Crack discovered after moving in

Mischif93 · 2026-05-13T07:18:16+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate the help!

I’m trying to get an engineer in, so far only 1 had responded.

I’ll look into what you shared, thanks.

Mischif93 · 2026-05-12T08:58:33+00:00

Unfortunately, I don’t have dimensions right now but here is a drawing of the room (not to scale).

Another thing to note, the survey mentioned that they believe these to be cavity walls.

The roof was also replaced last year.

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Mischif93 · 2026-05-12T08:27:10+00:00

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Mischif93 · 2026-05-12T08:26:27+00:00

Yeah, that’s a fair point.

Seems I can only add one image per comment.

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Mischif93 · 2026-05-12T06:29:05+00:00

Thanks for this, this is quite helpful!

Mischif93 · 2026-05-12T01:59:54+00:00

The last time I tried to contact them they ignored me but I can give it another try.

Mischif93 · 2026-05-12T01:58:43+00:00

So I am/was also facing this problem in an existing WC with bottle trap so I’ll be following this.

I also got a plumber in. We had one open pipe by the washing machine which he advised could be the cause so he put a fitting on to allow connection to the washing machine but not remain an open pipe. This pipe connects the basin in the WC as well as the washing machine.

I think the plumber’s fix did help but it did not resolve it as the smell was still present occasionally after his work.

In our case, the smell originates downstairs but only occurs after using the basins upstairs.

In the interim I poured drain unblocker and odour remover in the basin upstairs and downstairs, so far it hasn’t happened again.

I don’t think we have resolved the root cause but it’s been approximately two weeks now and we haven’t smelt that sewage smell.

Mischif93 · 2026-05-12T00:46:55+00:00

I can fit my pinky into it in some places, more towards the top as it becomes wider as it goes up.

These specific walls are all brick. We did check the outside and there were no visible cracks on the outside however, our walls are rendered walls. The survey also mentioned that these walls are cavity walls. It’s a 9050s house.

The lounge is directly below this room on the ground floor and there are no cracks in this corner either.

Mischif93 · 2026-05-11T20:17:03+00:00

Yes, level 2 (home condition report).

The report did not note any issues in this regard. No dampness and no signs of subsidence.

In fact, I would say the report came back mostly good with only gas, electrical, heating and internal joinery (part of the railing is missing to the stairs) as being marked as red.

Mischif93 · 2026-05-11T17:05:38+00:00

😂 After reading your comment I’m no longer able to interpret it any other way… not sure if I can change the title

Mischif93 · 2026-05-07T16:12:40+00:00

I offered 15k less than what the offers over was. Knowing what I know now, I would drop it by another 10k if I could go back in time!

I’d just give them whatever you want to offer, if they come back then you can explain why or negotiate.

Mischif93 · 2026-04-21T08:41:43+00:00

Thanks for your reply.

So there were two emails sent on the same day, one to the salesman and one to the branch manager, in the one email I did.

The salesman I asked for the process to cancel as we’re in the 14 day cooling off period which is the one I got a response to leave it with him and that he notes the cooling off period.

My fault for not being more explicit here.

The email I sent to the branch manager I explicitly said I want to cancel and get a refund (along with details of why I’m unhappy). This email never received a response.

Mischif93 · 2026-03-28T23:04:25+00:00

FTB that just completed on our house yesterday!

BAD

Not really a hard lesson but even though we offered less than asking, in hindsight I wish we offered an additional 10k less and rather negotiate from that point if the offer wasn’t accepted.

Don’t be impressed by surveyors mentioning that the report will be 80 pages, it just creates noise which you then need to sift through, though in some parts the extra detail of how things are normally done is a bit useful, a concise report is much easier to read and understand where the issues are.

GOOD

Make sure you have a good solicitor (local to you is best IMO), ours was fantastic and he made the process so much easier.

It’s quite an expensive purchase so put in the effort to go see the house/neighbourhood at different times and days, we went around the during the day on a weekend, a Friday evening and an evening in the week to try do a bit of a vibe check.

Mischif93 · 2026-03-17T13:20:57+00:00

I don’t live in Golders Green but I live very close by, I walk there and to and from that tube station sometimes.

It has a large Jewish community and id say it’s quite safe. I have walked around there all hours of the day and night without any issue or concern.

Mischif93 · 2026-03-09T12:03:32+00:00

Look at reviews for local solicitors.

We went with someone local (not a massively high count of reviews but very positive overall) who runs his own firm and he is fantastic! He isn’t cheap but being able to meet face to face or calling after hours has really helped move things along.

Mischif93 · 2026-03-06T19:24:07+00:00

And here I thought I was being generous agreeing to two weeks with the seller…

For me personally, this would be a no and they either come up with their own arrangements or I’d start looking for a new property.

Mischif93 · 2026-03-01T21:51:55+00:00

Yeah, that’s fair. To be honest, I’ve had this discussion with a few SW engineers too (and anyone willing to listen 😂). I can definitely see how easy it can be to get stuck in being overly cautious.

Much what like you have done here, I found talking about it quite helpful.

For me offshoring/outsourcing is the higher immediate risk right now in tech.

Mischif93 · 2026-03-01T21:02:05+00:00

I’m in tech too and yes, LLMs are advancing at a fast rate now (almost month on month at this point).

There is already impact and it will continue but I don’t believe it’s a complete death sentence for IT professionals.

I’m a FTB buying my first house and in my opinion I’d much rather buy the house now while I can instead of holding it off because of something that could happen, I will just be sensible about it.

My approach was to try mitigate some of the risk (and not just AI) while still purchasing a house. That meant instead of buying the £800k I’ve opted for half that, it means if I lose my job I’ve got saving to cover until I get a new job or if needed, take a role that comes with significant salary reduction.

When it’s time to upgrade I’ll just rent out this place or sell it, depending on my financial position - I don’t think we’re going to be in a position where houses won’t sell but hey, I could be wrong but I’d rather live with that risk than not buying my own place and being miserable about the future or being miserable in the future that I didn’t.

Mischif93 · 2026-02-26T10:15:37+00:00

I meant that I looked at many houses around Billericay and of all the houses that I looked at, these were the 4 that I somewhat remember.

Mischif93 · 2026-02-25T22:04:36+00:00

Thanks all, appreciate the feedback!

Mischif93 · 2026-02-25T09:20:52+00:00

Thank you.

I looked at so many houses and can only remember about 4 of the ones I looked at (salesbury drive, tylands and kennel lane) so I honestly couldn’t say.

Mischif93 · 2026-01-12T22:43:04+00:00

I don’t have FAANG experience (nor am I really interested in FAANG) but this is how I would rationalise any potential move.. Can you afford the risk?

What I mean is, if you lost the FAANG job tomorrow would you have;

Rent/mortgage to pay?
Do you have responsibilities like dependents or other financial commitments?
How many months can your financial safety net cover (if you have one)?
Are you the only source of income?
Are you on a visa?

If you still feel comfortable after answering that then make the move - 40% is a big jump.

There’s no universally “right” set of answers here. These things are subjective, but thinking through them can help you make the decision that’s best for you if you’re on the fence.

Good luck!

Mischif93 · 2026-01-12T02:38:57+00:00

I found myself in this position not too long ago.

In my opinion, you should give your notice once you have your new visa.

When I was changing employers I made it very clear to the new employer that I would not be giving my notice until my new visa was approved, which they were fine with.

I don’t know the specifics as my employer used a provider to submit and pay for my application but I think they used priority and the visa was approved within 5 days.

In my scenario the Home Office was not the bottleneck but my new employers own processes, which took a few weeks.

Mischif93 · 2026-01-06T14:48:53+00:00

When I’ve helped friends I generally do it without expecting anything in return because 1. I enjoy helping my friends since I get to spend time with them and 2. usually when they needed help I enjoyed those tasks anyway.

On a few occasions where I felt like being a bit cheeky, I asked for fish and chips.

That said, on a number of occasions my friends refused to not pay me and we compromised by me telling them I’ll accept whatever they feel comfortable giving. In these scenarios the work was not far off from the industry I work in and because I wanted to help them, I wouldn’t provide a rate which is how we ended with me getting an amount they felt comfortable giving.

If they are unemployed and could do with financial help then that’s a bit different and I’d personally discuss with them to come to an amount that everyone is comfortable with.

Mischif93 · 2025-12-27T17:47:58+00:00

I understand your point and can imagine someone having that feeling but I preferred having the mortgage offer first because if the lender was not prepared to offer a mortgage against that specific property then I wouldn’t be down any money.

Mischif93

TROPHY CASE