Are Home Reports in Scotland working for you?

I had a home report made up 1st September 2014, property on market end of Sept. Offer made on property 10th April 2015 and accepted. 3 weeks ago I had a call from solicitor buyers bank want a type 1 survey done on my property the Home Report is only seven months old at this time, I presumed that the Home Report was valid for up to two years? On the back of my Home Report in very small writing they advise to have it updated every 12 weeks. Surveyor came and did a type 1 survey, we have still not had a copy (and we are supposed to be paying for this). Solicitor telephoned to advise that they think the survey was below our Home Report no indication was given as to how much below price we had. Our adverts now say under offer. So how do I stand about this, are the buyers still to buy, will other potential buyers be put off looking as its under offer, I could be losing potential buyers. Where do I stand please help and answer my questions Thank you for reading.
Pat

We are due to move into our dream home in Dundee next week but the last two months have been a total nightmare, due to the surveyor who produced the initial home report. We put in an offer based on the value in the original home report, offer was accepted and we were delighted. Then the surveyor sent a transcript of that report to our mortgage company and CHANGED the value to £20,000 less than his original value, and introducing a £20,000 retention due to an old boundary wall that is bowing………..he said he would be willing to change the value back to the original if we got a structural engineer in to look at the wall. £350 later, we had the engineer in who said it just needed re-pointing. The surveyor then changed back to the original value but our mortgage company , by this time were jittery and told us on Monday that they weren’t prepared to lend us the full amount (as they had already agreed in principal!). In addition, there are 2 parking spaces that belong to the house, or it was stated in the original home report that they were, we have just found out today, a week before, that in fact they belong to the local council. Now we have one week till moving in and no time to get the the house re-surveyed so we can make another offer (as it is worth less without private parking)………..their solicitor appears to have withheld this information until the last minute so we are now backed into a corner. I feel we have been royally shafted by the surveyor, he has caused so many problems and unnecessary stress. I want to find out it if is legal for a surveyor to change the value in a home report after it has been produced. I called RICS and they said they couldn’t help me, I can’t seem to find anyone who will tell me where we stand legally. We are relocating from Aberdeen to Dundee so have had to set up new nursery for my little one amongst other things…………..I am just livid at how these people have so much power and seem to protect each other. It is useful reading other people’s stories and to see that mostly things turned out ok once in their new homes, it’s hard to keep positive and not worry about what problems might be lurking in the new house, this whole process seems to have been doomed and has clouded what should be such an exciting time for a young family. Rant over, I feel a wee bit better………

I have been helping out a friends daughter and partner who have bought privately, an ex council house in Aberdeen. In over 40 years in the electrical industry I have never witnessed anything as bad as the electrics in their new home. Nowhere in the home reports does it ask about DIY that had been done – despite a total of 39 switch sockets being visible through the house. This should have set off alarm bells with any competent experienced property Surveyor and saved them a probably £3-4K for a full rewire of the house.

We bought a house 3 years ago. We relied only on the home report. Nearly all of the problems that were identified after we moved in were missed by the surveyor (serious water penetration on all 3 chimneys, requiring one to be taken down and re-built; plus lots of serious ‘hidden’ water penetration (i.e. internal ceilings falling down after living there for a few months) and damage to internal walls that were temporarily covered with foil paper to achieve a sale.). This has cost us £20k to date. And we expect that replacing damaged internal walls to amount to another £10k this year.
In sum, we found the home report to be fully bogus. In fact, when the same surveyor had to come back to our house 2 years later because we were moving our mortgage (to re-value) he apologised and explained that he can’t see these things when there is furniture in a house. Hopeless.

My son and partner bought a property in Scotland recently. The decision to buy was based partly on a top graded, (1) Home Report. ( No major work required). Within weeks, water was found leaking into the attic and advice sought from independent roofing specialists who all graded the property as a ‘3’. ( Major work required immediately). An entire new roof was required.
The seller had stated on the Home Report that no major work had been done, turns out he had recently bodged the job himself.( Neighbour willing to act as witness). The original report, a ‘1’ time expired and was renewed six months later. It was identical and re- dated.
The surveyor had inspected the roof with binoculars. Photos of the roof taken by my son when the problem surfaced clearly show shoddy work yet this was from the same location the surveyor used his binoculars and yet failed to spot the problems.
To add insult to injury, the surveyors now admit the workmanship is lacking but suggest this job could have been carried out AFTER their original survey. They accept no responsibility.
This is in the hands of a solicitor but the HR appears to be not worth the paper it is written on.

As someone who has burned by a dishonest seller not disclosing issues in their PIF major issues including damp mould wet rot and leaking roof ( three in fact) I think the reintroduction of these should be compulsory in UK. Estate agents do not care about buyers and wull do the whole smoke and mirrors routine no better than bankers or traffic wardens

Bit of a long and ranty one.
I’m a first time buyer and looked at a house for the first time recently. I’ve a progressive illness so am not in a position to borrow more. Like everyone I need enough information to know I can afford to repair my house and that I can resell in future. If I had to move for more accessible housing and can’t resell, then I can’t live in my home, or buy another, or move into social housing. I was glad about HRs because if I had to pay for lots of surveys then I can’t afford to buy an accessible house. After viewing one house I don’t see HRs in this way.

The Home report flagged up minor roof repairs and damp in the walls beneath grading both a 2. That didn’t scare me off from having a look but knew it needs checked at 2nd view by my builder friend.
Surveyor writes twice in the report that the roof is otherwise fine, but then tucked away in the inspection procedures and “general remarks” is that he didn’t enter the attic and inspect the roof timbers. This despite knowing there is significant long term damp from the leaking roof. It seems bizarre that a house with a visible roof problem and internal damp beneath can be surveyed or even valued without inspection of roof timbers. How is he allowed to state that the roof is basically sound and call that a survey. There’s no redress if you miss the separate caveat. Agent told me this is normal practice to not inspect roof timbers but I’ve seen lots of HRs flag up rotten roof timbers. Agent said if I couldn’t take his personal assurances for there being no problem, I can call the surveyor. Why when we know he didn’t inspect them?

In the Japanese Knotweed section the surveyor says he didn’t look for it and assumes no problem. It takes 5 seconds to walk up to the hedge and see it growing in the next door vacant plot. It was regrowing after being removed earlier in summer, so if I’d viewed then I’d have missed it. Because he stated he chose not to inspect for it, a buyer who either didn’t think to look, wasn’t sure what it looks like, or didn’t view at the right time to see it would have no redress and insurance companies would not pay for any damage. There could have been constant eradication fees and it would keep coming back in from next door. Even when “eradicated” it comes back for years. It’s a C listed building with, I’d guess, poorish foundations and if you don’t protect it from Knotweed the council will do it and make you pay. I’d be unable to sell because buyers wouldn’t get a mortgage for a property with knotweed or history of it. If I was lucky and find a buyer with no mortgage, the price would be so low I couldn’t buy another house. I don’t know if the surveyor saw it, or genuinely chose to not look so as to not take on any liability. Either is not OK. So it sounds like if there’s knotweed in your area, you need a surveyor that you are paying.

HR said small improvements needed to leccy and graded it 2. It has bare wires and needs rewiring.

HR said no problem with flooring but hadn’t lifted the floor coverings. The bare cement floor had a hole 2 foot wide and 6 inches deep that’s been patched and repatched.

Also no certificates for anything and no tests done on chimneys, drains etc.

Surveyor valued the property without seeing documentation on planning permission for recent extension to a listed building, and there is no record of it on the council site. That’s a meaningless valuation. To tear down and rebuild in the original appearance could cost most of the asking price and also reduce size and value of the property. Your own solicitor would check this but only after an offer has been conditionally accepted, and so you have to pay your solicitor hundreds to find out if the property has a negative value. A HR and valuation should not be allowed without this basic info.

I stayed more or less polite but the agent thought I buttoned up the back and faked offence at me suggesting his verbal assurances on the roof timbers and the high quality of the survey were not enough to base an offer on.

If we add in knotweed nightmares, putting right the visible and likely problems flagged up in the survey, plus putting right the definite and potential problems the survey didn’t mention or was misleading or inadequate on, could cost a lot more than the asking price of the property and even if all this work was done resale could be difficult or impossible and then only at far lower than the current valuation. I know it would be my solicitors job to tell me I needed to get an independent survey done on this house but even if they didn’t, given how these professions are regulated, I would still have no chance of redress on some of these issues, and only a chance of a redress on some issues if I had the money to sue. Most people don’t. I’d be relieved if someone could tell me I’ve got all that wrong. I’m new to this so it’s likely I’ll have misunderstood some of the procedures.

If this level of competency and honesty is normal, there needs to be changes to HRs and then the Scottish government needs to create an independent auditing system that has the right to give out temporary bans, re education, or disbar surveyors from doing HRs. (professions can’t self regulate and the ombudsman is unfit for purpose.) This wouldn’t solve all bias problems and would increase cost, but it would be a start.

On this one experience I’d say HRs, as they’re done now, can’t be treated as an adequate initial valuation let alone a survey. I’ve found the comments above really useful. Thanks to all. When I find the one I really want, I’ll get my own survey done.

I think the system is right it should be a mandatory thing for sellers to get a proper survey done before selling but the home report is not a proper survey.
I have just bought a house, home report states that it couldn’t check under the floors as fitted carpets did not allow access. The hatch in my new house is not covered by anything. I noticed this also in the house I sold same wording but again not true hatch was easily accessible.

I now could have a very large bill for wet rot damage, I realise that I should have paid for a timber survey but nothing in the home report to suggest I needed to, house seemed in good condition. My fault, but my specialist now is saying even if the home report surveyor had looked or smelled under the hatch he would have noticed it. Not sure if I have any come back, the questionnaire also asked if any work had been done and it was not disclosed even though work is evident. Again not sure how much of a come back I have with it.

The report doesn’t in its present form protect home buyers.

Home Report -online states in question 1- should I get another survey done – quote- there may be occasions when you ,or your solicitor think another survey might have a different view —in this case it might make sense to instruct a survey on your own behalf ,either before you submit an offer or after an offer has been accepted .your solicitor must ensure that that is an explicit part of your offer . It seems to me that although Home Reports are compulsory in Scotland they should be looked on as basic or interim reports also you dont have to pay the seller for the report if you buy the house .

If I had reached the stage of buying something that I did not totally understand the construction and condition of – let’s say a £250 000 house – then I would think it very prudent to commission someone properly qualified (and insured) to do a full survey for me even if it cost £1-2000 – less than 1% of my investment. I would be protecting myself. I certainly would not rely on a report produced by the seller. Why be stingy with such an important purchase? Chances are if defects become apparent that you can deal with you are likely to get a reduction in price to offset your survey. If defect free, you can sleep at night.

Absolutely waste of money the surveyors carrying out these reports are making a fortune . In England you can make a profit if you have updated a property by putting in new kitchen and bathroom but not here it is only valued more if you have extended it. This stops sellers getting their money back on updated property’s very annoying .

I had a home buyers survey undertaken and the report indicated several items marked 2, which is that there is no immediate problem but action should be taken to prevent deterioration. I challenged these saying that his judgement was either his own personal preference (re decoration) or merely outlined a sensible maintenance routine. He amended five items from 2 to 1 making me think that he couldn’t defend his professional judgement. My conclusion is that they are a waste of time and money

A corrupt system that has fed the line of PWPs for many years a 2 year old could come up with a better system. (if they were impartial) homwereprots are useless. most banks santander will send out their own evaluation……surveyors do nothing in and out with a glance….good read on the judge sunday mail 12/11/2016 sums it up.

I put my cottage up for sale about 4 months ago surveyor came out. he was there around 1 hour.head and shoulders into attic didn’t check beneath floors ,I had a heat recovery system fitted had to explain to him what this was. when I bought this house 5 years ago the house had rotten floors ,broken sewerage pipes faulty boiler rotten ceiling structure etc e.t.c none of this was on the home report then ,home reports are superficial and not worth the money /denis