Building Survey - problems!

Tancred

poledancer49 wrote: »

Tancred...how you getting on??

The insurance company sent down an engineer who did a CCTV survey and found that there is a shared drain which is blocked and leaking. This is the likely cause of the slight movement. As the drain is shared it's Thames Water's responsibility to fix it, so they are sending someone to do just that either tomorrow or the day after - the insurance company does not regard this as an insurable defect. Once this is sorted out the movement issue should resolve itself.

The bay window area will need to be monitored for any cracks and signs of further movement. The buyer is aware of all this and not unduly concerned as he knows what these older properties tend to be like.

poledancer49

Hey that's great news! Bet you are glad it is all sorted. Good luck with the rest of your move.

Tancred

poledancer49 wrote: »

Hey that's great news! Bet you are glad it is all sorted. Good luck with the rest of your move.

I'm having the loss adjuster come to examine the fine materials under the foundations. He will the decide on any action, but if necessary action is taken it will definitely be covered under drainage damage, not subsidence. The insurance company told me that this is a common issue with older properties (pre-1937) which have a shared drainage system. What's more is that the local water authority is legally liable for any damage caused by their negligence in not checking these drains regularly. Interesting.