RESOLVE SURVEY ISSUES

Make the selling process as easy as it can be with our helpful advice.

It’s not uncommon for surveys to threaten the whole sales process. If an issue is uncovered by a survey, then your potential buyer could get cold feet and pull out. If you’re just starting the process of selling your home, now is the time to get things in order...

CHECK THAT YOUR LOFT CONVERSION (IF YOU HAVE ONE) IS UP TO STANDARDS

With loft conversations becoming extremely popular over the years, it’s not uncommon for them to come up with issues during a building survey. The most common challenge in this area is ensuring your loft conversation is compliant with building regulations - low headroom and unconventional staircases such as spiral staircases or drop-down ladders may be an issue. A more serious issue to address is making sure you have reinforced floor joists - most lofts are not designed to support anything beyond normal storage. Your loft should also have natural light, headroom of 2.3 meters minimum, proper insulation and ventilation, and fire safety measures.

Make Sure Your Basement Is Safe

Just like loft conversions, basement conversions have grown in popularity over the years - this means that it’s not uncommon they come up with issues during a building survey. Making sure you have installed a tanking and pump system is essential to avoid any damp and mould issues coming up during the survey. Your basement conversions should also have an external escape route such as an exterior door or window, as well as smoke alarms and proper ventilation throughout.

Address That Leaky Roof

It’s no seccret that a leaky roof is bad news, but did you know that a leaky roof could cause damp and mould problems elsewhere, too? A leaky roof could see your buyer try to renegotiate the asking price, or risk the property sale to fall through entirely. Unfortunately, you may not be aware of any issues until a building survey is carried out - with that in mind, it’s time to get yourself a comprehensive roof inspection if you’re worried about your roof before you go any further down the selling route.

Dampness And Timber Deterioration

This is one of the most common issues on a survey. Dampness and timber deterioration are huge warning signs of leaky pipes, damaged damp membranes, or faulty guttering. If these issues are not addressed, they can cause significant harm to the property and cause your buyer to pull out because of it. Hire an independent damp specialist to identify issues and address them accordinglythere’s no point in the “seeing if the survey picks it up” attitude on this one.

Japanese Knotweed

We thought we’d include this one as this is a bit of a head scratcher and still confuses a few people. Japanese Knotweed is a tiny garden weed that can potentially do major damage to your property. Japanese Knotweed is a highly invasive plant that will damage paths, gardens, and the structural stability of a home as a whole. It’s not all bad news however, the discovery of Japanese knotweed will no longer halt the sale of your property - surveyors now have the ability to assess the infestation and tell you how to manage the problem effectively.