We don't think this is bad for 170 year old house, but are selling to ftb who are cautious
We're sold STC to ftb. We agreed a 10k reduction in price from £257,500 to £247,500 as we want to move and the housing market, as we know, is slow. They've come back the with following after their L3 survey:
As mentioned, we've now been through the full building survey on ..., and there are a few items flagged for further investigation before we can progress toward exchange. Wanted to run through what we need and a couple of ways it might be easiest to sort.
Rayburn & Heating System
The survey couldn't test the Rayburn, so we need to establish their condition and function. We already have the chimney sweep certificate, but what we're really after is any service history specific to the Rayburn and records that speak to condition and how it has been running. If that's not something the vendor has, we'd be happy to arrange for an independent engineer to visit and inspect both instead.
As for Friday, the Rayburn inspector is no longer available. However, if supporting documentation can be provided, an inspection may not be required after all.
Woodworm
The survey noted evidence of woodworm to the roof timbers and the underside of the staircase, and recommended a full inspection before proceeding. As the vendor is the current homeowner, a company offer free surveys, so it may be quickest and most cost-effective for them to get this booked directly, since it would come at a cost if we arrange it ourselves.
Drainage
The survey identified standing water and debris within the drainage chamber and strongly advised an inspection. Dyno-Rod could likely undertake a CCTV drainage survey at short notice, so it may be most straightforward for the vendor to arrange this directly, if they are able to do so.
Damp
The survey also recorded elevated moisture readings and recommended an independent damp investigation in line with the current industry standard (JPS 2022). We'll arrange this ourselves rather than asking the vendor to sort it.
Roof
Lastly, the survey flagged several slipped and damaged slates on the main roof. We'll get our own roofer out for a look and a quote, just flagging it so you're aware it's in motion.
Happy to discuss any of this further, just keen to get these moving so we can progress.
* The woodworm was treated 17 years ago, and we have a certificate with a 20 year guarantee. The surveyor only poked his head into the loft as it's not boarded out.
I'm worried that they're going to try a negotiate more money off. We've already provided an new EICR and had 2 chimneys capped and a new chimney pot places at a cost of £900 to us. We've said that if they want to pay for a CCTV drainage survey, go ahead, but we've had no issues.
Am I worrying for nothing?