On 2014-05-17 08:35:40 +0000, Martin said:

On Sat, 17 May 2014 09:22:30 +0100 (BST), (Nick
Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
Sacha wrote:
On 2014-05-16 22:51:39 +0000, Judith in England said:

Our rodent man came round today and says there's a bit increase in the
rat population - around 40% in places. Such a cheery thought!

Perhaps he was just self-promoting and hoping that you will have him round more
frequently.

He's on a 6-weekly visit contract in the season and has been for more
years than I can remember.

The reason is simple and has been known for decades - mild winters.

The floods can't have done them much good in places where there were floods.

The danger is them swimming into houses and outbuildings, aiui. In
some of the worst flooded areas, farmers are going to have to buy worms
to re-stock their land with them. All the ones that were there drowned.
A friend of my daughter, whose house had never flooded before, had to
be evacuated along with several horses, dogs, cats and chickens. She
moved back in a few weeks ago but is still coping with sludge and the
vile smell of wet plaster and flooring. Hers was one of the villages
totally cut off and accessible only by boat.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

In article ,
Sacha wrote:
On 2014-05-17 08:35:40 +0000, Martin said:

Our rodent man came round today and says there's a bit increase in the
rat population - around 40% in places. Such a cheery thought!

Perhaps he was just self-promoting and hoping that you will have him round more
frequently.

He's on a 6-weekly visit contract in the season and has been for more
years than I can remember.

The reason is simple and has been known for decades - mild winters.

The floods can't have done them much good in places where there were floods.

The danger is them swimming into houses and outbuildings, aiui. In
some of the worst flooded areas, farmers are going to have to buy worms
to re-stock their land with them. All the ones that were there drowned.
A friend of my daughter, whose house had never flooded before, had to
be evacuated along with several horses, dogs, cats and chickens. She
moved back in a few weeks ago but is still coping with sludge and the
vile smell of wet plaster and flooring. Hers was one of the villages
totally cut off and accessible only by boat.

And, as someone said on television, the one consolation is that the
rats will also have been severely reduced. But rats can swim, so
the number of places where they will have been unable to survive
isn't all that large. Several people reported that their lofts
became full of rats during the floods.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 2014-05-17 11:42:38 +0000, Martin said:

On Sat, 17 May 2014 12:09:16 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2014-05-17 08:35:40 +0000, Martin said:

On Sat, 17 May 2014 09:22:30 +0100 (BST), (Nick
Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
Sacha wrote:
On 2014-05-16 22:51:39 +0000, Judith in England said:

Our rodent man came round today and says there's a bit increase in the
rat population - around 40% in places. Such a cheery thought!

Perhaps he was just self-promoting and hoping that you will have him round more
frequently.

He's on a 6-weekly visit contract in the season and has been for more
years than I can remember.

The reason is simple and has been known for decades - mild winters.

The floods can't have done them much good in places where there were floods.

The danger is them swimming into houses and outbuildings, aiui. In
some of the worst flooded areas, farmers are going to have to buy worms
to re-stock their land with them. All the ones that were there drowned.
A friend of my daughter, whose house had never flooded before, had to
be evacuated along with several horses, dogs, cats and chickens. She
moved back in a few weeks ago but is still coping with sludge and the
vile smell of wet plaster and flooring. Hers was one of the villages
totally cut off and accessible only by boat.

Has she applied for the £5,000 that was promised by DC to all flood victims?

I don't know but I'd imagine so. One very greedy pair of people charged
a huge sum of money to transport and 'rescue' the horses just a few
hours before the Parrett broke its banks and flooded her property, so a
big chunk of that £5k will have been spent already. She'd been living
with water in the house but then the animals were endangered. She's
applied to have her house compulsorily purchased because of the neglect
of the waterways which contributed so largely to the problem. She
doubts she'll be able to sell it otherwise! She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On 2014-05-18 09:20:11 +0000, Martin said:

On Sat, 17 May 2014 14:31:04 +0100, sacha wrote:
snip
Has she applied for the £5,000 that was promised by DC to all flood victims?

I don't know but I'd imagine so. One very greedy pair of people charged
a huge sum of money to transport and 'rescue' the horses just a few
hours before the Parrett broke its banks and flooded her property, so a
big chunk of that £5k will have been spent already. She'd been living
with water in the house but then the animals were endangered. She's
applied to have her house compulsorily purchased because of the neglect
of the waterways which contributed so largely to the problem. She
doubts she'll be able to sell it otherwise! She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

According to the BBC Local News for Lincs & E Yorkshire, many whose houses were
damaged by floods in Humberside haven't applied for the £5,000. Aren't
surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys? AFAIK like architects they are insured
against claims.

Afaik, surveyors are responsible for their surveys, yes. But he
couldn't report a hazard from something which had never happened.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

In article ,
lid says...

sacha wrote

She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

Aren't surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys?

Yes, but if he reported the truth he can't be faulted. A survey report
only reflects the current status of the property, it's not a future
guarantee.

Janet.

On 2014-05-20 07:46:52 +0000, Martin said:

On Sun, 18 May 2014 12:13:42 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article ,
lid says...

sacha wrote

She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

Aren't surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys?

Yes, but if he reported the truth he can't be faulted. A survey report
only reflects the current status of the property, it's not a future
guarantee.

The flood maps provided by the EA show potential flooding areas, with
probabilities of flooding, not just historic flood areas. Both my children used
the maps when buying their houses. It could be why they both live on top of
hills. http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/37837.aspx

Nonetheless, the property had never flooded and a surveyor can only
comment on current conditions in the property. He can't say e.g. you've
got wooden beams in the kitchen, so you might get woodworm one day!
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On 20/05/14 10:25, Sacha wrote:
On 2014-05-20 07:46:52 +0000, Martin said:

On Sun, 18 May 2014 12:13:42 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article ,
lid says...

sacha wrote

She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

Aren't surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys?

Yes, but if he reported the truth he can't be faulted. A survey report
only reflects the current status of the property, it's not a future
guarantee.

The flood maps provided by the EA show potential flooding areas, with
probabilities of flooding, not just historic flood areas. Both my children used
the maps when buying their houses. It could be why they both live on top of
hills. http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/37837.aspx

Nonetheless, the property had never flooded and a surveyor can only comment on current conditions in the property. He can't say e.g. you've got wooden beams in the kitchen, so you might get woodworm
one day!

Of course they can - and should, particularly as it is a
simple prudent way for them to avoid the possibility of
future claims.

The surveyors of my houses have done exactly that kind of
thing and more - and I'd be miffed if they hadn't.

Of course a "house valuation survey" (to convince a lender
that they would get their money back if they had to sell
the property) is pretty vestigial. I'm sure there are cases
where it was sufficient for them to merely drive past the
property without stopping.

On 2014-05-20 09:49:11 +0000, Tom Gardner said:

On 20/05/14 10:25, Sacha wrote:
On 2014-05-20 07:46:52 +0000, Martin said:

On Sun, 18 May 2014 12:13:42 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article ,
lid says...

sacha wrote

She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

Aren't surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys?

Yes, but if he reported the truth he can't be faulted. A survey report
only reflects the current status of the property, it's not a future
guarantee.

The flood maps provided by the EA show potential flooding areas, with
probabilities of flooding, not just historic flood areas. Both my children used
the maps when buying their houses. It could be why they both live on top of
hills. http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/37837.aspx

Nonetheless, the property had never flooded and a surveyor can only
comment on current conditions in the property. He can't say e.g. you've
got wooden beams in the kitchen, so you might get woodworm
one day!

Of course they can - and should, particularly as it is a
simple prudent way for them to avoid the possibility of
future claims.

The surveyors of my houses have done exactly that kind of
thing and more - and I'd be miffed if they hadn't.

Of course a "house valuation survey" (to convince a lender
that they would get their money back if they had to sell
the property) is pretty vestigial. I'm sure there are cases
where it was sufficient for them to merely drive past the
property without stopping.

I don't know how many houses you've had surveys on but for me, it's
four. I've never encountered a surveyor who deals in things that don't
exist and have never happened. If he or she starts that, the house
seller may well sue them.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On 20/05/14 13:06, sacha wrote:
On 2014-05-20 09:49:11 +0000, Tom Gardner said:

On 20/05/14 10:25, Sacha wrote:
On 2014-05-20 07:46:52 +0000, Martin said:

On Sun, 18 May 2014 12:13:42 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article ,
lid says...

sacha wrote

She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

Aren't surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys?

Yes, but if he reported the truth he can't be faulted. A survey report
only reflects the current status of the property, it's not a future
guarantee.

The flood maps provided by the EA show potential flooding areas, with
probabilities of flooding, not just historic flood areas. Both my children used
the maps when buying their houses. It could be why they both live on top of
hills. http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/37837.aspx

Nonetheless, the property had never flooded and a surveyor can only comment on current conditions in the property. He can't say e.g. you've got wooden beams in the kitchen, so you might get woodworm
one day!

Of course they can - and should, particularly as it is a
simple prudent way for them to avoid the possibility of
future claims.

The surveyors of my houses have done exactly that kind of
thing and more - and I'd be miffed if they hadn't.

Of course a "house valuation survey" (to convince a lender
that they would get their money back if they had to sell
the property) is pretty vestigial. I'm sure there are cases
where it was sufficient for them to merely drive past the
property without stopping.

I don't know how many houses you've had surveys on but for me, it's four.

Four, the first of which cause me to run away from the property.

I've never encountered a surveyor who deals in things that don't exist and have never happened. If he or she starts that, the
house seller may well sue them.

If the surveyor can't insert suitable weasel words, they
aren't a competent surveyor!

I've just fished out my last survey, and the first paragraph
I read, on p5, states:
"No cracking of the masonry was found indicating that the
wall-ties are providing adequate support to the walls. It
is commented that in older properties where cavity walls
have been constructed, wall ties are reaching an age where
corrosion may well affect their structural integrity."

There are /many/ other such examples in the report,
including noting that he is unaware of any problems
relating to a nearby club!

On Tuesday, May 20, 2014 1:06:47 PM UTC+1, sacha wrote:
I've never encountered a surveyor who deals in things that don't
exist and have never happened. If he or she starts that, the house
seller may well sue them.

Oh, I don't know. My daughter and son-in-law were buying a brand-new house built on Limestone, in the lowest possible area for radon exposure, but because of the surveyor's remarks they could not get a mortgage until they had paid for a full survey by the radiological protection board. None of the adjoining properties had to, it was entirely down the the surveyor 'dealling in things that don't exist'.

On Tue, 20 May 2014 13:06:47 +0100, sacha wrote:

On 2014-05-20 09:49:11 +0000, Tom Gardner said:

On 20/05/14 10:25, Sacha wrote:
On 2014-05-20 07:46:52 +0000, Martin said:

On Sun, 18 May 2014 12:13:42 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article ,
lid says...

sacha wrote

She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

Aren't surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys?

Yes, but if he reported the truth he can't be faulted. A survey report
only reflects the current status of the property, it's not a future
guarantee.

The flood maps provided by the EA show potential flooding areas, with
probabilities of flooding, not just historic flood areas. Both my children used
the maps when buying their houses. It could be why they both live on top of
hills. http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/37837.aspx

Nonetheless, the property had never flooded and a surveyor can only
comment on current conditions in the property. He can't say e.g. you've
got wooden beams in the kitchen, so you might get woodworm
one day!

Of course they can - and should, particularly as it is a
simple prudent way for them to avoid the possibility of
future claims.

The surveyors of my houses have done exactly that kind of
thing and more - and I'd be miffed if they hadn't.

Of course a "house valuation survey" (to convince a lender
that they would get their money back if they had to sell
the property) is pretty vestigial. I'm sure there are cases
where it was sufficient for them to merely drive past the
property without stopping.

I don't know how many houses you've had surveys on but for me, it's
four. I've never encountered a surveyor who deals in things that don't
exist and have never happened. If he or she starts that, the house
seller may well sue them.


Does the property line in the flood plain - as per maps Martin referenced?
If it does - then I would think it is just tough.

On 2014-05-20 21:33:33 +0000, Martin said:

On Tue, 20 May 2014 13:06:47 +0100, sacha wrote:

On 2014-05-20 09:49:11 +0000, Tom Gardner said:

On 20/05/14 10:25, Sacha wrote:
On 2014-05-20 07:46:52 +0000, Martin said:

On Sun, 18 May 2014 12:13:42 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article ,
lid says...

sacha wrote

She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

Aren't surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys?

Yes, but if he reported the truth he can't be faulted. A survey report
only reflects the current status of the property, it's not a future
guarantee.

The flood maps provided by the EA show potential flooding areas, with
probabilities of flooding, not just historic flood areas. Both my children used
the maps when buying their houses. It could be why they both live on top of
hills. http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/37837.aspx

Nonetheless, the property had never flooded and a surveyor can only
comment on current conditions in the property. He can't say e.g. you've
got wooden beams in the kitchen, so you might get woodworm
one day!

Of course they can - and should, particularly as it is a
simple prudent way for them to avoid the possibility of
future claims.

The surveyors of my houses have done exactly that kind of
thing and more - and I'd be miffed if they hadn't.

Of course a "house valuation survey" (to convince a lender
that they would get their money back if they had to sell
the property) is pretty vestigial. I'm sure there are cases
where it was sufficient for them to merely drive past the
property without stopping.

I don't know how many houses you've had surveys on but for me, it's
four. I've never encountered a surveyor who deals in things that don't
exist and have never happened. If he or she starts that, the house
seller may well sue them.

Why do you think the EA has produced these maps?
Is the house of your daughter in the dark blue are of the Somerset Level EA
map? The map was produced in 2013, before the last flood.

It wasn't my daughter who was flooded. She was never in danger of that,
even at the worst moments. The friend of hers who WAS flooded bought
the house two years ago, asked about danger from flooding and was told
it had never flooded. I don't think one can do more than that because
it's a matter of record.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On 2014-05-20 10:36:56 +0000, Martin said:

On Tue, 20 May 2014 10:25:19 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2014-05-20 07:46:52 +0000, Martin said:

On Sun, 18 May 2014 12:13:42 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article ,
lid says...

sacha wrote

She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

Aren't surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys?

Yes, but if he reported the truth he can't be faulted. A survey report
only reflects the current status of the property, it's not a future
guarantee.

The flood maps provided by the EA show potential flooding areas, with
probabilities of flooding, not just historic flood areas. Both my children used
the maps when buying their houses. It could be why they both live on top of
hills. http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/37837.aspx

Nonetheless, the property had never flooded and a surveyor can only
comment on current conditions in the property. He can't say e.g. you've
got wooden beams in the kitchen, so you might get woodworm one day!

He could have looked at the EA map and said the EA say the probability of
flooding is X%.

I don't know if he did, obviously but the fact is that the house had
never flooded and the reason it did was lack of maintenance by the
authorities, not lack of diligence by the surveyor or the buyer.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On Tue, 20 May 2014 13:08:12 +0100, sacha wrote:

snip


He could have looked at the EA map and said the EA say the probability of
flooding is X%.

I don't know if he did, obviously but the fact is that the house had
never flooded and the reason it did was lack of maintenance by the
authorities, not lack of diligence by the surveyor or the buyer.

Given that even by February the rain in the southwest had beaten all records
for more than a hundred years - it may not actually be anything to do with lack
of maintenance - but the fact that the houses were built in an unsuitable
location.

On 2014-05-20 21:39:38 +0000, Martin said:

On Tue, 20 May 2014 13:08:12 +0100, sacha wrote:

On 2014-05-20 10:36:56 +0000, Martin said:

On Tue, 20 May 2014 10:25:19 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 2014-05-20 07:46:52 +0000, Martin said:

On Sun, 18 May 2014 12:13:42 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article ,
lid says...

sacha wrote

She only moved in two years
ago and her surveyor assured her the house had never flooded.

Aren't surveyors
legally responsible for their surveys?

Yes, but if he reported the truth he can't be faulted. A survey report
only reflects the current status of the property, it's not a future
guarantee.

The flood maps provided by the EA show potential flooding areas, with
probabilities of flooding, not just historic flood areas. Both my children used
the maps when buying their houses. It could be why they both live on top of
hills. http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/37837.aspx

Nonetheless, the property had never flooded and a surveyor can only
comment on current conditions in the property. He can't say e.g. you've
got wooden beams in the kitchen, so you might get woodworm one day!

He could have looked at the EA map and said the EA say the probability of
flooding is X%.

I don't know if he did, obviously but the fact is that the house had
never flooded and the reason it did was lack of maintenance by the
authorities, not lack of diligence by the surveyor or the buyer.

The EA knows the state of maintenance of rivers and drains. They take
this into
account when producing flood maps. IMO if the surveyor did not consult EA flood
maps he is incompetent.

He cannot be held to be incompetent when he tells a buyer the truth.
The house had never flooded. One could say she shouldn't have taken
the risk but she asked the right question and she got an honest answer.
She has looked into whether or not the surveyor can be held accountable
and to the best of my knowledge the answer was "he can't". When my
daughter was buying in the area and before I knew it at all, the first
question I asked her was "have you checked if there's a flood risk?".
In fact, they're too far from the river and are surrounded by fields
which got pretty soggy but didn't flood. Otoh, when they were renting a
house a few miles away in Cannington, a village, the water came to
within inches of their front door the winter before. That alone showed
how concrete and tarmac don't help in heavy rainfall.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk