Families outside of London think we should ask for a price reduction
Hello everyone, just got a level 3 survey done on a two bed Edwardian Terrace (1920-1930 build) freehold in London (zone 3). The asking price was £430000.
The surveyor came back with a list of problems that seem to be minor:
- Chimney: uncapped cowls and cracking
- Roof covering: need to recover in short to medium term (4-8 years)
- exterior wall: render and no visible damp proof course (I assume due to the render going all the way to the ground)
And some more concerning issues were raised:
"we recommend commissioning a structural engineer to further investigate as the following defects that may be of structural concern, and establish if the movement identified is progressive.
- Unusual settlement cracking was noted to the wall in the living room
- Unusual settlement cracking was noted to the wall in the kitchen
- Unusual settlement cracking was noted to the wall in the main bathroom"
And
"Higher than normal moisture readings were recorded on the internal faces of some external walls
in a number of locations around the property. This is an indication that these areas have been
affected by penetrating or rising damp. The areas have been listed below:
- High moisture readings were noted to the base of the wall in the living room. This is likely due to suspected rising damp.
- High moisture readings were noted to the base of the wall in the hallway. This is likely due to suspected rising damp.
- High moisture readings were noted to the base of the wall in the dining room. This is likely due to suspected rising damp.
- High moisture readings were noted to the base of the wall in the kitchen."
We know that the rising damp in London is unlikely, but what is strange is that the pain peeling and high meter readings all seem to be along the same wall.
Our families are not from London and saying that we need to ask for a price reduction, I don't know if we can as this seems like the price has already been decreased from the standard £450k for a two-bed freehold house. The only thing I can see is asking the sellers to split the cost of a structural engineer.
What are your thoughts?