Top 5 Structural Issues That Could Delay a Property Sale
When selling a property, even the most attractive home can face serious delays if structural issues come to light during inspections. Structures Made Easy has extensive experience on this field and we’ve listed below the five most common structural problems with a property that can delay a sale. These are in no particular order of frequency or severity.
Cracking in walls or ceilings
Cracking is the most common concern raised by buyers or mortgage lenders. They are typically first registered in a homebuyer’s survey, although possibly also by visiting potential buyers. Cracking can occur for a wide variety of reasons. Some of these causes are innocuous and are not a cause for any structural concern, whilst other causes might require new foundations. Occurrences of cracking will require advice from a chartered structural engineer to determine the cause and severity of any cracking, and suggest remedial measures. Buyers and mortgage lenders will require this specialist investigation to help them decide whether to buy or lend on the property.
Unsupported chimney breasts
For many years, it has been a common refurbishment for homeowners to create more space by removing chimney breasts where an open fire is no longer required in a room. Often, though, the breast will only be removed on one or two floors with the chimney breast and stack above remaining. Any remaining chimney breast and stack will need to be supported safely, but this is far from always being the case. In many cases, the support for the remaining breast or stack is structurally inadequate. Sometimes there is no beam supporting the brickwork, but other times there is a beam, but it and its supports are not strong enough. The removal of a chimney breast is often noticed as part of the homebuyer’s survey, where they will highlight the need for a specialist inspection by a chartered structural engineer. Inadequate support can mean strengthening is required, which will be determined by the engineer’s inspection. The engineer’s suggestions for strengthening can be costed and used in negotiations on the sale price.
Bowing Walls
Bowing external walls are a common fault in many of the housing types in London. A perimeter wall might bow in or out at roof level or on an upper floor. This can occur for a variety of reasons, and the severity of any bowing will determine the nature of any remedial works required. A bow might first be registered in a homebuyer’s survey or by a buyer. The survey may specifically request specialist advice on the bowing. This can only come from a chartered structural engineer, such as Structures Made Easy. We would assess the cause and severity of the bow, then recommend remedial works. These recommendations can be costed and used in negotiations on the sale price.
Bay windows
Many Victorian, Edwardian and pre-war homes in London have bay windows on their main elevations, sometimes only a single storey high but often up the full height of the building. Bay windows are one of the most common locations for cracking in the external and internal faces of perimeter walls. Such cracking is first usually highlighted in a homebuyer’s survey. It is highly recommended that advice on such cracking be sought from a chartered structural engineer. The engineer will inspect and then report on the cause and severity of the cracking, including any necessary remedial works.
Improper Renovations
Structural changes to a home, whether they are the removal of load-bearing walls, the removal of a chimney breast, a loft conversion or perhaps an extension, can compromise a home’s structural integrity. Any such works should be checked and certified at the time of the works by the local authority’s Building Control department to confirm they have been safely designed and built. Often, though, such statutory approvals were not obtained at the time. In such cases, advice is required from a chartered structural engineer to either retrospectively carry out calculations to justify the as-built structure or for the engineer to comment on the performance of the new structure since its construction. Such investigations often need to be corrected or certified by a professional before a sale can proceed.
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STEP 1
Get a quote. Refer to enquiry form or email or speak to engineer
STEP 2
Arrange site inspection
STEP 3
Report delivered