Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: tunnie on 19 September 2013, 18:22:56
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What is a good price? Never had to pay building insurance before (living in a flat) Current providers Avivia, who were way cheaper than Direct Line want £39.40 a month at my *hopeful* new place.
Halifax just offered price of price of £27 a month, with no charge for direct debit.
Both are basic policies, with no extras. Although with Halifax I have asked about the garage ::)
They said tools & parts are covered (as long as its not business use) up to £5k for theft, and unlimited for fire/flood. Also questioned what proof was needed, stated photos and such would help for high value items, but most not required. ???
House is 1930's approx, detached in Surrey.
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Always good to make sure accidental damage is included on contents policy ;) :y
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Always good to make sure accidental damage is included on contents policy ;) :y
It is on the Halifax, not sure with Aviva.
So if I drop TV ect, that is covered. But if I decide to knock a wall down and cause damage, that's not covered ::) ;D
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What are you saying your contents are?
Read small print, you'll find what your are told over the phone becomes invalid when they "lose" the recording.
It seems, as I've found out, that items that are deemed to belong on a car, are usually not covered by fire/flood, by the home policy (may be by the car's policy).
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Got mine for about the same per month,(starts tomoz) had a row with the last lot as they didn't tell me subsidence wasn't included!! :(
And if that's down South, that's pretty good methinks :y
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Always good to make sure accidental damage is included on contents policy ;) :y
It is on the Halifax, not sure with Aviva.
So if I drop TV ect, that is covered. But if I decide to knock a wall down and cause damage, that's not covered ::) ;D
Depends if its deemed you were moving it, as some policies may exclude that activity...
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What are you saying your contents are?
Read small print, you'll find what your are told over the phone becomes invalid when they "lose" the recording.
It seems, as I've found out, that items that are deemed to belong on a car, are usually not covered by fire/flood, by the home policy (may be by the car's policy).
Contents, no item worth more than £10k. Just "standard" contents :-\
Told it's unlimited for contents, I did question them several times, going to to say spanners and such plus spare parts, if they are covered.
But as you say need to read the docs.
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Always good to make sure accidental damage is included on contents policy ;) :y
It is on the Halifax, not sure with Aviva.
So if I drop TV ect, that is covered. But if I decide to knock a wall down and cause damage, that's not covered ::) ;D
Or accidentally knock over a tin of paint when redecorating if you want a new carpet
No, im not going lead the lad astray ... ::) ;D
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I'm expecting mine to increase dramatically :'(
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Also, is it replacement (new for old) or not?
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Also, is it replacement (new for old) or not?
Errr, good question, will double check that :-[
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Never had contents insurance. Never regretted it - so far. :)
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Actually talking of dropping tv's ...... if you tell the insurance that you were moving it and you slipped and dropped it....that'll probably be ok......but i know of someone who told their insurance their 40" TV fell of the wall (which it did!) , the insurance comp told them, not covered for wall mounted tv's!
So Beware!
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Shop around, Mr Tunnie.
We pay about £150 p.a. This includes both buildings and contents cover.
However, it does not include any unnecessary 'bells and whistles'......which the insurers love to push. :y
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Shop around, Mr Tunnie.
We pay about £150 p.a. This includes both buildings and contents cover.
However, it does not include any unnecessary 'bells and whistles'......which the insurers love to push. :y
That's a good price, but very different area.
Will ring around a few companies :)
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What is a good price? Never had to pay building insurance before (living in a flat) Current providers Avivia, who were way cheaper than Direct Line want £39.40 a month at my *hopeful* new place.
Halifax just offered price of price of £27 a month, with no charge for direct debit.
Both are basic policies, with no extras. Although with Halifax I have asked about the garage ::)
They said tools & parts are covered (as long as its not business use) up to £5k for theft, and unlimited for fire/flood. Also questioned what proof was needed, stated photos and such would help for high value items, but most not required. ???
House is 1930's approx, detached in Surrey.
'Foookkkin ell' .......you can't be short of a bob or two. ;)
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House is 1930's approx, detached in Surrey.
'Foookkkin ell' .......you can't be short of a bob or two. ;)
I noticed that too ::) ::) ::)
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Shop around, Mr Tunnie.
We pay about £150 p.a. This includes both buildings and contents cover.
However, it does not include any unnecessary 'bells and whistles'......which the insurers love to push. :y
That's a good price, but very different area.
Will ring around a few companies :)
Unless you live next door to me, area shouldn't have massive effect, unless a bulgulary target
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Shop around, Mr Tunnie.
We pay about £150 p.a. This includes both buildings and contents cover.
However, it does not include any unnecessary 'bells and whistles'......which the insurers love to push. :y
That's a good price, but very different area.
Will ring around a few companies :)
Pretty bog standard policy really.
Buildings £1,000,000 and contents £50,000 if memory serves. :y
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Cheers chaps, will ring around a few places :) :y
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House is 1930's approx, detached in Surrey.
'Foookkkin ell' .......you can't be short of a bob or two. ;)
I noticed that too ::) ::) ::)
Sky pay well....they must do....i took a sky salesman to Glos today, he works in one of those booths you see in shopping centres....£40 fare ;)
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House is 1930's approx, detached in Surrey.
'Foookkkin ell' .......you can't be short of a bob or two. ;)
I noticed that too ::) ::) ::)
Sky pay well....they must do....i took a sky salesman to Glos today, he works in one of those booths you see in shopping centres....£40 fare ;)
I wish, they don't pay enough! ;D
About industry standard really, done rather well on my flat in London, hence able to afford this :)
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.... done rather well on my flat in London ....
Well done :y
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House is 1930's approx, detached in Surrey.
'Foookkkin ell' .......you can't be short of a bob or two. ;)
I noticed that too ::) ::) ::)
Many moons ago I used to work in Surrey.
Never seen so many personalised registrations in one place before.
Every other Aston, BMW and Merc came with one. :-\
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.... done rather well on my flat in London ....
Well done :y
Cheers, very, very surprised actually, at the price we got. I felt I was aiming high, but it sold in 4 days of being listed :o
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Online with Churchill just came in at £24/m :D
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.... done rather well on my flat in London ....
Well done :y
Cheers, very, very surprised actually, at the price we got. I felt I was aiming high, but it sold in 4 days of being listed :o
You (and I) seem to have bought in a good area too, the set of 6 houses, of which I have bought one, all sold within 3 weeks. Market data of the area also showed a modest increase in prices even during the past 6 years :y
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.... done rather well on my flat in London ....
Well done :y
Cheers, very, very surprised actually, at the price we got. I felt I was aiming high, but it sold in 4 days of being listed :o
You (and I) seem to have bought in a good area too, the set of 6 houses, of which I have bought one, all sold within 3 weeks. Market data of the area also showed a modest increase in prices even during the past 6 years :y
Yeah, we think its great, everything very near. :y
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I meant to add that ours also has the boiler repair etc in it as well, new for old full accident damage, in a flood area and not a very good postcode :-X and business use, just checked it's £21 a month, but then this is Narfark ::)
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.... done rather well on my flat in London ....
Well done :y
Cheers, very, very surprised actually, at the price we got. I felt I was aiming high, but it sold in 4 days of being listed :o
You (and I) seem to have bought in a good area too, the set of 6 houses, of which I have bought one, all sold within 3 weeks. Market data of the area also showed a modest increase in prices even during the past 6 years :y
Yeah, we think its great, everything very near. :y
Good luck to you tunnie :y
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I've found LV give competitive quotes - might be worth a try?
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.... done rather well on my flat in London ....
Well done :y
Cheers, very, very surprised actually, at the price we got. I felt I was aiming high, but it sold in 4 days of being listed :o
You (and I) seem to have bought in a good area too, the set of 6 houses, of which I have bought one, all sold within 3 weeks. Market data of the area also showed a modest increase in prices even during the past 6 years :y
Yeah, we think its great, everything very near. :y
Good luck to you tunnie :y
Thanks :y :y
I've found LV give competitive quotes - might be worth a try?
Cheers, will try them :y
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I've found LV give competitive quotes - might be worth a try?
Seconded. :)
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What is a good price? Never had to pay building insurance before (living in a flat) Current providers Avivia, who were way cheaper than Direct Line want £39.40 a month at my *hopeful* new place.
Halifax just offered price of price of £27 a month, with no charge for direct debit.
Both are basic policies, with no extras. Although with Halifax I have asked about the garage ::)
They said tools & parts are covered (as long as its not business use) up to £5k for theft, and unlimited for fire/flood. Also questioned what proof was needed, stated photos and such would help for high value items, but most not required. ???
House is 1930's approx, detached in Surrey.
'Foookkkin ell' .......you can't be short of a bob or two. ;)
All depends on what part of Surrey it is really.
Somewhere like Mitcham or Croydon won't be that expensive as they went down the pan years ago, but move to the other side of Surrey (eg, Godalming, Chilworth, Petworth, etc) and you're in a whole different world where the garden shed alone will cost you more than what most properties cost.
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On the buildings side of things - you need to ensure that damage caused by escaping water is covered, and that this covers outside pipework as well as the more usual inside stuff.
The water companies responsibility stops at the water meter/external stop-cock. If you have a leak after that it's down to you.
This has happened to us twice now :'( so I know that the repair can be expensive (i.e. 000s) and you also need to factor is the loss of metered water. In each case we were looking at repair costs of about £3,000 plus the water cost.
Insurance companies try and wriggle out of the water loss element saying that the water company will let you off. That's only partly true - as it's an ace that you can only play once at your time at an address.
So, yes, I am sure you can save a few pounds by skimping on this cover - but it could bite you very badly if you are not covered.
On a positive note, the type of pipe which is susceptible to this type of failure was used in the 60s & 70s (called Alkathene IIRC) so you might be ok on an older house unless any repairs/alterations have been done. It's the black hard plastic stuff that you may have seen, it goes brittle with age and can then leak. The more modern blue stiff is fine.
Hope the the voice of experience helps here. :y
TTFN - Rob
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The water companies responsibility stops at the water meter/external stop-cock. If you have a leak after that it's down to you.
Not entirely that straightforward as from a couple of years ago.
You are responsible for pipework meets all of the following critia:
Its within your property boundary
Its not shared pipework
Its beyond your first dedicated stopcock
:)
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The water companies responsibility stops at the water meter/external stop-cock. If you have a leak after that it's down to you.
Not entirely that straightforward as from a couple of years ago.
You are responsible for pipework meets all of the following critia:
Its within your property boundary
Its not shared pipework
Its beyond your first dedicated stopcock
Er, I'd sort of assumed those criteria were met in my statement, but you are correct. My experience is that insurers have paid out twice on this type of claim within the last seven years, so the point that I'm making is that it is a real risk which can be mitigated by having insurance which covers it
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The water companies responsibility stops at the water meter/external stop-cock. If you have a leak after that it's down to you.
Not entirely that straightforward as from a couple of years ago.
You are responsible for pipework meets all of the following critia:
Its within your property boundary
Its not shared pipework
Its beyond your first dedicated stopcock
Er, I'd sort of assumed those criteria were met in my statement, but you are correct. My experience is that insurers have paid out twice on this type of claim within the last seven years, so the point that I'm making is that it is a real risk which can be mitigated by having insurance which covers it
Yeah, just clarifing a bit, as many homes from the 60s and 70s actually have shared pipes running through the gardens, and shorter T's
My water company keep ringing trying to sell me that exact cover, and get the right hump when I point out that they are already responsible for my pipework right up to my house, as that is where my stopcock and meter are.
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The water companies responsibility stops at the water meter/external stop-cock. If you have a leak after that it's down to you.
Not entirely that straightforward as from a couple of years ago.
You are responsible for pipework meets all of the following critia:
Its within your property boundary
Its not shared pipework
Its beyond your first dedicated stopcock
Er, I'd sort of assumed those criteria were met in my statement, but you are correct. My experience is that insurers have paid out twice on this type of claim within the last seven years, so the point that I'm making is that it is a real risk which can be mitigated by having insurance which covers it
Yeah, just clarifing a bit, as many homes from the 60s and 70s actually have shared pipes running through the gardens, and shorter T's
My water company keep ringing trying to sell me that exact cover, and get the right hump when I point out that they are already responsible for my pipework right up to my house, as that is where my stopcock and meter are.
Fair point. In both cases our leaks were some distance from the actual house. In 2006 it was about 40 feet away and about 25 feet last year. Their combined (and underground) stopcock/water meter was just inside our boundary and then a long underground pipe into the house. Both repairs involved contractors brought in by the water company. The 2006 water loss was about £1,000 and £400 last year on top of the civils cost of the pipe repair. In both cases it was brittle black pipe that had failed.
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Well it's all hold for these quotes now, Survey found garage roof is made from Asbestos :(
It's crappy pre-fab thing, which was going to get knocked down anyway at some point. Thinking of getting current owners to do it now, or we drop our price by however much it costs to be professionally removed.
Also going to ask for electrical survey, nothing done in last 10 years at least, no tests, or anything :o
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Well it's all hold for these quotes now, Survey found garage roof is made from Asbestos :(
What type of asbestos and in what condition? It's not necessarily doom and gloom. Guessing it's white asbestos / cement. If it's not in bad condition and flaking up, then it's probably not a worry all the time it's there, but it will incurr costs when it comes to disposing of it.
Also going to ask for electrical survey, nothing done in last 10 years at least, no tests, or anything :o
Not really surprising. Who has their house regularly tested as a matter of course? My only concern would be if someone's been in there bodging, but a survey will no doubt tell you that none of it is up to the latest regs and it needs a re-wire (not surprising, they change as often as I change my socks).
Both good bargaining points, but I wouldn't let either put me off a house I've set my plans on.
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Asbestos, or dangerous asbestos (blue, IIRC?).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. :-\
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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.
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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".
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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.
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Going to ask for history/reports on this.
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Yep. Again, nothing that surprising for a 1930's house, but you need to make sure it's been dealt with.
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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?
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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...
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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.
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Thanks everyone :y :y :y
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 (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.
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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) :y
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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) :y
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 :)
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
I'll second that. Assuming it's a nice area they'll have no shortage of interest, especially with all the talk of rising property prices in London and the Home Counties! ::)
I'd take the surveyor up on his offer to have another look at the garage (which he should have done in the first place!) and as long as he dosn't condemn it as dangerous, I wouldn't worry about it.
Sort it out as and when and I'm sure that it's near the bottom of Mrs T's 'To do' list anyway! and lets face it she's in charge!!!!! ::) ;D
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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.
Yep, this is normally estimated by the surveyor. Then again, lots of insurers now have no specific limit on the policy, you tell them how many rooms it is and they quote you.
I'll second that. Assuming it's a nice area they'll have no shortage of interest, especially with all the talk of rising property prices in London and the Home Counties! ::)
I'd take the surveyor up on his offer to have another look at the garage (which he should have done in the first place!) and as long as he dosn't condemn it as dangerous, I wouldn't worry about it.
Sort it out as and when and I'm sure that it's near the bottom of Mrs T's 'To do' list anyway! and lets face it she's in charge!!!!! ::) ;D
Thirded. To reiterate, I'd be surprised if a survey didn't pull up the things yours has raised on any 1930's house. The fact that there aren't more issues is very positive, IMHO. :y
What level of survey did you have done, by the way?
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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.
I had something similar with my first house purchase. The quickest way to deal with it was to get the wood treated with insecticide and get a new guarantee. I think it was a condition of the mortgage but I think it happened after we moved in :-\ 25 years ago now so memory a little rusty :(
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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.
Yep, this is normally estimated by the surveyor. Then again, lots of insurers now have no specific limit on the policy, you tell them how many rooms it is and they quote you.
I'll second that. Assuming it's a nice area they'll have no shortage of interest, especially with all the talk of rising property prices in London and the Home Counties! ::)
I'd take the surveyor up on his offer to have another look at the garage (which he should have done in the first place!) and as long as he dosn't condemn it as dangerous, I wouldn't worry about it.
Sort it out as and when and I'm sure that it's near the bottom of Mrs T's 'To do' list anyway! and lets face it she's in charge!!!!! ::) ;D
Thirded. To reiterate, I'd be surprised if a survey didn't pull up the things yours has raised on any 1930's house. The fact that there aren't more issues is very positive, IMHO. :y
What level of survey did you have done, by the way?
It was mid-range, the "Home Buyers Pack" - You've got the basic valuation, then home buyer pack, then full structural survey.
Tbh there are two thing's I'd want, electrical survey + timber report, otherwise I don't know if all the floors are seriously rotten/infested.
Thinking we can get at least something off, as we are in driving seat. Fully prepared to walk away and find something else if they don't want to play ball
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Be careful you don't lose it and spend more on further house searching, surveys etc etc. If you are buying 1930s you can expect to incur some costs unless vendor has made representations that work has been done/ updating etc etc. Question is what was in the selling details and further comments from agents and whether it is a lot different in reality.
If it is infestation/wood rot etc then it does need to be brought to their attention and they may play ball. But find out rough cost of treatment - in the area you have Advanced Preservations who are quite well known.
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Be careful you don't lose it and spend more on further house searching, surveys etc etc. If you are buying 1930s you can expect to incur some costs unless vendor has made representations that work has been done/ updating etc etc. Question is what was in the selling details and further comments from agents and whether it is a lot different in reality.
If it is infestation/wood rot etc then it does need to be brought to their attention and they may play ball. But find out rough cost of treatment - in the area you have Advanced Preservations who are quite well known.
Both good points, it'a an issue for them too, because if we pull out, they have to find another buyer and risk loosing their house. (they have already offered on another & been accepted)
So puts us in a strong position as well, been researching costs, it not as bad as ai thought. Survey can be had for sub £100, which will tell us more.
Rough cost on treatment with 15 year warranty, for 3 bed house is coming in at around £800, so not mega bucks.
As long as it's not infested to structural level, should be ok.
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Thats the trouble with surveys, the mortgage company gets to see them too :(
The first house i bought i had a report done similar to yours tunnie....it mentioned wiring wasnt up to regs and firewall in the loft (terraced house) wasnt upto muster. So building society kept a retention on those two items until i had the place rewired and building work done in the loft :(
Since then i just go for 'is the place going to fall down' survey ;) ;D
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Actually bank is all happy, fully approved few days ago :y
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Actually bank is all happy, fully approved few days ago :y
Thats good :y
And to add....as for the wood infestation goes....you can tell if its old or new...if holes look clean ie newly bored then worry about it....if they look old (dirty and same colour as surrounding wood) then dont worry about it :y
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Actually bank is all happy, fully approved few days ago :y
Thats good :y
And to add....as for the wood infestation goes....you can tell if its old or new...if holes look clean ie newly bored then worry about it....if they look old (dirty and same colour as surrounding wood) then dont worry about it :y
Looked dirty from what I remember, on the floors at least. Don't remember the loft, did not look too well.
I think for £75 odd, it's worth peace of mind when spending such large amount
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Also, is it replacement (new for old) or not?
I would hope it was in your situation as an old garage wouldn't be any good especially if it has burnt down. ;D ;D ;D
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Woodworm isn't too serious to treat. But you want to have it done before you move in ;)
As per others... If you've already made an offer and had it accepted then trying to drop further is cheeky. I'd tell you to take a hike but no harm in trying. Just bear in mind it could make them pull out completely ;)
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Woodworm isn't too serious to treat. But you want to have it done before you move in ;)
As per others... If you've already made an offer and had it accepted then trying to drop further is cheeky. I'd tell you to take a hike but no harm in trying. Just bear in mind it could make them pull out completely ;)
Indeed. No such thing as a "strong position" in a housing chain. If you do start dicking about it only takes one party go get fed up with the delay, and it might be your buyer!
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Probably going to complete on the flat shortly, get that done & dusted. So if they do walk away (of the one I'm buying), it's ok as I have alternative places to stay. Would also allow me to save up considerably, so not a bad thing really if that happens :)
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Dragging this one up again, the sellers are playing hard ball >:(
Our survey noted that much of the internal part of the loft, someone had attached boards to the underneath of the rafters. Attempting to make it into a usable space, however that's against building code.
As water could leak from the roof, then get trapped and sit on top of these boards without it being visable and rot the rafters/beams.
Also survey could not prove if lining was present and in good order, so, we asked for these to be removed so a further inspection (which would be quick and free) could confirm the structure of the roof. They've refused this >:(
Along with any inspection of the wiring, they say it was re-done in 2006, but have no paper work, no certificates & are unwilling to have it looked at.
Quite surprising when considering the owner is a fireman ::)
So we are basically saying now, without confirmation of the roof structure being safe, we won't be proceeding with the purchase!
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A further note on this, maybe one for AndyRoid?
If a house has been completely re-wired in 2006, should a certificate have not been provided? At least for warranty purposes?
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That's f-ed up. Have you thought that they may be forcing the sale to fail? House prices are going up and they could probably get more if they held off and relisted.
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That's f-ed up. Have you thought that they may be forcing the sale to fail? House prices are going up and they could probably get more if they held off and relisted.
Humm not considered that, very good point though. :-\
However I'm not prepared to go ahead no knowing state of the roof, the thing is, what survey identified would be raised again by any other buyer.
I don't have the budget to check/fix electrics, replace asbestos garage roof, timber inspection on main house wood worm & possible fix.
There is an identical house but without extension, or garage listed for £25k more. However that's been on for months now....
Also there is one listed down the road, it's in better condition inside, garden a little smaller, down side is no crappy pre-fab garage & no potential loft conversion, thing is, that is listed £25k lower than one we offered on. ::)
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That's f-ed up. Have you thought that they may be forcing the sale to fail? House prices are going up and they could probably get more if they held off and relisted.
Then they could just pullout or accept a higher offer. Nothing stopping them.
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Have a look at getting an indemnity policy to cover you should the roof need work. They can be quite cheap. ;)
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Have a look at getting an indemnity policy to cover you should the roof need work. They can be quite cheap. ;)
I don't think that covers pay out though for work needed? I think they just cover against council taking action and such?
It's taken out by the seller to help prevent any legal issues afterwards?
If a beam is rotten and it costs £20k to repair, I can't see that kind of policy paying out? Even so I'd bet they would riggle out of it and make it as difficult as possible.
Edit, further research confirms that. It's a legal aid only, won't cover against work needed.
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Worth a look though if it saves you finding a new place all over again :y
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Worth a look though if it saves you finding a new place all over again :y
Been Googl'ing, does appear to just help prevent any legal ramifications.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3723257&page=1 (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3723257&page=1)
1) An indemnity policy is available to cover the possibility of enforcement action by the Local Authority. It won't cover defective workmanship so I suggest you get a structural engineer to look at it and make recommendations to get it up to standard. Getting it right yourself and eventually signed off would be better than an indemnity policy.
If there is damage, it would have been caused by neglect of the roof?
The boards just looked screwed in, what would it take to remove it? Couple of hours tops with leccy screwdriver?
My fear is what are they trying to hide :-\
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What are the boards made of? ???
If they are plasterboard and there is a leak it should be fairly obvious. ie You would be able to poke your finger through!! or at least there would be water stains...
Have the boards been recently installed or painted? If so that would certainly indicate a cover up! ::)
Have you been up there yourself Tunnie? I'm a right PITA when viewing a house and generally annoy the hell out of the vendors!! ;D I fiddle with the boiler, get up in the attic, under the stairs, pull carpet back etc etc!!! One woman got quite shirty with me once when I turned the central heating on full blast, on a sunny summers day!!! Well you have to check don't you?? ;D ;D ;D
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Went in the loft myself, well just stuck my head in for a quick gander :y
Boards? Thick chipboard, so no leaks obvious.
Looked like it had been up a fair bit of time to be honest, there were posters attached to the them, all of ships/aircraft, so clearly one of their kids den type thing.
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Chipboard will 'blow' if it gets wet/damp on a regular basis, so if it's been there some time and there is a leak then you should be able to spot it with a bit of a closer look. ;)
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The chipboard had the plastic gloss stuff to it, like this stuff:
http://www.jewson.co.uk/timber/sheet-materials/chipboard/ (http://www.jewson.co.uk/timber/sheet-materials/chipboard/)
So still think there could be something hidden. The water could soak into the beams, rather the boards.
To be honest it's a combination of things putting me off right now, going to see few other houses tomorrow. Really like one of them ::)
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Well if your not 100% sure about it, then it's probably best to keep looking. :y
Put that one on the back burner. :)
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TBH, the surveyor is just covering his @rse in case there is a leak behind the chipboard. I would be very surprised if it was put up specifically to hide a leak, and if it were leaking onto that board, it would be running off somewhere and likely coming through a ceiling.
That said, I don't like the attitude of the sellers and it sounds like your heart's not in this place, so walk away. :y