I am buying an apartment in Dublin 8 and my friends recommended that I hire a surveyor. I am checking www.propertyhealthcheck.ie but it is ~500€ and the thing is, I have checked the apartment a few times myself and it seems to be in perfect state (modern, clean, all that).
Would you guys recommend it as well? Perhaps a cheaper option if you know of one?
Thanks
Edit:
Thanks for your comments folks! I am definitely hiring one. Also, wow! this sub kind of blew up :). Looking forward to owning a few m2 in this country that’s given me so much.
34 comments
It’s usually something the bank asks to see as a condition of the mortgage. It’s worth it, they can find things you could have missed.
It’s usually something the bank asks to see as a condition of the mortgage. It’s worth it, they can find things you could have missed.
I used these guys and thought they were really good and very quick. They arranged the survey then gave me a call to go through what they found before sending the full report across.
I would recommend them and would definitely use them again
500 is a bargain
You’re BUYING an apartment in Dublin …..and you’re worried about spending 500quid ?
It is a small cost to make sure you aren’t burning money buying the place
Better 500 Euro now then finding out about a much more expensive problem down the line with no recourse
Get the check, it is essential. Also look into the management company. Make sure they are in a good situation financially.
Absolutely, and property health check are very very good. I work in mortgages and they do a lot of surveys for our customers, very thorough and detailed reports.
Definitely ask about the financial state of the management company, make sure everyone is up to date on their service charges.
You might consider getting a sound pollution study to see if it quiet enough for you. A hassle but worthy
Definitely do it.
It’s usually a requirement for the mortgage anyway.
Best money you’ll ever spend. Never buy anything without a survey.
Yes, a survey is pretty much essential. They are there to spot the things you can’t see, and can also help by giving rough costs to fix things. Given how badly built some apartments in Ireland were in Celtic Tiger times (no fire stopping, balconies leaking, etc) I wouldn’t buy anywhere without one.
The estate agent you are buying the property from should have someone they recommend. 500 seems on the steep side, I bought mine about 5 years ago and I think it was about 160-170
One of the biggest purchases in your life get it checked out
Is it a new build? If so it should/might be covered by homebond. If thats the case I wouldn’t bother with a surveyor as any major issues should be covered and you should pick out anything else.
There’s great advice on [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/u8n0sq/hi_folks_we_have_a_viewing_of_a_new_build/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) I saved two months ago.
Best of luck!
Its the biggest transaction of your life.
If theres structural issues youre gonna be paying off a defective house for the rest of yout life.
Of course its worth it.
509 bit steep though, I got a good guy for 375.
The engineer will do more than just check the apartment physically, there will also check that the building itself has all the certificates and doesn’t have any other issues?
With regulations getting more and more complicated (to keep well paid bureaucrats in jobs) it better to get a competent professional who is similar with the procedure to do it.
It’s normally cheaper, but if your building is older it can cost a lot more.
You’ll most likely have to do it as most banks require it anyway I paid €400 for mine that was about five years ago.
Does the bank not insist on a building survey before they loan you the cash?
Lol no, a good one will charge you half of that. Especially if it’s just an apartment (the rest of the issues should be on the block)
Do get the check, sure. Especially if it is at the higher or lower floor. That price might be better if it includes an electrical check
Yes absolutely, if you have to ask the question then you already know the answer.
You have to get it surveyed. Shop around, but you have to grt it done
I’m sure if you look at an engine it looks fine but a mechanic could point out all the things that need work. Get the surveyor ffs.
If there are faults you can use the cost of them in negotiations and if there are major things wrong then you know to walk away.
Would you buy a second hand 300k car without having a mechanic take a look?
You can get an engineers report for approx. 200 euro if you shop around, 500 is ridiculous. Your solicitor who is helping with the purchase/mortgage should be able to recommend the cheapest option and someone who they have worked with before.
Yes.
The survey isn’t just having a look around, they’ll also do a dive into the paperwork, making sure the building certs are correct. They’ll also check other parts of the building, roof, foundations, stairs etc. to spot any potential problems there.
For a “full survey”, they’ll go even deeper.
Yes a 100% when I was buying my house I got a survey and it saved me 5k as he found out stuff you won’t be able to detect my a normal viewing
If you were buying a house you’d need one so you may as well
Definitely get an inspection. There are a hundred things that you could miss. Make sure you use someone who is registered and insured.
With a apartment any structural issues would be the apartments management company responsibility. Any thing from the ceiling to the floor is what you need to check out before completing the sale, if it’s modern and everything works I wouldn’t bother. But with a house I would recommend it.
Absolutely. Cannot recommend a survey enough. We got one done for a property in Kildare that had a plethora of issues. To the point where we pulled out of the sale. Place went back on the market for €15k extra than it’s original price few months before.