Would you buy a semi-detached house where the adjoining house next door has got subsi

HairDryer

Please could you offer some advice:

Would you buy a semi-detached house where the adjoining house next door has got subsidence?

I’ve been renting a house for the last 8 years and the adjoining house next door has always been unoccupied the whole time I have lived here (the gardener say it is not in a habitual condition.)

We do have very small cracks in the joins of the walls that we share with next door. An inspections has show that these are not anything major. I’m still waiting to have a survey done.

I’ve been offered the house at a discounted price that we are still negotiating . My parents are offering an interest free loan if I want to go ahead with the sale.

So would you buy a semi-detached house where the adjoining house next door has got subsidence?

Many thanks in advance.

　

DannyboyMidlands

No, even if it turns out to be minor and historic, it's not worth the risk.

I also wouldn't buy a semi where the house next door had been unoccupied for 8 years and counting. A lack of maintenance on that one will soon start to have an impact on yours.

What is this discounted price? Discounted from what?

HairDryer

I feel kind of guilty saying this as I know a lot of people are not in a position to get a discount on a house, it’s through the right to buy and I have a total of 12 year discount.

£142,200 reduced down to £82,476.

martinsurrey

HairDryer wrote: »

I feel kind of guilty saying this as I know a lot of people are not in a position to get a discount on a house, it’s through the right to buy and I have a total of 12 year discount.

£142,200 reduced down to £82,476.

It'll be a house worth £142,200 reduced £nil when the adjoined house pulls yours down, or their roof rots and pulls yours off in years to come...

I would run.

shays_mum

No i would not!! this is one i would def run from regardless of the survey!

paso11

Any particular reason why it's been unoccupied for 8 years?

In what way is it not habitual?

HairDryer

Thanks for all the responses. I don't know why it isn't habitual paso11.
The cracks on the side of our party wall go from floor to ceiling then across at the top of the wall just before the ceiling. This is the same in both the bedrooms. Like this:
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paso11

No expert on subsidence or structural engineering but given its a semi detached doesnt subsidence on one half mean the whole structure is affected?

Surely the houses share the same foundation?

Fire_Fox

Minor cracking is relatively unlikely to denote subsidence. I wouldn't buy a house where next door is uninhabitable and uninhabited for so long, what happens if the roof caves it? At some point water ingress will start damaging your home.

Find out from the council why next door is uninhabited and what they intend to do about it, speak to the empty homes officer. And find out who it belongs to, you can download the title from land registry for £3.