1st time buyer

[1stimer]

Apologies if this is the wrong place to post these queries, but I've made an offer on a property and the solicitors have sent an environmental report which is worrying me:

1. Ground Stability
The report reveals that the property is in an area that is considered to be affected by
natural ground subsidence property.


2. RADON
The search reveals that the property is within an area affected by radon gas.

3. HS2
The search identifies that the property is within 5km of the proposed High Speed train
route and/or within 500 m of the proposed Crossrail route.

Sorry for the long post, but are these things that normally appear on reports?

I am particularly worried about the Ground stability report.

Also, the flood risk has been found to be VERY LOW.
The Report has identified the following risk(s):
➢ A VERY LOW risk of River/Coastal flooding:
➢ A NEGLIGIBLE risk of Surface water flooding;
➢ A NEGLIGIBLE potential for Groundwater flooding.


I was looking to move into the property end of August, but this report is making me hesitate to go ahead with the purchase.

ANy advice would be really appreciated since this is the first property I am buying.

Thank you!

 

[Veronica]

If I was in your shoes the ground subsidence risk and the radon would be a big no no. I would walk away and look for another property.

 

[1stimer]

My mortgage adviser is telling me that this is standard fare for property in the uk and as long as the overall GROUNDSURE report is a PASS, there is nothing to worry about. She also advised that if there is anything to genuinely worry about, the solicitors would request further checks and detailed surveys as LEGAL REQUIREMENT,

Would be helpful to hear from anyone familiar with this in the UK.

 

[PostBrexitInvestor]

I am certainly no expert in this area but I would tend to agree with Veronica. These issues will also become more prominent as the move towards more eco-friendly property continues to strengthen. Have you taken advice from anybody?

 

[1stimer]

I am not sure whom to approach for advice besides the solicitor for the lender and my mortgage advisor.

Should I approach an independent surveyor for this? If I do, would a survey cover RADON and everything else?

 

[diyhelp]

Personally, I think that the seller is the one who should be providing evidence that everything is safe. Then again, is there not a conflict-of-interest if they got somebody to provide a report? Tricky situation.

 

[1stimer]

Yeah, the RADON turned out to be the least of my concerns, after having a thorough survey done. The property has a crack on the outer wall, and had several other issues with bad electrical wiring, gas, etc. I;m going to reduce the offer by at least 20k. My gut is telling me not to take it simply because of the crack on the outer wall.
I'm not an expert, but Cracks, no matter how well they're fixed, always remain a point of weakness in the structure.

 

[diyhelp]

Any cracks are of concern and while sometimes they can be fixed would this be a long-term fix if there are problems with the foundations? I presume you have researched how much it would cost to "fix" the property which is how you have arrived at the reduction in your offer of £20,000?