House survey results

[Maxxy]

Hi all.
Just had the results back froma house survey on a house im intending on buying. It says there is a moderate chance of the ground swelling due to the clay deposits underneath, and to contact the RICS.

Firstly, most of my local area is clay ground, so it wasnt really unexpected.All the others eg running sand , landslides etc came back no risk.

Im really wondering if its worth paying out for another survey to check this over? Does the survey go into enough detail to check if there will be a huge problem, or will a guy with a stick just poke the ground a few times, charge me 300 quid and then say 'Yeah, its a moderate risk'.

 

[Static]

Are there any signs of diagonal cracking in the walls? Mostly survey reports have alot of clauses to cover themselves in them, ie there is a roof.. it may leak!!. etc..

 

[makitaman]

What type of survey did you have? Valuation only. If the survey has highlighted this possible problem and you are serious about purchasing get the surveyor in, try to get someone to recommend one to you. We had a full structual survey, cost a packet but well worth it. All sorts of things were highlighted (quite rightly), covered as usual with the normal get out clauses, but when we sat down with him and went over specifics he read between the lines and gave us excellent info and advice.
Invaluable.

 

[Maxxy]

Im still waiting for the original surveyor (who did a homebuyers report) to get back to me. Ive phoned the estate agents and theyve said that its put on all the surveys done in this area, as the search is done on area and not specific house. The house is over 20 years old, and has been newly decorated a few years ago. If theres any cracks or damage etc i didnt see it, but as far as i can tell - walking round externally etc- theres not been any problems

 

[JohnD]

... the search is done on area and not specific house....

well worth the money, then

 

[Static]

... the search is done on area and not specific house....

well worth the money, then

Yep i go with JohnD looks very specific.. as you say the property is 20yrs old or there abouts and there are no major signs of cracking, i wouldnt worry too much. If it was a valuation report for a mortgage they are normally extremely superfical. The homebuyers on the other hand should be very indepth.

 

[Maxxy]

... the search is done on area and not specific house....

well worth the money, then

I didnt get a choice unfortunately, thats the way the solicitors do the searches.

The homebuyers report didnt mention it at all, but the searches from the solictors - who do environmental, water etc bought it up, saying there was a moderate risk

The whole of this town is built on clay...so i guess ill take my chances!

 

[jeds]

Couple of things:

A homebuyer survey is not an 'indepth' survey. It is a medium level survey between a valuation report and a building survey.

A homebuyer survey would not mention environmental matters (e.g. underlying geology or ground conditions) unless there was some specific evidence of a defect such as cracking or visible ground heave.

Environmental reports are normally included as part of the solicitors search. The report is produced on a postcode basis. They are most often just a list of bland statements along the lines of 'some risk of' or 'x percentage of homes may suffer from'. etc.

But that is not why they are useful. They are useful because every now and again one will pick up on a critical factor that might well affect the value of the property going forward. It may not be often but for a couple of hundred quid it is worth it in case yours is the odd one.

 

[504329lt]

The moderate risk is based on the Envirocheck Report. If you live in an area with clay soil then this is completely normal. I imagine that most Envirocheck Reports in London, on London Clay will have the same results.

If there are no signs of significant movement in the survey report, then I would not worry. There is no meaningful testing that can be done with a probe. The only way of assessing if a property is moving is to monitor it.

 

[Maxxy]

Cheers for the replies everyone. I had a chat with the estate agents and the guy who did the homebuyers report - also had another look round the property and everything looks fine

Just wish the whole buying a home process was a bit quicker - getting desperate to move in now!

I'll no doubt be flooding the forums with 'Help i just...' threads haha