Survey on a house built in the 70's

[JudyC]

Help me out here. Our daughter and her fiance are finalising a mortgage for a 70's semi they have offered on. What type of survey do they need?

I remember our first house we had a full survey as it was an old house. That was 40 years ago! Our other houses have all been new build and we've been in our present house over 20 years , so out of touch which how things have changed

[BevS97]

We are buying a similar age house and have opted for the middle option. We felt it was old enough for things to start going wrong but we didn’t feel we needed the full structural one

It’s called Level 2

[JudyC]

Originally Posted by BevS97

We are buying a similar she house and have opted for the middle option. We felt it was old enough for things to start going wrong but we didn’t feel we needed the full structural one

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How did you organise it? Is it through the solicitors or did you do it yourself.

Considering we've moved four times I feel clueless now 😂

[BevS97]

Usually the mortgage company are involved but as we aren’t getting a mortgage the estate agent recommended a couple of companies.

[parisdisneyfan]

We got the middle one too on our 1973 built house. The estate agent gave us a list of local surveyors and we contacted them for quotes. The one we used in the end also said if he saw any worrying signs then he would phone us during and ask if we wanted to upgrade to the structural survey, but it wasn’t necessary. We didn’t have a mortgage though so not sure if that would have been an additional survey.

Couple of things to be aware of with that age of property. Drains may be made of pitch fibre which may squash and deform and need replacing or relining. Regulations have changed on various things so if anything needs repaired/replaced check it can still go there type of thing. Also there can be lead solder used on pipes and asbestos board used, which you may need further surveys for, unless the property has been modernised.

Anything you want to ask, just pm me. Hopefully the house they are buying will have been better maintained and looked after than this one was. Good luck to them👍

[Blue nose]

If they need a mortgage on then the lender will likely specify their surveyor to protect their loan.
As others I've always had the middle one for anything other than my new build.

[SgtElias]

For me, this is a no brainer, the house will be minimum of 6 figures, they are getting a mortgage so a deposit will have been saved up which will have taken time I imagine.

At this time, this is the biggest financial decision they are going to make, why take any chances at all, for the sake of maybe another hundred pounds, get a full structural survey, I’ve always had these with house purchases and they are very thorough, on my last house purchase 5 years ago it was pointed out some of the skirting board had not been fitted right in the utility room, I would never have noticed this at all.

A friend of mine bought a house for £230,000 the previous owners had some work done to make a kitchen diner, after a few months, my pal noticed the skirting boards moving in the bedroom above, when he looked into it, the builder hadn’t put an RSJ in so the kitchen was falling apart, he opted for the cheapest survey he could.

Another point I would make for a comparison is, I imagine your DD and partner drive ? I bet both cars are full comp insured, the new buildings and contents cover will be all singing and dancing, possibly mobile phones insured, pet insurance etc etc.

Although valuable, none of these things are in the same park as the value and commitment the house is, why would you not make sure everything is well before you buy it.

[JudyC]

Originally Posted by SgtElias

For me, this is a no brainer, the house will be minimum of 6 figures, they are getting a mortgage so a deposit will have been saved up which will have taken time I imagine.

At this time, this is the biggest financial decision they are going to make, why take any chances at all, for the sake of maybe another hundred pounds, get a full structural survey, I’ve always had these with house purchases and they are very thorough, on my last house purchase 5 years ago it was pointed out some of the skirting board had not been fitted right in the utility room, I would never have noticed this at all.

A friend of mine bought a house for £230,000 the previous owners had some work done to make a kitchen diner, after a few months, my pal noticed the skirting boards moving in the bedroom above, when he looked into it, the builder hadn’t put an RSJ in so the kitchen was falling apart, he opted for the cheapest survey he could.

Another point I would make for a comparison is, I imagine your DD and partner drive ? I bet both cars are full comp insured, the new buildings and contents cover will be all singing and dancing, possibly mobile phones insured, pet insurance etc etc.

Although valuable, none of these things are in the same park as the value and commitment the house is, why would you not make sure everything is well before you buy it.

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So are you saying a level 3 for any house?
I wasn't saying they wanted to cut any corners, only that I was out of touch with survey levels now a days.

Wouldn't there be a building regulations certificate for any works like an extension?

[SgtElias]

In my humble opinion yes Judy, others will disagree but for the reasons I mentioned earlier and how big an investment a house is both financially and emotionally.

I can see the argument for possibly not with a new build, but there has been a number of threads on here in the past with issues with new build houses also.

The house I’m in now cost me £105,000 5 years ago (I’m in Cumbria so house prices are a bit lower) but I never hesitated to get a full structural survey done. I believe the surveyor was in for over 2 hours and I got a significant report back from then with an overview and details on each room with any issues highlighted. Well worth the money in my view.

[munmun]

I think its difficult. I would always get a full structural survey myself and I have bought and still own a few houses and flats.

The problem is that many surveyors cover their backsides with caveats like I couldn't access because of carpets or inability to see. They also always seem to say get an electrical survey, get the gas checked etc etc.

It is difficult but for me a full survey is the way to go.