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[Mr Skrunts]

Bigest con going insurance, be aware they may not pay out if you under insure or over insure.  Does any one know their actual value of stero/hifi/tv/electrical equipment.  Value of all their clothing is a good one, plus record/CD collections, the list goes on.  Tell you it's a mine field and they lay the traps.

I was allways all risks with new for old, my fish tank cracked and flooded the living room, they refused to pay out as it was a pet tank, had the boiler of burst then no problems.

[tunnie]

Quote from the report:

The garage roof is formed in corrugated asbestos but we cannot comment on its condition as we did not gain access to the inside of it.

If you have concerns, I would ask the surveyor for his opinion, which may be more than he was prepared to write in his report due to ass-covering. Shame he didn't bother to gain access to the garage, though, although that may also be ass-covering! You paid for the survey, after all.

Garage all locked up, Vendors not at home when survey was done. They were supposed to be 

No key for the garage with agent, so he really could not gain access.

I've spoken to chap who did survey direct, nice guy. I did not ask what type of asbestos it was 

Although he did say, if the garage was opened he would be willing to pop by and re-inspect it as he was local.

As to the electrics, try to get the vendor to do an electrical survey, by all means, but see if you can find out when it was last re-wired.

We have paperwork from the recent extension, but nothing for the rest of the house. 

[Kevin Wood]

Indeed. It gave a warmer feeling when the "man from the pru" came round, recorded everything and gave you a quote and a copy of his inventory. Less room for them to quibble.

These "unlimited contents" policies scare me. It's another way of saying "we'll wait until you have to claim, then screw you".

[tunnie]

Also a concern is this:

The first floor is formed in timber.

Floors are generally firm and in good order.

There are signs of wood-boring insect infestation in floor timbers. It is possible that
timbers have been treated against such infestation. Guarantees may be available
and your legal adviser should check this with the present owner and if they are
valid and transferable, see Section I.

Further enquiries by your legal adviser and investigations by the original treatment company will take time and as the
infestation may still be ongoing, you should obtain a specialist report now so that all necessary costs for any further treatment are known before purchase. Floor coverings are in a satisfactory condition but have suffered wear and tear in
places.

[tunnie]

Going to ask for history/reports on this.

[Kevin Wood]

Yep. Again, nothing that surprising for a 1930's house, but you need to make sure it's been dealt with.

[tunnie]

With the garage, I guess due to time as well, demolishing & re-building is not an option before sale is completed.

I don't think I would be un-reasonable to drop our offer a tad, based on costs of removal & rebuild?

[05omegav6]

With the garage, I guess due to time as well, demolishing & re-building is not an option before sale is completed.

I don't think I would be un-reasonable to drop our offer a tad, based on costs of removal & rebuild?

That might not be seen as reasonable grounds if the garage is sound, then it would be deemed safe and fit for purpose...

[Kevin Wood]

With the garage, I guess due to time as well, demolishing & re-building is not an option before sale is completed.

I don't think I would be un-reasonable to drop our offer a tad, based on costs of removal & rebuild?

It's worth a try, especially as your surveyor was not allowed access to it. The question you need to ask, though, is whether it's worth walking away from the house over if you don't get anything off.

Worst case - you need to pay someone to get rid of the asbestos. Might cost you a grand on the cost of a new garage. It's probably relatively small money compared to whatever you've already spent doing searches, etc. let alone what the new garage will cost .. Get some pikeys in and turn a blind eye and it'll be less than that. ;-)

Same with the electrics. Most likely it's been updated several times since the '30's. If the current installation is 70's onwards, there's probably not a great deal to worry about from a practical perspective. I'd change the consumer unit if it's not a modern split RCD protected job but otherwise chances are you're not looking at an enourmous liability. If you can get an inspection paid for, and the delay is not going to cause the sale to go through, at least you know exactly what you're up for.

The other option might be getting indemnities against some of the potential problems - i.e. the seller buys an insurance policy that indemnifies you if the place gets eaten by woodworm - thus allowing you to continue with the purchase with some confidence.

[tunnie]

Thanks everyone 

I've just rang around several places in Camberley area, all want between £600 to £1k to knock the garage down and take it away, getting the correct documentation afterwards.

So that's not too bad, also considering something like this as a very temp solution afterwards:

http://www.cnmonline.co.uk/murryhill-garage-range-pr-38291.html?gclid=CIv3qeyp2rkCFcfJtAod1C4AiA

Yes it's a bit crap, but would enough for tools, which is my main aim for the garage anyway. Bike insurance might be fussey though, still it's a temp solution, as there is more than enough land to re-build it right when funds allow.

Thanks Kev for clarifying electrics, put my mind at ease there. Think need survey as a minimum from them, then see what report is from that.

Assuming thats ok & nothing dangerous, drop offer by say £3k, to cover costs of removal + re-build & inconvenience of it all.

[henryd]

If the garage roof is sound why do anything with it?,asbestos is maintenance free and safe so long as you don't start drilling cutting grinding etc.
My workshop is made from the stuff(ex RAF nissen hut)its been here since the early 60's and is still sound(touches wood)

[tunnie]

If the garage roof is sound why do anything with it?,asbestos is maintenance free and safe so long as you don't start drilling cutting grinding etc.
My workshop is made from the stuff(ex RAF nissen hut)its been here since the early 60's and is still sound(touches wood)

That's unknown as no access was given, the external appearance is in very poor condition, it is likely other parts are too.

I wanted to re-build it anyway, I can use this as a good barging tool to get lower price and save on a re-build cost 

[jonathanh]

I'm expecting mine to increase dramatically 

some insurers will increase their premiums after a claim, other will not.  My parents had a water leak - £70k claim as they were homeless for 6 months.  the insurer who paid the claim wanted £2000 renewal.  I got another insurer for £200 AND declared the claim to them so all honest etc

standard B& C unless crap area or or you are trying to insure accidental damage ( that's costs a packet because insurers know you'll try it on) should be £200 ish

[SteveAvfc.]

Not sure if this info is of use, but Martin Lewis says to save on insurance cost you should only insure for what it would cost to rebuild., not for what the house is worth at market value. If you compare both prices there is a fair difference in yearly/monthly cost.

[TheBoy]

With the garage, I guess due to time as well, demolishing & re-building is not an option before sale is completed.

I don't think I would be un-reasonable to drop our offer a tad, based on costs of removal & rebuild?

If its the house you want, its really not worth crying over a grand or 2.

They ain't gonna pay (or drop enough for) a garage rebuild. Mine is looking to be approx £20k, if original footings can be used, so a single garage would probably be around 2/3rds of that?


If its your dream home, assuming the infestation upstairs is resolved, then leave the garage as-is until you can afford rebuild, or it falls down.