House/Mortgage Survey

[Jo2005]

We bought our house 4 years ago and had the survey done by the bank which came back fine. We are now moving and the same bank has done another survey. This time they say they are concerned about a chimney breast which was removed from the loft. This must have been done years ago before we bought the house, so why wasn't this brought up the first time a survey was done 4 years ago. Where do we stand legally on this? If it affects the sale going through shouldn't it have been told to us before we bought the house?

[jake-the-peg]

It rather depends on the type of survey you had done when you bought the house.

Could it be that you just had a "homebuyers survey" a few years ago that was somewhat limited in extent and this has now been picked up by a proper "full structural" survey?  

[Jo2005]

They were both the basic ones, this second one came free with the mortgage.  

[jake-the-peg]

Then I'd suggest you've little comeback on it being missed the first time around. It may be that the first survey didn't even cover the roof space - some of the so called "valuation" surveys are only designed to reassure the bank that the property is worth at least what they are lending. They are the surveyors customer not you (even though you're paying!)

Anyway you don't say what the detail is. It sounds as if the chimney breast has been removed and the surveyor cannot tell if a lintel or RSJ has been put in place to support the chimey stack above it?

If that's the case it may well be that it's there and the surveyor just couldn't tell you may need a structural engineer to investigate.

I know it's a bit late now but for future when you're spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on a house or flat it's a false economy not to spend a thousand pounds or so on a full structural survey.