Advice on buying a house with a nearby mineshaft

Kat88 · 21 April 2015 at 3:09PM

Hi everyone, I am hoping some of you might be able to give me some advice. I am close to exchange of contracts on a new build property as a FTB. The house builder is a relatively large developer who is well known. I reserved a property on a site nearby in the same town (Wakefield) but found out it had a mineshaft under the plot soon after reserving. The developer had another site nearby which I actually preferred so for peace of mind we switched properties and were assured that although there was a mineshaft nearby under another plot, ours was free of any (as well as the surrounding area).

To cut a long story short we noticed on the plans there was a 'geogrid' and after weeks of asking we have finally been told it is covering a mineshaft. So technically the mine shaft isn't under our property but is on the road outside with the treatment stretching to our boundary. The mining report only showed the nearby mine under someone's house, not this one and the developer said it is likely a timing issue. The mine shafts on the site have been signed off by the coal authority and NHBC through the drill and grout method. I'm not too concerned that it would be unsafe, and the coal authority would be responsible for any work that needed doing in future if subsidence or anything like that occurred.

I would like to know though of anyone else's experiences of buying plots with mineshaft so nearby that have been treated, whether they have found any issues and particularly if they have found resale to be ok. I love the house, the area and the development but I am worried that I would find it a tough sell in future. The development is popular though and I know houses have sold with the shafts actually under them so surely I am worrying over nothing?

Daerve · 21 April 2015 at 3:12PM

I'd be guided by your solicitor.

Personally if the mine has been treated and signed off I don't see the problem. It's hard to find houses round here that aren't affected by mines in some way so it's really not that big an issue unless the mine's just been left to rot.

Kat88 · 21 April 2015 at 7:58PM

I'm hoping that's the case, that it is of little importance as it has been dealt with properly. My only real concern is if it may put other people off in future for buying the property.

Kat88 · 25 April 2015 at 10:23PM

Does anyone has any further advice on this issue, particularly someone else who has come across a mineshaft near their property?

audigex · 26 April 2015 at 12:30AM

Kat88 wrote: »

I'm hoping that's the case, that it is of little importance as it has been dealt with properly. My only real concern is if it may put other people off in future for buying the property.

This would be my concern - does the price reflect this? Not necessarily in terms of a big discount, but I'd be looking for the price to reflect the lower end of the market for similar properties, or at least for it to not be towards the top end ("It's expensive AND it's on a mine shaft? Put it on the 'Possible backups' list, dear")

davidmcn · 26 April 2015 at 10:14AM

Looking at it objectively, you're far safer with a newbuild house which has had recent geotechnical reports and treatment done (and an NHBC guarantee) than with an older house where you'll have very little information beyond the Coal Authority report. However, I think a shaft that nearby will always put some people off. Whenever I've seen new developments they've generally put the landscaping areas etc over any mine shafts rather than build that close to them.

Kat88 · 30 April 2015 at 6:48PM

Well I think part of the problem is they know it's a coal mining area but they don't know exactly where they are. The can't start digging until the planning proposal is accepted by which point they have stated exactly where the houses would be (I'm sure they would have put more of the affordable homes over the shafts had they known, which is naughty but I wouldn't put it past them!) To clarify my build isn't on the mineshaft, it's just close to it (road outside). As I say some people on the development have actually bought properties on a mineshaft (huge ones beneath their house). I also spoke to some locals already living on the site and they basically said you won't find anywhere else in this city that isn't within 20m of one. As you've said above at least it has been treated and we have details on that. Price doesn't come into it, the developer says they are selling like hotcakes and aren't willing to lower the price. For once I actually believe them, houses on there are selling quick and I know if we let it go someone else will snap it up super quick. I've decided not to worry so much, it's not on my plot and the coal authority and NHBC have all the guarantees in place. I'm going to exchange, I love the house

dragonsoup · 30 April 2015 at 7:23PM

We have one on the property boundary between us and next door. It was unrecorded and didn't show on the mining searches we had done. First our neighbours knew about it was a hole appeared by the hedge.

It's been filled/capped off/whatever they do and is now just part of next door's garden. As it's so close to us I'm sure that there isn't another one under our house or garden. Although we didn't know about it when we bought the house it has never worried me. I'm far more concerned about the well we apparently have under the sitting room floor.

Kat88 · 1 May 2015 at 7:51AM

That does sound far more concerning! If you are ever interested you could find out for once and for all, I think it's about £30 and the coal authority will tell you if there is one or not on your property through their reports. It's exactly the same thing you would receive if you were doing searches for a sale as a buyer. I get the impression a lot of people on the site didn't know about the mineshaft nearby (they have to tell you if on the plot), as they were recently discovered the coal authority records hadn't been updated and so were none the wiser... most people just don't seem fussed at all about them though.

cajef · 1 May 2015 at 10:43AM

If anyone was worried about old mine workings nobody would buy a property in some areas of West Cornwall, there are that many unmapped and disused shafts, adits and old mines in this area, you can have mining surveys done but of course they only show known workings.

nic27 · 2 May 2015 at 7:24PM

We bought our new build house in Wakefield about 9 years ago, we have 3 points marked on the map all within 5 -10 metres off our property. 1 at the bottom of the garden, 1 at the side of the house on the road and 1 behind the house on road.

The only problem we had which slowed down the buying process was our solicitor needing proof that they were all capped off correctly, we got a report from the coal authority stating that they were and that they are all owned by them. We also got a letter a few years later from them wanting to inspect the area in our garden which I assume must be a routine check.

A couple of years later when one of the neighbours put up their house for sale, their prospective buyer was having similar problems to ours when buying it so they asked us for our report which we gave/showed them and the property was sold very quickly from time of putting up to completion. ( I think about 4 months I think)

Since then over 10 houses approximately have been re sold since so in my opinion the mine shafts haven't put people off from buying.

Hope this had helped you.

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Advice on buying a house with a nearby mineshaft

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