Possible subsidence on house we viewed

reheat

Like the look of a chalet-style house we viewed, but think there may be the warning signs of subsidence.

Inside the house there are some cracks running from ceiling down, which are a bit wider at the top than bottom, 2mm or so at the top. Gaps between ceiling and wall in places. Wallpaper twisty-stretched in one corner.

There are no trees near the house, so it would not be that.

I know that buildings insurance usually covers for subsidence, though would obviously not cover us as new owners if subsidence already evident before we bought it.

But what if the vendor's insurance covers subsidence? Is there any provision where a vendor's insurance can instigate remedial action, and maybe continue doing whatever is needed even after the house has changed hands?

Also, who is it best to ask advice from, both whether there really is a problem, and what needs to be done about it if there is a problem? A surveyor? Builder? Both? Anyone else?

Housestressed

if you get to the stage of offering on the house etc, when you have a survey this should be picked up, and if like on my house which i am selling, for i had to fork out to pay for a structural engineer to come out and check it, thankfully me, mine was fine. Or you could pay for a full structural survey to be done.

Rapished

could it be truss lift?

if would need to be checked to see if its settled after some previous subsidence, but never a good signs, as something's made it happen, so you'd need to factor in the discount in the offer or the repair costing's.

Is there an old flu behind it, 2mm is not a massive amount if that is the largest area, sometimes if there's a flu running up through the wall there is age related movement in the seems, I have thins in a rental property, it just needed sanding and filling.

reheat

Housestressed wrote: »

if you get to the stage of offering on the house etc, when you have a survey this should be picked up, and if like on my house which i am selling, for i had to fork out to pay for a structural engineer to come out and check it, thankfully me, mine was fine. Or you could pay for a full structural survey to be done.

I suppose I'm trying to see if there is any way of getting some ball-park advice from anywhere for free (or almost), to assess if it's worth me spending the £100s (or more) necessary for survey's

Rapished

You can easily re book another viewing and ask for an engineer to attend, it make cost you a call out fee sub 100 and they can assess it for you but it wouldn't be a superbly accurate job for cheap, just pop into a structural builder/engineer and ask if they can help then re book a survey around them, but if your in doubt and still proceed you'd need a full structural survey, as it'd be seen on valuation report and may effect the banks lending.

Samantha99

If its an old house could be the sole plate rather than subsidence?

wymondham

personally if I had any doubts I'd move on to the next house..

Housestressed

in addition... on my house, crack was on outside wall, zigzagged from window... google'd and came up with the worse problems was just historic problem where drain was once blocked several years ago, none progressive etc. took structural engineer 2 mins to say it wasnt serious and just needed filling etc.
Inside my house there are the odd crack where the plaster has dried out over a long time, no cause for concern.