Subsidence checks free??

Phil_GT

HI

got a question for you guys not sure if you can help me or not...

i've put an offer in on a house i want to purchase and at the moment nothing has started so the perfect time to see if i can find something out.

what im after is some information about if its possible to find out if a property has had any subsidence claims or not on it.

without obviously having to have a solicitor start their work and charging me, as ill be able to pull out if its had a lot of claims against it.

i've asked the Estate agent, they said there havent been any claims according to the vendors family (vendor has currently passed away and house has gone to probate)

however i dont trust estate agents as they have an interest for it to go through and same with the probate people selling the house.

so any help would be appreciated

Dangermac

Phil_GT wrote: »

HI

got a question for you guys not sure if you can help me or not...

i've put an offer in on a house i want to purchase and at the moment nothing has started so the perfect time to see if i can find something out.

what im after is some information about if its possible to find out if a property has had any subsidence claims or not on it.

without obviously having to have a solicitor start their work and charging me, as ill be able to pull out if its had a lot of claims against it.

i've asked the Estate agent, they said there havent been any claims according to the vendors family (vendor has currently passed away and house has gone to probate)

however i dont trust estate agents as they have an interest for it to go through and same with the probate people selling the house.

so any help would be appreciated

There is no database of properties that have sufferred subsidence

There is no publicly-available insurance database re past subsidence claims, and even if there was, you wouldnt necessarily know which Policyholder's name to serach under, as there may have been several past owners

You really need to get a survey done, which would identify any current issues. I dont know of any surveyors who operate a free survey service.

huckster

I am not aware of a central database which shows whether a claim for subsidence has ever been made against a property. Unless local authorities keep any details. Are local authorities made aware of major building works, including any underpinning? If so would this be found by your solicitor when making the searches?

During the buying process you should arrange to get a Home Buyers report, rather than a standard mortgage valuation. A good surveyor should be able to find signs of any works to the property and signs of any ongoing movement.

The vendors would have also gone through the process, getting surveys and details from previous owners. When you sell a property you have to complete a form for the buyer confirming certain details. I can't remember whether it includes any questions about any known issues with the property that the buyer should be aware of.

If there are any issues, it can be a good idea to find out which Insurers the vendor uses and arrange Insurance with them. You can arrange for the vendor to speak to Insurers and get authorisation to confirm that the Buildings Insurance you arrange is a continuance of the previous policy. Then if an issue crops up which the Insurers argue pre-dates the issue of your policy, you have this additional protection of continuity of cover.

Phil_GT

cheers people i know it will be found by the solicitor, and i will be getting a homebuyers report done for the property.

was just wondering if there was any central database of property claims.

e.g the house number and street anmd how many claims..

kind of say a car logbook. reg number address owners if you get what i mean.

i have a couple of pictures of what im worried about as soon as i can get them on the internet ill post them up

Phil_GT

front window

rear window

same style crack going as far as each other from the looks of it

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23696526@N08/4506776725/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23696526@N08/4506776941/

if the pics dont work use the links, i cant see them on a work pc but may not be working

FlameCloud

Phil_GT wrote: »

cheers people i know it will be found by the solicitor, and i will be getting a homebuyers report done for the property.

was just wondering if there was any central database of property claims.

e.g the house number and street anmd how many claims..

kind of say a car logbook. reg number address owners if you get what i mean.

i have a couple of pictures of what im worried about as soon as i can get them on the internet ill post them up

There is.... CUE- but its only available for use by insurers and adjusting companies.

FlameCloud

With the photos-

What is above the windowsill? Is it a single storey?
What is to the left and right of the photo (i.e. is it where the house ends)
Is it an extension?

Phil_GT

below lower windows
edge of house on the side of photo
no cracks down the side of the house at all.
2 storey house
no extensions

Phil_GT

house biuilt around 1960-1970 as a guess

huckster

You could ask the vendor via the Estate Agent to get a survey on the property, as you are reluctant to proceed any further and incur costs, without some reassurance from a surveyors report.

It is in the interest of the vendor to do this, as if you drop out, they will have a report to help them with questions from other interested buyers or assist them with any claim if relevant.

In regard to the pictures, difficult to tell.

Phil_GT

i was thinking that if it was subasidence it would continue to the floor but with it stopping i dunno if its that or settlement
especially with nothing down the side of the house