Coal mine entrance within 20m of new house

Peter82

Hi all,

I was due to sign missives today on a house (3 years old, 1 previous owner who have part exchanged with the builder) but this has now been delayed due to paperwork we received from the Coal Authority. Basically the estate is built on an old coal mine and on page 1 of the report it says that the boundaries of the house are within 20m of the mine entrance.

However on page 2 it then goes on to say that in fact they think this was a mistale with the records and the entrance indicated on the original plans is actually a duplicate of an entrance over half a mile away. The builder also sent in a company to deal with all of the land in 2006 and they confirmed that they couldn't find it and agreed it looks like a clerical error.

The coal authority won't remove the line in the report that says we are within the 20m zone so even though that information is contradicted, do you think this would cause real problems when trying to sell in the future? Would people use the ambiguity as a bargaining tool to reduce the price or would it just put you off altogether?

Thanks for any help/advice,
Peter.

jamie11

Peter82 wrote: »

Hi all,

I was due to sign missives today on a house (3 years old, 1 previous owner who have part exchanged with the builder) but this has now been delayed due to paperwork we received from the Coal Authority. Basically the estate is built on an old coal mine and on page 1 of the report it says that the boundaries of the house are within 20m of the mine entrance.

However on page 2 it then goes on to say that in fact they think this was a mistale with the records and the entrance indicated on the original plans is actually a duplicate of an entrance over half a mile away. The builder also sent in a company to deal with all of the land in 2006 and they confirmed that they couldn't find it and agreed it looks like a clerical error.

The coal authority won't remove the line in the report that says we are within the 20m zone so even though that information is contradicted, do you think this would cause real problems when trying to sell in the future? Would people use the ambiguity as a bargaining tool to reduce the price or would it just put you off altogether?

Thanks for any help/advice,
Peter.

Built above an old coal mine?

I would be extremely worried about future possible subsidence, that would be enough to put me off completely.

Peter82

It's an old mining town which has a number of new estates on the site of old mines and the houses do sell quickly. I think people don't tend to think about what is under the house but since we have to disclose this 20m thing, even though it looks like a mistake, it will worry people.

DaftyDuck

It will worry people. It will be all the more worrying if (when?) these shiny new houses start getting a crack or two in a few years... If one should fall down, your house resale price would fall just as fast.

Mistake or not, if I were thinking of buying from you five years down the line, I wouldn't, if you see what I mean. Not even at a huge discount....

Do you need to buy one of these? Aren't there any safer bets?

Peter82

DaftyDuck wrote: »

It will worry people. It will be all the more worrying if (when?) these shiny new houses start getting a crack or two in a few years... If one should fall down, your house resale price would fall just as fast.

Mistake or not, if I were thinking of buying from you five years down the line, I wouldn't, if you see what I mean. Not even at a huge discount....

Do you need to buy one of these? Aren't there any safer bets?

Yeah, I think the majority of people are likely to think exactly like that. At the very least it could result in us having to take a huge hit which we've already done on our current house.

There is only a small % of places in the town where we'd want to live and even smaller number of houses in those areas that we want & can afford. I think I'm just reluctant to admit that I shouldn't buy it even though I know it's probably too much of a risk.

jamie11

This is just one of many web pages about this subject

http://www.thisistamworth.co.uk/Coal-bosses-hot-seat-village-s-mining-subsidence/story-16184622-detail/story.html#axzz2RISt5NIA

puregeordie

Enough to put me off anyday wether its really there or not. The fact that it says its there says it all and they won't remove it. Maybe they will not remove it because they are not sure themselves 100%.

Buy somewhere else, take the hit.

martinsurrey

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/mans-house-falls-into-old-mine-shaft-1092897.html

I wouldnt gamble £000,000 on a clerical error...

Peter82

I wouldnt gamble £000,000 on a clerical error...[/QUOTE]

I know you are right, I just dont want to admit to myself that we should pull out of the deal and start all over again after finding something we loved.

Still, I dont wake up one morning 35ft below my neighbour.

Fire_Fox

How does this document affect insurance?

thegirlintheattic

You are likely to find it harder to get insurance because of the mine.

Doesn't sound like anyone is sure where the mine entrance is, but to be honest it doesn't matter. Mines can cover miles underground and are at risk of collapse even away from the entrance.

I wouldn't risk it.