hades

Having just put in a relocation expense claim, I know the one with the Woolwich was £305. Went as far as noting a cracked tile on the roof, proximity to a flood plain (250 metres away - up a hill ), risk of radon, thermmal efficiency of the house etc.

Suggesting I paid £2k for a condensing boiler so I could save "up to £40 per year" on my heating bills was not one of their smarter recommendations.

[Edited by hades - 11/10/2003 10:36:25 PM]

matt.bowey

Any ideas how mush they cost???. I think there are 3 levels, I will prob be gettin the middle one.

darlodge

Ours was about £225 for a basic check. Nothing structal, just the usual. I do beleive there is a cheaper on however. Only reason we got it done was because the mortgage company refuse to issue a mortgage without it.

Darren

matt.bowey

The place we are lookin at is circa 1870, fully refurbed by present owners. I guess it aint gonna fall over as its been upright for 135 yrs!! Need a roof check, dry rot, woodworn, damp, etc..........not the full nut and bolt job!

mj

I think the full trip is about £450, still a load of old tosh IMO.

douglasb

I think the 3 levels you refer to are valuation, homebuyer and structural surveys.

Valuations are very basic; the house could be falling down but you're not going to get told this.

Homebuyer surveys will point out anything structural that doesn't involve the surveyor lifting carpets, moving furniture, etc., to inspect the condition of anything hidden. With a conventionally constructed house in apparently good condition, this should give you an idea of where the likely expenses will lie.

The structural survey is the tops. If there are any potential problems, this should identify them.

I think that the cost of a survey depends on the house price. Three years ago with houses valued at around £130K, a homebuyer survey was around £350. A full structural survey would be around double that, but should find something that allows you to reduce your offer by more than the survey cost.

HTH

Doug

itsme

[soap box mode on]
Yes but the sneaky Ba$tards who do the surveys put a clause in that if they miss something it's not there fault [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

One of my costomers has just had to fork out on Nearly £4000 of remedial work because the **** missed it and they had paid for a full survey it's not work it for what they don't do!!

Just my few bobs worth?

[soap box mode off]

OllieC

The basic valuation is to ensure the property is adequate security for the Mortgage Lender. If the house is falling down, they wouldn't lend you the money (this has happened once to a customer of mine). They will usually let you have a copy but it doesn't say much about the property.

In reality the Homebuyers report is pretty useless (IMHO) - it just tells you to look at everything more closely and to get an electrician to check the wiring and a plumber to check the plumbing etc... they cover themselves against everything.

The Structural Survey is pretty comprehensive but they still cover themselves against missing anything. Personally if I wanted one, I would shop around and avoid using the lender's surveyor. You can usually save money and it can be a good idea to keep the two seperate (there could be a small snag that doesn't bother you but could bother the lender)...

Of course, if you ask me when I'm giving mortgage advice (which I am not doing here), I have to explain the limitations of a basic valuation in order to cover myself against something a survey would have picked up...