House we like has been underpinned

francescaeales

Thanks that's really helpful!

How much did you reduce your offer by? I feel like the vendors don't realise what a pickle they are in! With underpinning and no insurance for the underpinning it's not great for the potential buyer! Should I ask them to pay for the engineer if this is what is required? I've already forked out £900 for the survey, I'm not keen on wasting any more money!

paul1964_2

We paid for our own structural engineer, but also got the vendor to agree a reduction of £5k in the end. Looking back, I think we got it at a pretty good price (we paid around 25% less than it sold for in 2006). It was the feeling of being kept in the dark that got my back up at the time.

You need to try to find out what caused the event that led to the underpinning - your solicitor may get some information from the local authority, who might have the building regs documentation including the name of the company that did the work. In our case it was a drain that failed which caused soil under the foundations to be washed away. Once the drain was fixed and the underpinning completed, there is not a greatly increased risk of further subsidence.

If you get the paperwork for the underpinning your surveyor / structural engineer may be able to advise whether there is still an increased risk of subsidence or whether it was just a one-off event.

With the insurance, don't just use the comparison websites - we eventually went through a broker who used the underpinning documentation and engineer's report to get us a much better quote than we managed to find ourselves.

northwest1965

paul1964 wrote: »

You need to try to find out what caused the event that led to the underpinning - your solicitor may get some information from the local authority, who might have the building regs documentation including the name of the company that did the work.

If you get the paperwork for the underpinning your surveyor / structural engineer may be able to advise whether there is still an increased risk of subsidence or whether it was just a one-off event.
.

francescaeales wrote: »

Thanks that's really helpful!

How much did you reduce your offer by? I feel like the vendors don't realise what a pickle they are in! With underpinning and no insurance for the underpinning it's not great for the potential buyer! Should I ask them to pay for the engineer if this is what is required? I've already forked out £900 for the survey, I'm not keen on wasting any more money!

Our solicitor has all the paperwork for the underpinning. It was caused in 1994, by a tree. This was removed and the drive was block paved some time after.
12 months after that, the vendor had an extension put on the house (to cover up a large crack???????:eek:) We are waiting for all the paperwork with reference to that now. Want to make sure it has been built to standard.

I am still fuming that the we weren't told, what do these idiots think they can gain?

I think if we were to proceed, it would be a case of, getting a structural engineer to do an inspection, at the Vendors cost. If he had any sense he would have done this for any new buyer, to prove house hasn't moved.

As for reducing a price, it was up for £170 but we offered £160 and he accepted. Since then we found Mouseprice, seems early last year he had it up for £150K.

cheeswright

nobody builds an extension to "cover up a large crack"
and
there is no need to pre "disclose" underpinning if it is historic in nature and a one off event such as you describe

the underpinning will have carried a guarentee and you will be completly covered if you can get the insurance company to transfer the insurance to you - and they would have to have a good reason not to..also you will need to get the documentation/ guarentee

so
you should expect the house and contents insurance to be around twice to three times what it would be if there was no subsidance
and you should check with the local council and see if the area is prone to subsidance

we live in an underpinned house and it has increased rather than decreased its value - as our "dream" house is built on a very sandy area and ALL of the houses around here are subsiding
the more valuable ones are the ones ones stabalised by the huge concrete rafts that underpinning entails putting in

when I phoned the council in a panic about subsidance on our future house they laughed and said "lucky you" - ( sounds sarkey but they were really helpful )

but you will face the panic mongers who are simply terrified of the word subsidence when and if you come to sell -

northwest1965

The EA copied us into an email from the vendor. The vendor clearly stated that the EA knows allabout the work carried out. I thought there were regulations, that EA's were supposed to tell you about such work like underpinning

francescaeales

FYI Halifax will insure a house with underpinning if the work was carried out over 10 years ago with no further structural problems.This also covers future subsidence without an inflated excess!

northwest1965

francescaeales wrote: »

FYI Halifax will insure a house with underpinning if the work was carried out over 10 years ago with no further structural problems.This also covers future subsidence without an inflated excess!

Thanks but we have made the decision not to proceed with purchase.

beedeedee

Don't worry - another "Perfect Home" will be along shortly.....I promise!!

dacouch

francescaeales wrote: »

FYI Halifax will insure a house with underpinning if the work was carried out over 10 years ago with no further structural problems.This also covers future subsidence without an inflated excess!

What happens if Halifax (Who are not noted for being a benevolent Insurer) decide they no longer want to offer cover for Underpinned properties in the future and the OP decides to sell their house?