surveyor's report

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dervalh

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I recently bought a house and got house surveyed prior to buying it. After moving into house, I discovered sewage system was completely blocked, costing E250 to clear.


I understand that Surveyors cannot check all defects in a house but could anyone advise whether this should have been included in Surveyor’s report?

Thanks in advance
 
Did you get a detailed structural survey or just a valuation survey? Did you get a copy of the survey report? What does it say about the utilities attached to the property?
 
AFAIK it would be unusual for a property surveyor to check the sewerage in detail unless specifically asked to. Most drainage checks would be confined to checking that toilets flush, taps run, drains discharge in the correct amount of time.....
Does your house have a septic unit? In this case, most surveyors would request installation certificates - it is not unusual for badly installed septic units to block up on a regular basis.

HTH
 
hi there
i've carried out many structural surveys and agree with mo3art that normally external drains are not checked.
was it a new house? in which case, did you get a snag or survey done? usually a new house is snagged and an existing house would have to be surveyed. in either case, is the building less than 10 years old? if so, it should be covered by homebond 10 year guarantee. you could approach contractor and politely make him aware of the fact that his work cost you money. if he is covered under homebond then he will know that you can go to them. if you get no recourse for him i would head straight to homebond but do approach the builder first.
 
Thanks for responses to my query.
Yes I did pay for 'detailed structural survey' not just valuation survey and under utilities it does say 'inspection does not cover underground utilities' which I guess is fair enough.
But I am slightly annoyed that report did not pick up on obvious visible defects around the house such as follows:
  • In the attic, the overflow pipe was disconnected from the tank which potentailly could have resulted in flooding if left undetected.
  • Throughout house, there was faulty erection of dry lining which resulted in countless nails protuding through the plaster work.
  • toilet flushed but didn't discharge - toilet flowed up to the rim and then slowly went down
  • kitchen taps were not properly anchored to the sink and as a result water was leaking behind the sink
  • 2 of the windows are faulted - there is a clear visible gap in frame causing draught.
While these defects are fixable, tradesmen don't come cheap. the reaons I got survey done in first place was hopefully to be in situation where I had at least an opportunity to try to negotiate with seller on price of house.

could somebody advise whether above defects should have been included in report.
 
I always figured that a structural survey was to unearth major faults so that you could pull out of the sale if you so desired. I would have thought all the faults you lay out below needn't have been mentioned in report except maybe to say that some of the windows need maintenance or replacing.
 
In the attic, the overflow pipe was disconnected from the tank which potentailly could have resulted in flooding if left undetected.
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dervalh, you said you paid for a 'detailed structural survey' but i think you may have been slightly misled. a structural survey will only pick up just that....an opinion of the overall condition of the structure. this should only be carried out by a structural engineer. was your surveyor an engineer?

you do not mention if it is a new house or not. if it is new then these items should've been picked up on a snagging list. a structural survey would not be necessary for a new house as it should be covered by homebond

  • Throughout house, there was faulty erection of dry lining which resulted in countless nails protuding through the plaster work.
  • toilet flushed but didn't discharge - toilet flowed up to the rim and then slowly went down
  • kitchen taps were not properly anchored to the sink and as a result water was leaking behind the sink
  • 2 of the windows are faulted - there is a clear visible gap in frame causing draught.
Click to expand...
the items you describe here sound like you've bought a new house and i would expect them to be picked up on a snag list. sounds to me like your snagger did not complete the job fully or these items were installed/damaged after the snag list was completed. as for any recourse, you could prepare a second snag list yourself and submit to the builder although he may have an issue with any new items. i always try to keep the builder onside but be firm and polite and tell them that you expect the house to be in good condition.

why not put a few more things down on the list and then try to "compromise" by getting him to meet you halfway and steer him towards the items you really want fixed.

hope this helps.
 
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