Survey advise please

[sarah-marie]

Hi everyone, I had a survey carried out on flat I'm buying and it flagged no consumer unit so no rcd protection and currently the fuses electrics are on the bathroom wall.. Albeit at the end by the door so not good obviously if damp gets in.. Is this something I can ask the owner to sort before I buy it or I could ask to negotiate cost?also flagged but I was aware of external works where building not been maintained ongoing issues between owners and management company it's leasehold.. Owners don't agree to works but it's old conversion and in a bad way the stone mount crumbling the windowsills and has dead ivy but apparently hasn't caused much hairline cracks and no damp. Owner keeps saying it's just going to be ?2,000 per flat there's 4 flats management company told me ?4,000 but waiting for surveyor to come off furlong! But my surveyor said more like ?35,000 per building It's been hard to get this flat not because any other offers.it was on for ?5,000 less for 6months I offered then and accepted but when I found out about the building works battle I didn't want to take it on and worried incase works never carried out. within few weeks of doing all the finding out and needing to call management company myself I pulled out. But four months has go e by now and I feel less stressed about the situation but to accept my offer I needed to offer ?2,500 more which felt unfair but I do want to buy the flat. Its tenanted so there was no chain etc no financial lose for her from me pulling out two weeks later. I have emailed the agent to say I would like to renegotiate but I know he will say if he goes to her she will just pull out. She wants me to pay ?1,000 non refundable deposit too or will keep in market until completes. I was lucky to get a cancellation for yesterday to get the survey in before the solicitors have had chance to ask for the 1000 transfer. So I feel at least it's fair to ask to renegotiate and the surveyor said when he switched boiler on the pressure very low and suggested I ask for it to be looked at so I already emailed asked if it could be serviced as I have paid ?2,500 more than initial offer.

Any thoughts on all this as I don't know what's OK to ask and what's not, if reasonable to ask for boiler service and consumer unit. I doubt get anywhere with asking for money off for building works as she will say I knew about it and it's mentioned on the 1000 non refundable deposit as a term ie buyer aware of buildings work.

[Frankito]

Rather lose ?1000 now than much more than that when these red flags turn into real problems..

[womanofdulwich]

You are an informed buyer, future bidders would have surveys too. Renegotiate a price now before paying a deposit. Often landlords have no understanding of the problems of their properties, which are often neglected when tenanted.

[sarah-marie]

Thanks womanofdulwich.. Tenant no longer there now but had been there 4 years and was really nice tenant looking after place he showed me fkat initially in lockdown period. Owner definitely knows but is very brash and cold and when I ask anything she says I'm a time waster asking silly questions apparently

But yes I will try negotiate now as I knew once paid 1000 I lose any negotiation possibility then.. Really glad surveyor managed have a cancellation

[KidKruger]

All the warning signs are there.

If there's issues with mgt company and maintenance of property, I'd walk.

Prices ain't going up anytime soon, they're almost inevitably going to drop, which may work in your favour if you wait.

[sarah-marie]

I know but my house completes this week so will then rent so doesn't work out much different. I know all signs there which is why walled before but I decided right fkat for me and been looking for year now and that other one didn't work out with smoking neighbour!

[KidKruger]

it's not just about the monthly payment though is it ? when you rent you're not being fleeced by mgt companies. when you rent you can walk and lose no more than your deposit (or part thereof).

[sarah-marie]

Very true. I asked speak to agent and received this email back. I don't understand surely it's norm to negotiate from surveyor report.

The owner is chasing your solicitors details and the deposit. We are now in a situation where the property has been taken off the market in good faith without the deposit and you now wish to renegotiate the price again. You already told us that the cost is not ?2000 and is more like more than ?5000 per flat. A surveyor can estimate costs but they are often not accurate, a quote will come from actual contractors which I thought had been done already and that you had discussed this with the project manager.

And last bit said let me know urgently what I want to do. I didn't already renegotiate a price I had to pay ?2,500 more than initial offer. Waa just last Thursday evening offer accepted and waiting for quote from solicitors the agent recommended as my house sale taken more than 6 months.. Have not said I won't pay deposit or that I won't buy the place.

[JohnL]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> it's not just about the monthly payment though is

> it ? when you rent you're not being fleeced by mgt

> companies. when you rent you can walk and lose no

> more than your deposit (or part thereof).

And there isn't the possibilty of a ?100,000 cladding bill coming (if you're a leaseholder).

The government is bringing in an additional service charge for safety in the new housing bill.

[sarah-marie]

What's cladding its old Victorian conversion..

And the extra service charge on top of already the other serviced charge!?

[JohnL]

sarah-marie Wrote:

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> What's cladding its old Victorian conversion..

>

> And the extra service charge on top of already the

> other serviced charge!?

Cladding - A big issue for us living in flats especially 6 floors or higher - you're OK on this it sounds - victorian conversions don't have cladding :)

The extra service charge is a proposal - and covers all safety issues if you're a leaseholder - worth checking this - but still only a proposal.

[Smiley_blue_1234]

As KK mentioned, if they are issues both with mgt and maintenance - which often go in pair, I'd walk too.

From your initial email, things sound a bit complicated already and might be worse once you are the owner.

Ask your solicitor what they think maybe? In this process, the only one looking out for you would be him/her.

[diable rouge]

Anyone else getting a feeling of deja vu?...

[sarah-marie]

Diable rouge yes it is..

[Pugwash]

A friend spent several months negotiating a leasehold flat and discovered that the shower and bath were not working due to some complicated plumbing issue. (The current owners were allowed by the management company to use the bathroom in a vacant flat next door)She employed a plumber to give an estimate which was in the region of ?1000 as whole bathroom would have to be ripped out and floors dug up (it was a concrete floor as purpose built block of flats) She tried to get a reduction in price but was refused. Decided that it was better to lose her deposit than try and get problem fixed. That was over 2 years ago and the flat is still on the market as once prospective buyers know about the plumbing they are not interested. The management company are still refusing to fix problems.

[KidKruger]

Pugwash, when I lived in Scotland I think the owner had to pay for the survey and it be made available to all prospective purchasers. A lot less messing about, a lot less surprises, a lot less money into hands of surveyors doing repeat surveys on same property.

I?ve always been amazed how there may be a dozen surveys done on same house, each uncovering same issues before potential purchasers departs - and estate agents should know better too when they see survey after survey highlight issues and they keep quiet (?data protection?) about it.

[sarah-marie]

The agent is asking owner if she will put new consumer unit in with rcd and certify with tests and then I can just put a box over is as its in the bathroom. As opposed asking for money off. So I agreed. And if she says no then I negotiate money off but no doubt after I've then paid 1000 non refundable deposit so she can say no to everything then.

[diable rouge]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> Pugwash, when I lived in Scotland I think the

> owner had to pay for the survey and it be made

> available to all prospective purchasers. A lot

> less messing about, a lot less surprises, a lot

> less money into hands of surveyors doing repeat

> surveys on same property.

The Scottish system of selling/buying, although not perfect, is still way better than England & Wales', the biggest plus being the sealed bid system rules out gazumping...

[Spartacus]

Trust your gut feeling, you already sound like you are questioning the purchase and the ask for a non refundable deposit is questionable as what happens if she decides to take a higher offer

I know what I would do if it was me, wait for something better to come along and hope prices drop as they are currently predicting.

But totally your choice, and you need to think with your mind, not your heart to see if it's really the right decision.

Remember, and a lesson from history, back in the late 80s early 90s a lot of people bought anything they could get their hands on as prices were rising quickly then it all crashed and they were left with negative equity on shot holes (deliberate misspelling)

[Jules-and-Boo]

I wouldn't rush into anything.

Other potential buyers will have the same questions and want the same surveys done.

They are just trying to pressure you into a quick answer, and you either decide you want it enough to take the risk or you wait and find out what the risk is and then decide.

You know what the risks are , you cant ask the forum to make a decision for you.