In our experience, homeowners go into virtual panic mode when a home inspector starts asking questions. This is humane but rather silly and can be easily addressed by following a few simple guidelines.
So you are selling your house. A Buyer has been found and now a private Appraiser or Surveyor is in your home. What happens now? The simple answer is to wait and see, as the Appraiser/Surveyor will ask questions if they wish. If they don’t, perhaps silence is golden.
A better answer is for you to take a control element and start a dialogue. How could you do this?
Good morning. Ahead. Maybe we can start by answering the questions I’m sure you have? Would you like a coffe? This is a wise and well proven route to take.
So what exactly might those questions be?
The questions are naturally subdivided into several different categories, namely:
Q1. Tenure? Is the house freehold or lease? If you are a renter, what are the basic terms of the lease?
Q2. Are all the usual main services connected? Is only electricity and gas metered?
Q3. What private services are connected (if any)?
Q4. How old is the boiler and when was the last time it was professionally serviced? Can I see the certificate of service?
Q5. When was the wiring and plumbing provided and can I see the certification to verify this?
Q6. If it is a private drain, is the system shared and when was the last service and/or emptied?
Q7. Have you had insurance claims and has the house been structurally shored up?
Q8. Has the plot or house ever been flooded?
Q9. Are there rights of way, easements, way sheets, restrictive agreements?
Q10. What guarantees or endorsements apply to the real estate and services apparatus?
Q11. How old is the house?
Q12. Has it been altered, improved or expanded? Full details of each please.
Q13. When were these works completed and by whom?
Q14. Did you obtain the necessary Consents and Permits for each modification and can we see the certification, plans, etc.?
Q15. Is the home within a Conservation Area, Smoke Control Area, or other restrictive category?
Q16. Is the property a Listed Building?
Q17. Have special treatments or works been carried out (humidity, moorings, radon gas,…)
Q18. Is the house designated under the Defective Premises Act?
Q19. What thermal and energy improvements have been completed, when and by whom?
Q20. Do any trees on the site have Preservation Orders on them?
Are these kinds of questions so overwhelming? If not, then you probably don’t need any advice on how to answer them. However, if you find them difficult and you don’t really know the answers, then I can suggest answers along these lines:
Q1 has several typical potential answers:
A1. I have a long term lease from 1995 for 125 years at a ground rent of 100 pa (pounds sterling) and current maintenance and service charges are estimated to be around 1200 pa (pounds sterling) paid monthly in due form. I do not own a part of Freehold.
A2. I really do not know. Can I call my husband to see if he knows?
A3. It is transferred but I do not know the details.
A4. I don’t know, but if you call Joe Brown at Acme Management Company in Southampton on 9999 123456 they will tell you what he needs to know.
Never say something that isn’t true. Just say you don’t know. You can see from these four answers that any answer is good. However, if you lie, guess or provide inaccurate data, subsequent legal checks will detect your false answers and your credibility will suffer. The inspector may review all the data you have provided and therefore your buyer survey report may become unnecessarily pessimistic. In fact, your bad responses could mean the difference between a buyer walking away or continuing. Often it is the perception of problems or irregularities that causes potential buyers to back off.
Let me illustrate a perfect answer for Question 1:
I occupy under a long-term lease, but we own a prorated share of the freehold that we collectively purchased last year. I have a copy of the lease here (please keep it) but you will see that it was created in 1970 and had a term of 999 years at a variable ground rent.
The management is through a Community of Neighbors of one person from each of the couples that occupy the six floors. For outside expertise, we consulted with PROinspect at Bishops Waltham. They advised that a sinking fund be set up for the expected recovery of the flat top within two years and that fund currently stands at £3,000.
The building was assessed for asbestos hazards just two years ago and a copy of the certificate provided is here for you to keep.
The above answer assumes a high degree of understanding by the non-legal resident and non-surveyor, but don’t worry if your answers would have been that you have no real knowledge. The effect of your lack of knowledge is not serious; it just means the surveyor will have to work a little harder and get information from other sources, such as the housing information packet, the real estate agent, or her attorney. Vague answers could have put him in the position of having to make a decision about the truth of everything you said.
I may be biased, but I think that for the little effort it takes to prepare, you can make the surveyor’s life so much easier and he will greatly appreciate it. Why make your buyers’ Surveyor cringe at his brief negative responses when, with a little effort, he can walk away smiling because he has an easier life today? My advice: be prepared.
In reality, the typical, average, standard household, mainly Freehold in England, will produce a simple 5-10 minute interview that is pretty straightforward. It’s really not worth worrying about. However, it might be worth talking to your Agent and/or Lawyers to get some basic data ready for the Surveyor or Appraiser.