am looking at purchasing a property Reading UK and our surveyor has raised some concerns with the support of a removed chimney stack. The property is a typical Victorian mid terrace house where the original main chimney split in the loft space, with half proceeding through the main bedroom and the living room with the second half of the chimney running through the corner of the bathroom and the kitchen. At some point the corner chimney in the bathroom and kitchen has been removed and the surveyor is unable to see how the chimney is being supported, he also can not see any movement in the chimney structure to prove that it isn't supported. I have had a builder to look at it and he has said the same that he can’t prove it is supported and can’t say it isn’t. I feel quite happy that its going to be okay but what happens when I come to sell, is there any way I can get some one to say in writing that its okay. Is it quite normal to leave corner chimneys unsupported in older properties?

It's not safe to leave a chimney unsupported. Usually it's supported in some way but not allways in a way thats acceptable these days. If it's a DIY job then beware.

Have you asked the owner if they know when it was done? Removing a chimney breast requires Building Control Approval so if it was done in recent times they should have some paperwork for that. If not then you might consider asking them to take out a single premium insurance policy against BC requiring you to do more work. Discuss this with your solicitor. Beware the terms and conditions might preclude a claim if you invite the BCO to inspect it.

If you wanted to eliminate the problem once and for all you could ask them to get Building Control Approval as a condition of you buying the place - but that would probably mean them having to rip down plasterboard or take up the floor to inspect the support.  The alternative would be to assume it's not supported and work out the cost to get it fixed yourself - then ask them to either prove its supported or reduce the price by same amount.   However they may feel another buyer wouldn't insist on this or that this is already reflected in the price.

What happens when you sell....well the same uncertainty you are having now arrises. It may depend on the market conditions. In a sellers market buyers might feel they can't be fussy and will accept the risk. In a buyers market they might feel they can push you to sort out the paperwork or reduce the price to cover it. You might feel you can't afford to loose the buyer for a few thousand.  

At the end of the day it's like buying a second hand car. The risk of hidden defects has to be factored into the price you offer but the seller can allways say they have done that already!