Why Are Home Buyer's Surveys Important?

 

 

This is a harsh truth that when you buy a property, you are pretty much on your own legally. There is a famous Roman phrase: “let the buyers beware”.

Assume you stepped into your new house and the toilet is not flushing, the drains are overflowing with sewage, and the timber floor is rotting. No one will like this situation, and we all require a well-maintained house. So before purchasing the house, it is necessary to conduct a home buyers’ survey as you cannot take the house back to the real estate agent and demand a refund.

How Does it Work?

When you decide to pay the price, you assume that everything is up to the mark and fit for the purpose, i.e. the foundations, heating, electrics, drains, walls and roofs.

You probably have in mind that you have to cover the costs of new kitchen units, misted windows, and peeling wallpapers. But many buyers don’t get a chance to look behind the scenes. Pointing out serious problems isn’t the duty of estate agents, and in many cases, they are unaware of the issues.

What will the surveyor inspect?

• Are there any illegal structural alterations that could be dangerous, like internal wall knocking, chimney breasts, cutting out root timbers or dodgy DIY electrics?
• Did the housebuilders bungle the construction by leaving firebreak walls in the loft?
• Are there any peril thin rear addition walls?
• Are there any hidden signs of neglected maintenance? If there are some, they may be causing unseen leaks, timber decay and damp problems.
• If the roof is near its end of life, the replacement cost will burden your pocket.
• If the old ceiling has lost its key, are there any risks of collapse, especially in a child’s bedroom?

The surveyor will identify several potentially expensive and sometimes dangerous defects in a traditional house survey. Hence, it is beneficial to know that the property you buy should be free from issues like radon gas, asbestos, subsidence, fungal decay, beetle infestation, dampness or mould.

Consultation

Where will you go for independent advice if there are obvious problems in the property you are interested in buying? Here are the chartered surveyors that will be at your side and can save you thousands of pounds.

Surveying the property is not all about getting bad news. The surveyor can reassure you that he has inspected the property deeply and given most of the parts a green signal. Without a survey, you risk being lumbered with a money pit that may cripple you financially with an extensive list of repairs.

Renegotiating The Property's Value

After getting the report of the home buyers’ survey, which depicts the house's condition, you can renegotiate the price with the owner to cover the cost of repairs. The survey will save you money in the long run.

With the help of Surveying People, you can get the survey report or energy certificate within five working days. Visit our website for more information.