Vertical crack on extension joint in potential purchase All manner of questions and solutions to problems and issues surrounding the subject of brickwork, blockwork and stonework

[Nikki717]

Hello, I had an offer accepted on a house when they claim to have noticed a crack on the extension joint which they said they hadn't noticed before. I went to look at the crack and panicked and said I had changed my mind (I'm a first time buyer with zero knowledge about this type of thing) They then offered to drop the price by 20 grand! I'm now worried that if I accept this may be the just start of the problems. It could be that they just want to move quickly, they are elderly, or they may know far more than they are letting on. I have attached a couple of pics I took. Any advice is highly appreciated. Ps it is also a flat roof property which has recently been re felted.

[stoneyboy]

Hi nikki717
It looks like the extension has just been added to the existing house without any tying in. The size of the crack in your first photo gets wider as it goes up which is not good. You are probably better avoiding this one however:
If you are still keen you could look, on line, at the web site of your local building control department and see if the extension had Building Regulations approval. If yes, this should give you some peace of mind. You could also ask the vendor to get and pay for a structural survey before you commit to buy say you would still like the 20k off if the survey is ok.
If you do decide to buy there is no way to disguise the opening joint.
Regards S

[Nikki717]

Hi, thanks very much for your reply. I checked and it didn't get planning permission, so I have decided to walk away. Thanks again :)