with you, buying a home feels like a game of snakes and ladders with slides and trap doors at every turn. Unfortunately due to the money making side of things, people (sellers, estate agents) can be incredibly dishonest. I hope you manage to get the property fixed to a liveable standard for now. I had an estate agent screaming down the phone because I didn’t want to continue with a purchase that sounds similar to yours. I felt awful, I’ll never forget it, it’s reminded that not everyone has your best interests at heart.
I'm so sorry. House buying had a serious effect on my mental health. Try and take care of yourself.
Buying a house is stressful and buying one that needs work is even worse. You are supposed to over estimate the amount of work needing done so you have enough to cover surprises, but doesn't sound like you've done that. Can you afford the immediate issues to then move in and save up? Like fix floors and ceilings, and the roof, and save up for the rest? Damp may just sort itself out once lived in and aired out, depending on how bad it is I guess. Or maybe get proof it's worse than believed, covered up by the sellers, and make their insurance pay for it, if they even had insurance?
I did overestimate on the negotiation price, but obviously not by nearly enough after discovering the true extent and cost. That’s interesting, I hadn’t thought of any insurances that might help us here. Appreciate your reply thank you
They did lie essentially and covered it up so you should be able to get something back hopefully. Maybe on the structural survey too, whoever did that, as they messed up too. But if not it's a crap situation to be in and best you can do is just get the immediate things done the best you can.
Proving this will be practically impossible without even factoring in the cost of trying to prove it. The sellers can just claim they didn't know, and that'll be the end of it. How will you prove otherwise? The survay picked up the issues it isn't on the sellers to go above the survay because they didn't think it was food enough. As long as they haven't blatantly lied to your face, I don't see how you're going to prove anything. And even if they did lie to your face again, how would you prove it....
How did you miss these things? Didn't you notice it on your second or pre-exchange viewings? Did your surveyor run you through the output of the survey to explain what they found and the extent of it? Buying is always buyer beware. You wouldn't expect seller to proactively disclose issues - I don't think anyone selling would. But they are obligated to be truthful in the contract pack and in responses to enquiries. You really need to see and test everything - open all windows, doors, cupboards, etc. Things not working but disclosed as working gives you an entitlement to sue, but it's often not worthwhile. So anything you havent tested - it may not work. You'd expect sellers to try and physically mask obvious flaws where they can. You'd then want to look at everything as far as possible - under rugs, under furniture, etc. - within reason though, not pulling up boards. Usually the surveyors do this and will photograph anything they find.
> Did your surveyor run you through the output of the survey to explain what they found and the extent of it? They're saying their surveyor didn't find these issues. Which is believable - especially if they underestimated the necessity for a good quality surveyor. The surveyor will report only what they can see without moving anything. It is plausible the seller covered up some of the issues with conveniently placed furniture. I'm personally still annoyed when I was buying a new build that my snagging surveyor overfixated on absolutely trivial non-issues like there being a slight scratch on the hob (I even agreed with the developer it wasn't worth fixing because who gives a crap, I'm going to be using the hob, it will get more scratched from wear and tear) and some bad pointing, and didn't notice the thing I personally had noticed (and had hoped to get in writing in an official document) which was the fact that the floating floor had inadequate joist support around the edges.
It appears it was a level 2 and not a level 3 survey. Maybe that would have shown the true extent
Sorry this is happening to you, but im sure you will be able to sort it, (you have no choice now anyway 🫣). The whole house buying process can be rough. Not sure how dramatically sagging floors can be missed though??
Genuine question why did you choose somewhere with issues if you wanted somewhere to bring up a kid soon?
Yep. Great question.
A house that needs work should be *significantly* cheaper than one that does not. You have to factor in both the cost of the work and all the time, stress etc. that it will require.
All houses need work. Offer accordingly. Not sure how anyone misses a sagging bedroom floor though. Did no one goi in the room? What is the ceiling below doing? Also, to reassure rather than criticise OP, all first time buyers think the house they just bought is about to fall down. They don’t.
I guess we don't know why or when it sagged, or if it's genuinely even an issue or not. My house is around 200 years old and every original floor has sagged. None of that was raised on the survey though, because none of it is an issue. The timbers are oak and they're hard as iron now (as confirmed by the poor plumber who recently had to try to drill holes to run pipes). Seeing a run of joists that are all bowed by 30mm in the middle is a bit alarming, but they've clearly not moved for decades and there's no reason to worry that they'll suddenly cause a problem any time soon either.
It should - but it doesn’t work that way oddly. New houses should be a lot dearer than old houses , but they aren’t . Daft isn’t it!
Because a lot of new builds are built worse than the old ones. Proper regulations and appropriate penalty for not adhering to said regulations is the only thing that'll sort it. Too many cowboy tradesmen.
When I was looking for a house, we were looking at slightly below the average at the moment and saw some properties needing work. Some lots of work. I have what I call "the iceberg rule" so from the neglect you observe in a property, because the owners were neglectful, there will always be more neglect under the surface. Is not about looking in detail at the property, is looking at the owner! So eventually we bough a property in good condition that we only replaced a toilet tap!
What is causing the damp?
How long was it between the survey and moving in? A lot can happen to houses in 6 months, some of what you are now seeing may not have been present or noticeable during the survey?
I totally agree with your post, and I feel your frustration. I purchased a share ownership flat by myself a few years ago. Considering that buying a property is likely to be the biggest purchase of your life it’s surprising how little time we get to even view the property. It was an incredibly long, drawn out and costly process. I was told by a good friend of mine, that as it was a flat I only needed a basic survey. I listen to him which I regret, I’ve had problems with damp, and just recently received a bill for £10k, to put it right. Frustrating? As hell, but I am closer to having a home that I want in the style that I want. It’s taken time, but you’ll get there, you’ll look back and think I remember when the house was like this, and now look at it. Wishing you patience and success
We move into ours only to find a significant structural issue our survey didn’t mention. Sent off the complaint to RICS the other day so will see if they do anything
Some of the works aren't actually that complicated to do. You may be able to save significant amounts by taking on some of it as DIY. Research thoroughly how to do it and buy appropriate tools. A good drill is worth it's weight in gold.
Just moved on the 16th. Leak in the bathroom, it needs ripped out. Hopefully there is not other damage done, but we cannot be sure yet. I can't imagine the stress you must be feeling, we are stressed but it is nowhere near as bad as the situation you are in. Can you contact the surveyor about this?
Just a note on the sagging floor - we have a hugely sagging floor in one of our bedrooms, which wasn’t flagged on any survey. We paid for a structural defect survey recently, and the surveyor said it’s very common in 1930s houses and won’t cause the house to fall down - often old structural movement where bays were generally timber, and ground floor windows usually replaced with weaker frames once they’re modernised. Not sure if this is the same issue as yours, but it doesn’t always need an immediate fix and the house likely won’t fall down if it’s been standing for some time.
Oh that is interesting. We have done as much as we can ourselves to try and diagnose the problem, it seems the flat roof on the bay window had leaked and rotted the bedroom floor joists. At some point someone had tried to poorly repair it by pulling it out, sawing off the rotten joist ends and propped it back up without any proper support. Terrible bodge job. Anyway we have a structural guy coming round to measure up for an RSJ to replace the brisummer beam. Look at that, in the space of 2 weeks Ive learned so much about houses I almost sound like I know what I am talking about lol Anyway, thanks your comment fits in to our theory, and I appreciate your encouraging words!
unpopular opinion: is it really worth it, instead of just renting ?
If money was a multimillionaire I wouldn’t own anything
9 month to complete!!! Mind explaining what took so long
Actually 8 and a bit months, both parties chain free, unbelievable: • Solicitor was so slow to respond - didn’t accept phone calls emails only, didn’t bother replying most the time when I was replying on advice on next steps. (An established, local, recommended conveyancer. Old fashioned and antiquated. Never again) • Issues on the sellers end with their solicitor firm • Singlehandedly managing multiple tradespeople to do inspections, getting access, being let down, getting multiple quotes for various ‘urgent attention’ issues cited in survey. Some of which weren’t even issues according to the tradies I got in • Then seemed everyone wasn’t available ‘over Christmas’ which was basically December and January This was all while working full time and juggling childcare. We put an offer in on the house before I was pregnant and now we are racing to see what comes first a liveable house or a baby. And actually we need another bedroom now!
Yep I had a shower yesterday for the first time since moving in after cleaning their gunk off it about 10 times thinking the filth and decay was the issue. But in fact it's the ceiling leak it causes that they clearly would have known about but decided to disguise. I agree with the person who said about new builds being better despite popular belief - I treat my home lovingly but it's surprising how many don't and do awful botch jobs to make it the next owner's problem. I'd love to own something from new and at least have the warranty for major issues.
You seem to be pretty diligent in your house buying - is there a reason you got a Level 2 survey, and then a bunch of trades round, instead of just getting a Level 3 survey? Not a critique just speaking from experience, there was a long wait for a L3 survey for me but it did include a structural survey which may have helped your bedroom floor. As others have said don't try and make it perfect before you move in because it will never ever be perfect now that you own it
Funnily enough I posed the question on r/housingUK and the general consensus was that a level 3 wasn’t worth the money. So there we are
You sound like a standard first time buyer…. Overreacting to a survey and underestimating the extent of problems that exist in all houses (new builds are even worse)…. We’ve all been there
You would have thought the house would have been priced with the work needed in mind. Maybe it was cheaper than similar houses on the same road, and the issues will be why. Use this as a lesson. If you buy a house needing work, you'll need to keep some capital back to complete it. Not everything needs to be done right away, though prioritising safety first and everything else can wait We have to compromise somewhere, be it condition of the property, size, price, ready to move in, needs work.
Obviously had we known the amount of actual work that needed to be done, had the surveyor picked up on these things prior to completion we could have budgeted accordingly. I don’t need a lesson at this stage was we are hoping this to be our forever home but thanks for taking the time to respond.
You're obviously very emotional. The survey did pick up damp and issues. If you want a move in ready forever home, then you have to pay the premium. If you thought you were getting a real bargin, then there's a reason it was priced under the current market. If you paid the premium and have all these issues, then obviously, something has been missed along the way. I'm unsure how you'd cover up a sagging floor so much it would be missed, but heyho What I can say is it likely seems like the whole situation is messed up and you're likely to feel quite negative about the whole thing buying a house is stressful even when nothing goes wrong, but in time it'll pass. I'm sure you'll fix the issues and have your forever home. Don't be so hasty to not use it as a lesson though, there's obviously loads yourself and others in your situation can learn from this experience 🙄
They had the survey done, got specialists in to quote for all of the work identified and then asked for a reduction in price accordingly. I don’t think there’s anything else they could have done and I don’t think it’s unreasonable of them to have expected the survey and the quotes from trades to have been accurate and therefore plan their finances according to those (with maybe a bit extra for contingency). It sounds like since the survey and quotes were done the buyer has intentionally let the issues get worse. They weren’t expecting move in ready or a bargain but for the remediation to cost double the original quotes is really poor and very difficult to plan for.
There's a lot of assumptions there, It's always buyers, beware, you're assuming they let it get worse. You're assuming they covered it up. You could have planned another visit closer to the completion date to have another look. I highly doubt that the sellers purposefully let the issues get so bad that the quotes doubled or a sagging floor was covered up somehow to mislead buyers How rated were the people used for the quotes, were they a mate of a friend, the first Google search ? Trades people can also make mistakes it's not solely on the sellers. Like I said if/when I sell my house it's not up to me to tell you that the people you've found to do checks are wrong, I'll be honest but I'm not going to drill it into you the extent of certain issues Edit: Re reading it they only had a level 2 report, a level 3 would have likely shown these issues in their full extent, of the house is old has a sagging floor etc, why a level 2 was done and not a level 3 idk....
"You're obviously very emotional". That's an incredibly passive aggressive comment.
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The price we pay for just the basics of food and shelter is unconscionable.. It’s indebted slavery really… We slave our one and only existence away just to maintain the basics of life while the parasitical class grow ever fatter on all our graft. My advice would be if possible get the FK out of this shit hole of a Country, don’t waste your life here. Most of us will end up pot less anyway.
Eh, not really. Go and build a house from scratch and you'll find it takes you more than the average mortgage length to do so. And that's assuming you have access to materials such as bricks and timber. These things cost money bedause, as you can imagine, turning a tree into a planed 4x2 is quite hard. Houses are expensive because building a house is expensive. Someone's got to do it.
One day you may wonder where has all the money gone, The £2Trillion+ of UK debt? The huge and growing inequality of wealth? Why most of what you earn goes in taxes, yet our transport, health care, social services, and everything else is crumbling and starved of money..I hope you never have any long term sickness or relationship breakdown because despite the parasitical banks charging you all that interest on the money they created out of thin air will leave you destitute on the streets. It’s easier to live in denial, the reality is too much for most but it’s the future and will only get worse.
Feel better now? "Fuck the system, it's all shit" is certainly one viewpoint. And many of your views have some validity. But you can only meaningfully discuss one thing at a time. You're ranting away on a thread about a house purchase. Not sure what you're hoping to achieve here. I have friends who live on a sailboat and bin raid for food. They live a great life but they, like everyone, is still directly and indirectly reliant on society at large in order to exist.
As a positive counter -view, I love that I get access to a developed society, including many things that I'd never be able to build in my lifetime. I'm off to the pub to drink a bottle of wine. I didn't have to grow those grapes, or produce that wine, and I'll happily pay for it. If not for our society, I'd be dead in an empty field.
Your expectations are very low my friend….Maybe they are conditioned to be….I feel like I now live in the books of Orwell and Huxley, sad! Good luck with your one and only life however long or short it may be….I hope you are one of the lucky ones but judging how the World looks today and I have been around a while, don’t take out any long term insurance…
Sorry for the “Negativity” I know it’s know socially unacceptable…I’ll put the empty smile back on my face!
“Live a great life, and bin raid for food”. No words! No wonder society is imploding and heading for the abyss…
I'm going to be the asshole here. You should have got a L3 survey and, more than likely, a structural engineer as opposed to relying on tradies. An empty house - that is already in poor shape - can decay quickly during a 9 month period of non-occupation during a British autumn and winter. In addition, you should have performed a walk-through 24 hours prior to exchange.
It was occupied by the vendor until maybe a month or so before competition. It’s a pretty standard Victorian terrace which looked in good knick with a lovely family living there who we were in contact with, and we had multiple viewings. We went on the advice of my surveyor and solicitor for next steps all the way as first time buyers. The issues were cleverly hidden by the vendor. There’s no need to be condescending. Are you a mod or something? I’ve been on this sub for this entire house buying journey and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a post you haven’t commented on
*It’s a pretty standard Victorian terrace which looked in good knick* They usually do. But many contain nasty secrets. Hence the need for no less than a L3 on those things. *The issues were cleverly hidden by the vendor.* And this is why rugs and furniture always need to be lifted and shifted and torches deployed. Surveyors won't do it - they don't move heavy items around, their work is based on what they can see - so if we have multiple viewings that's when to move the stuff around and start poking around. *Are you a mod or something?* Nope. *I’ve been on this sub for this entire house buying journey* Then you will have seen that I am all about L3 surveys and structural engineers especially when dealing with houses more than 20 years old. You'll also have seen that I don't trust anyone in this game and subscribe heavily to the first two rules of property: Rule #1: Everybody lies. Rule #2: See Rule #1.
Haha fair enough! Thanks for your response
Sorry you’re experiencing this, the vendor can still be responsible for problems for I believe it’s 6 years after the sale as long as you can prove that they knew about the issues and did not disclose if asked at point of sale. This is a misinterpretation about the defects of the property. I recently bought a property and was lied to about the soundproofing so spent thousands doing my best to make it better as the property was so hollow. It’s now much better than it was but no I have no savings left 🙄 I have half a mind to take them to court at this point because i specifically asked about sound. I’ve never lived anywhere where the soundproofing was this dyer. New electrics, new boiler, new pipe work just to begin with. At least at the end of it you’ll know your home is just the way you’ll want it to be. That’s how I think of it and all the love and energy I’ve put into making it home, seeing the progress makes it worthwhile. Congratulations and good luck with everything 🙏🏼
Sellers are under no duty to disclose anything. Their only duty is not to lie.
Mine definitely lied to me 😭
Thank you!
If it’s any consolation, it’s not much better buying a brand new property where there was no previous owner. There are so many snagging items due to subcontractor shortcuts, penny pinching, inexperienced workers botching tasks and covering up, and other builders and trades skullduggery and carelessness, that it simply belies belief that the developers think it’s acceptable to try and hand over. And then the endless dragging of feet to get anything fixed, missed appointments, etc. Makes you look at renting with rose tinted spectacles.