So you have found your dream property. The light is perfect, the village is beautiful, and you’ve already decided which room will become your home office. But then the survey arrives in your inbox and suddenly you’re reading words like “significant cracking” and “evidence of long-term water ingress.” Suddenly that dream home looks like it’s sinking (and not just metaphorically).
Most survey findings are not the end of the world. Surveyors are trained to flag everything, and a long report doesn’t automatically mean a bad property. But some of the findings are real deal breakers. That doesn’t mean the problems can’t be fixed, but fixing them can cost you a fortune, making the property foreclosureable in the process.
Below, we take a look Home survey Findings that give you pause, and in some cases, help you walk away entirely.
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Most survey findings aren’t deal-breakers
It is important to remember that it is the surveyor’s job to find problems. everyone wet Patches and suspicious pointing will get logged and that’s exactly what you’re paying for. So when your report reaches thirty pages, try not to take the length as serious.
The distinction that is important, and one that most buyers miss when speed-reading in a panic, is between costly and risky problems. For the expensive ones you can always budget, negotiate or go bare-knuckle. But dangerous, or structurally compromised, is an entirely different conversation.
At Jessica Resorto, Director Redbrick Estate AgentsHe puts it well: “Surveys are notoriously difficult to read and often seem scarier than reality. If you’re on a budget and you’ve found the worst house in the best location, don’t let a survey automatically put you off, because almost anything can be rebuilt or renovation“
A Thatched roof One that needs repair is a frustrating expense, but it is knowable. You can get a quote, factor it into your offer and move on. That goes for it old wiring, Exhausted kitchens, or damp due to Blocked drains than a failed structure.
Where it gets serious is when survey findings point to problems beyond the surface. Issues that affect the bones of the building or that will send your insurer running for the hills. And there are three in particular that deserve your full, undivided attention…
Jessica joined Redbrick in 2015 after a career in hospitality, bringing her customer service skills with the goal of making the home moving process better for everyone. She is now Director and Head of Sales based out of the company’s busy Chesterfield office.
1. Subsidence
Among the words you don’t want to see in a survey report, subsidence is the one that causes everyone in the chain to go very, very quiet. And for good reason. Subsidence Occurs when the ground beneath a property shifts, causing the foundation to move and the superstructure to crack and deform. It can be caused by shrinking clay soils, leaking gutters, or tree roots pulling moisture from the soil. Unaddressed, it compromises the structural integrity of the entire building. It also has a habit of appearing in every subsequent survey the property receives, making it very difficult to sell your home later.
Jonathan Christie, co-founder of Company buying the propertyHave seen enough surveys to know how serious the issue can be: “Subsidence is a big deal. If a survey identifies signs of ongoing or historic subsidence that are not properly underpinned and signed off, it is serious. It affects the structural integrity of the property, it makes the home extremely difficult to insure and can branch mortgages and increase costs. Thousands of pounds in many cases.”
The key phrase Jonathan uses is “properly addressed”. Subsidence properly accounted for by a structural engineer is a very different proposition to subsidence that has been plastered over and ignored. Jessica Risorto explains: “You need to make sure the proper remedial work is done, the property is done adequately. UnderpinnedAnd anyone Problematic tree roots Arrangements have been made.”
So what should you do if your survey results show a decline? First, don’t assume the worst. Ask if it is historic or active, if underpinning has been carried out and if the seller has any documentation to prove it. Then talk to a structural engineer independently, not just a surveyor. If the answers are vague, paperwork is missing, or the seller can’t be sure the cause has been resolved, that’s a sign to walk away from you.
Jonathan is one of the founders and CEO of The Property Buying Company, a business he started in 2012 with co-CEO, Carl McArdle. Since launching, The Property Buying Company has purchased over £186 million worth of properties and facilitated over 7,600 sales across a range of business sectors.
2. Roof structural defects
A few missing tiles after a stormy winter is something you factor into your offer and forget about. What the survey is really looking for is evidence of something more serious going on underneath.
Roof structural defects, in the proper sense, mean failure of the wooden structure that holds the whole thing up. Sagging ridgelines, rotting joists, or evidence that water has been infiltrating long enough to cause actual damage to the structure below. This isn’t your standard neighborhood roof job either, as it will require a structural engineer and specialist contractor.
This The cost of a new roof Renovations are usually much more than you budgeted for. Jonathan Christie doesn’t mince his words: “A complete roof replacement or major structural repair can easily run into five figures, and it’s not something you can avoid.”
Unlike a cosmetic problem you can live with while you save, a structurally compromised roof is not ‘optional maintenance’. So if your survey flags anything beyond surface-level roof wear, see an expert before you proceed. A roofing contractor can give you a realistic price, and that number will tell you all you need to know if the deal still makes sense.
Jessica Resorto offers a useful way to think about it: “A roof that needs to be replaced is a ‘boring’ expense, but it’s very quantifiable. The real deal breaker is if the survey shows that roof problems have seriously affected the underlying structural beams or joists, turning a standard rebuild into a massively expensive rebuild.”
3. Japanese knotweed
Japanese knotweed It grows quickly, spreads aggressively, and has a root system capable of exploiting cracks in foundations, walls, and drainage pipes. But it’s not just the plant that causes so much chaos in property transactions, it affects your capacity. Get a mortgage.
Jonathan Christie is clear about who this affects the most: “Mortgage lenders won’t lend on a property with an active knotweed infestation unless a professional treatment plan is already in place. If you’re a cash buyer, you might take a look at it, but for anyone relying on a mortgage, untreated knotweed could prevent their purchase.”
If knotweed appears in your survey, the first question to ask is whether a Professional treatment plan exists. These usually last for several years and should come with a guarantee that is transferable to the new owner. That’s the guarantee most lenders want to see before moving forward. Without it, you’re looking at sourcing and funding treatment yourself, and then hoping your lender agrees to reconsider.
It is also worth checking where the tumor is. Growth on neighboring property that encroaches on land also counts, and the legal and financial implications can be just as complex. This Japanese knotweed heatmap Identifies the worst affected areas of the UK.
When do survey findings affect your mortgage?
Getting a survey back with any of these three findings doesn’t mean the purchase is over, but it does mean next steps are very important.
The first thing to do is resist the urge to make any decisions within an hour of reading the report. Surveys are dense, technical documents written in language designed to cover every eventuality. Something that reads as catastrophic on initial reading can look very different when an expert actually comes to look at the property.
What you should do — and quickly — is get an independent expert’s look at a specific problem. That means consulting a structural engineer for sagging or roof defects and a specialist contractor for knots. Don’t be tempted to ask a general builder or your “friend who did an extension once”. Hire someone who can give you a written appraisal and a realistic price. That document will become the most important for you A negotiation tool.
If the survey findings are serious enough, your mortgage lender may already be having second thoughts. Subsidence, and Japanese knotweed in particular, can make a property extremely difficult to insure or mortgage, and some lenders will withdraw offers altogether until there is proof of remedial work. Knowing the cost of that work, and who will fund it, needs to be established before you go ahead.
In some cases the seller will agree to lower the asking price to reflect the cost of remediation. In others, they may agree to do the work themselves before it is completed. Neither option is inherently better. The important thing is that the problem is properly resolved, documented and signed off before you commit.
Sometimes moving away from a property is the most financially sound decision you will ever make. Decent property, with a clean survey, is out there. For more on navigating The hidden costs of buying a homeIncluding surveys, legal fees and costs most buyers don’t see coming, we’ve got you covered. And if you’re thinking Buying a house at auctionWhere surveys aren’t always possible in advance, our guide will help you go in with your eyes open.
