I've just had the homebuyers report back at a costly £500, it has come back with several worrying problems which include damp and bulging external walls.

The surveyor mentioned that these problems are relatively common in Sheffield and I was just wondering if anyone could let me know of their expereinces. I know nothing about building and have no idea what costs are involved or how long these type of problems take to rectify. They sound pretty scary. Are these type of structural problems really that common in Sheffield???

Any advice appreciated.

I think if you have "bulging external walls" you may have to consider some form of strapping to contain the structural problems. Many of the terraces in Sheffield are built off clay foundations and have been there for over 100 years so it's no big surprise that they show problems when a surveyor comes round to visit...

Damp comes up a lot on properties of this age - especially if there isn't a damp-proof course. Did the survey specify what kind of damp, or where it was coming from?

Bulging walls sounds a bit more worrying though. You'd need to get a builder to give you some quotes for both problems.

I wouldn't necessarily let you put you off the house until you know how much it would cost to fix. It would be pretty strange for nothing to come up in a survey of this kind of property. Perhaps you could get something knocked off the price as a compensation?

Good luck.

if "essential repairs" are highlighted on a survey then it is usual for either the vendor to have them fixed before the sale completes or to reduce the asking price by between 50% to 100% of the cost of the essential repairs (and really it should be 100%), as the mortgage company will place a retention (i.e. withold the mortgage advance) on that amount of the mortgage funds required to bring the property up to value until the work has been done and inspected...

I really wouldn't be too worried as both these problems are common in old Sheffield terraces as most weren't even built with a slate damp-proof course (as larger type houses might have been) and even with a modern injection damp-proof course there will still be some trace dampness as the only truely effective option is to install a physical damp membrane by cutting out sections of the wall - but the injection course will suffice for mortgage purposes.

Rows of terraces were often thrown up quickly to house steel workers, without the greatest of care to keep them 'plum' so again I wouldn't be worried unless the surveyor feels there is ongoing movement, still it might be worth using the survey to get a bit knocked off the price if you can - good luck.

What does it have on it's roof?

If the original slates have been replaced by much heavier tiles, this may be causing the bulging problem - or if a neighbouring property (given it's a terrace) has a 'replacement' roof, that could be the cause (and will be impossible to fix - as it's not yours)

I'd check to make sure that the bulging walls aren't anything to do with structural movement. We pulled out of a house as the bay window had structural movment and required underpinning. After a house has been underpinned, I believe insurance is hard to get or is higher.

Personally we didn't want the stigma of underpinning and as we knew we would be moving in a few years again, we didn't want the complications that may be associated with trying to sell it with the remedial work done on it.

You should be able to fix damp with a good damp course - I'd get a builder to give an estimate on whether one will be worth it in the long run.

The bulging walls sounds alarming. Or is it another term for what's known as 'settlement'? This is something most houses will experience after a while and usually amounts to having doors or floors on a slight angle, the kind of thing you'd only notice with a spirit level.

Any house over 100 years old will inevitably have some problems and need upkeep; it might be as minor as an uneven floor or as serious as a roof needing replacing, but if you don't want to have to deal with building repairs then it's better to stick to a new house (and I've heard these aren't always without problems!). If you're not sure though, best not to buy it, as it's a ton of money to waste!

You would need to establish whether the damp was coming in from outside, or whether it's a condensation problem - in which case no amount of dampproofing is going to cure it - it needs a different approach ;)

Thanks for the info. My solicitor has advisied me to get the vendor to get a structural survey done as there is no way I can get a morgage offered without this.

Problem being that the vendor does not want to do this. If I pay i may still find out that there are serious problems and that I cannt get a morgage anyway. I really like the house but am worried I wont have enough money to go through the provess with another house if the survey shows serious issues. Also the vendor is not willing to negotiate any price over the slightly less serious problems brought up. I thought that was one of the reasons for doing the survey.

Nightmare! Does anyone know of any insurance that you can get for solcitors and survey fees if things fall through?

hi,
we're in a similar position to you.
what i would like to ask is who charged £500 for a home buyers report!?
we're getting a full building survey done for £350 and the boyf is going along with the surveyor who has said he's happy to explain as he's going along.
in my opinion home buyer reports are a waste of money because they only really pick out things that are obvious and then recommend further investigation i.e. a building or specialist survey.
we've just instructed a solictor too who is going to hold off from doing the searches untill we give them the nod that the survey is ok. therefore, we won't get charged if the survey says the house is falling down! but we can provide the solicitor details to the estate agent and bank to keep them happy.
i don't think many vendors will shell out for a survey... if you still want to go ahead just ring every sheffield building surveyor in the yellow pages. we found they ranged between £350-£700. and price isn't always a reflection of quality etc. the £700 one was a right arsey so and so who made us feel like it was a chore to talk to us!

The survey was with the Halifax, my morgage advisor told me that it was best value to have the valuation and survey done by the same people.

I would be most interested to hear which company do it for £350 as I have now been out in the position to find another house which is going to prove difficult seeing as the sheffield system seems to be all closed bids and I am still living in Bournemouth which makes it hard travelling up all the way to do viewings. What was your experience of their survey?

the surveyors is Andrew Russell Associates. they have a website. it's not a recommendation because we haven't used them yet. in fact, after a meeting at the bank today, they have offered to undercut this price by £25 so we're probably going to go with whoever the bank uses, we just need to call them directly and get a feel for the level of service.
whenever you're buying or selling a house just get all the quotes you can for every service you need and let them all know what you are doing... most will offer you better deals if they know you are actively searching out the best prices because they want your business!
the customer always has the advantage... unless of course you are silly enough to try and buy a terrace in crookes.

I have used Andrew Russell Associates in the past and found them to be excellent.

Are you sure the actual wall is bulging and not just the wall coating (pebbledash or render etc).

If its the wall, it may be major. If its just the coating, that can be done fairly easily and cost effectivly.

if "essential repairs" are highlighted on a survey then it is usual for either the vendor to have them fixed before the sale completes or to reduce the asking price by between 50% to 100% of the cost of the essential repairs (and really it should be 100%), as the mortgage company will place a retention (i.e. withold the mortgage advance) on that amount of the mortgage funds required to bring the property up to value until the work has been done and inspected...


no, it shouldn't be 100% as the vendor isn't going to get any benefit from them whatsoever. unless the vendor said 'there is no damp' they are not responsible. arguably, bulging walls are easily visible and obvious to a layman, so the vendor could refuse to pay for anything to be rectified that was easily identifiable to the buyer.

mortgage companies will only very rarely withhold funds as the value of a house is what someone is willing to pay for it (ie the buyer). unless there's a lot of surprises in the survey the mortgage company aren't going to lose out so they just don't care.

realistically, expect the vendor to offer to pay 50%. the house i'm currently buying will probably have something like 15k of unexpected work, and we'll be perfectly happy with the vendor paying 50%. the house we're selling needs less than 3k, but our buyer found the most expensive contractor available and wants us to pay the whole lot. we offered 50% and stuck with that despite their insistence (they have now accepted) as we were quite prepared to remarket the house. they even thought we should be paying for stuff labelled as 'maintenance' in the survey. DO NOT PUSH YOUR LUCK, you may lose the house if you push for 100%.

if you have your survey done with your mortgage company, you will usually pay around £500-600 for a homebuyer. The mortgage company will require that a valuation is done on the property - usually cost £2-300. the valuation can be part of the survey if done by the same company at the same time.

if you arrange your survey through an independent surveyor (ie independently to the mortgage company) you will probably pay around £300, but will still need to pay the mortgage company to do their valuation. the cost of doing it either way is around the same, but doing it thgouth your mortgage company takes less effort.

a building report isn't really necessary except on extended or old properties, or particularly unusual ones. a homebuyer report covers plenty of the things that a layman might not recognise. a building report covers such things as altered load-bearing walls, and will dig deep enough to find pointlessly pedantic problems. a valuation covers pretty much nothing other than holes in walls and electrical fires in progress. if your survey has shown 'bulging walls' i suggest you ring the surveyor and make them work for their fee - ask why they thnk it's bulging and how it would need rectifying. at the worst, they will tell you who you need to contact, at best they will tell you approximately how much it will cost to rectify AND tell you who to contact.

damp is present in pretty much every terraced house that doesn't have a damp proof course. don't do a DIY chemical job though - we did, and it didn't really work (and we're not bad at DIY, either). whatever you choose, have it done professionally.

i think you paid the right amount for the right survey, despite what others think.

I am no expert, but I don't think that slightly bulging walls are all that much to worry about either. Many older buildings in the city have had to have tie bars installed due to the outer skin of bricks bellowing out a little.
And settlement is a natural part of the aging of any property. So you would expect the floor to bow in the attic of any terraced house with the middle being slightly raised.

The survey was with the Halifax, my morgage advisor told me that it was best value to have the valuation and survey done by the same people.

I would be most interested to hear which company do it for £350 as I have now been out in the position to find another house which is going to prove difficult seeing as the sheffield system seems to be all closed bids and I am still living in Bournemouth which makes it hard travelling up all the way to do viewings. What was your experience of their survey?

Are you sure that this information from the mortgage advisor is correct? I bought a house last month and got a mortgage from HSBC. I was under the impression that the homebuyers report replaces the valuation survey, and that the structural survey replaces the homebuyers report if you choose to have it. I paid £310 for a homebuyers report from HSBC.