House next door underpinned

Rosy_Apple

So, it would seem the buying process really is never simple!

We have our mortgage offer and had solicitors instructed. Due to the age of the property we opted for a full structural survey. The results of this are where things have gone slightly wrong....

The house next door (not attached there is about a 10inch gap) was underpinned in December. The house we would buy shows signs of movement in that there are cracks in the building work. There is also a sag in the roof which has been supported now by metal beams. The cracks may have been because of the roof. There are also a few other issues including damp.

The Surveyor has recommended that we get a Structural Engineer to have a look before we move forward anymore. We rang the Estate Agent and he informed us a SE has already done an assessment and they have the document to show us, he expressed surprise we hadn't been informed about the underpinning and the existance of the document from the start.

I guess my question is- how much of a risk is being so close to a house that has been underpinned, would it put you off (thinking of re-sale)?

I am really frustrated that we have potentially wasted a month and half and paid a number of fees on a house that had we been given all the detail in the first place we wouldn't have considered.

Apologies for the rambling, as always any advice would be gratefully recieved.

Many thanks,
RA

DTDfanBoy

Rosy_Apple wrote: »

I guess my question is- how much of a risk is being so close to a house that has been underpinned, would it put you off (thinking of re-sale)?

Was the neighbouring property built at the same time, and is it the same design as the property you are looking at ?

If it is I'd suggest that the risk is much greater than if the property was built to a different design at an earlier date.

A property with structural issues is always going to be harder to sell down the line. Take any structural report you receive from the EA with a grain of salt.

Either employ a SE and use the report to lower the price or walk

Bluebonnie

The issue is really that the house you are offering on may need underpinning but it hasn't been done.

Find out by getting structural engineer in, then decide what to do with respect to vendor and your offer.

shegar

Id run a mile, that word "underpinning " scares me sh*tless.......

Mrs_pbradley936

This is what I put on a previous thread
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=5773179&postcount=19

Mrs_pbradley936

Here is the whole thread in case you find any info that can help you:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/503763

Yorkie1

One thing to be aware of, is that you might need to declare this when seeking insurance. Different firms ask different questions e.g. has any property within x yards suffered from subsidence.

Rosy_Apple

Hi all,

Thank you so much for all the replies. The house is the same design and I believe built around the same time. It is being looked into though.

We have been told when the neighbouring house was underpinned at the end of last year the vendor got a structural engineer in to do a report and see if they needed underpinning and the report apparently says they are fine.... This is the report we are going to see a copy of.


Current thoughts are run!

Thanks all again.

Tancred

Rosy_Apple wrote: »

I guess my question is- how much of a risk is being so close to a house that has been underpinned, would it put you off (thinking of re-sale)?


RA

My opinion: don't touch it with a bargepole. If the house next door has been underpinned then it's likely that the whole street is 'at risk' of subsidence. It will affect future resale even if it turns out that your house is OK - the stigma of subsidence sticks like glue.

Davesnave

shegar wrote: »

Id run a mile, that word "underpinning " scares me sh*tless.......

^This is the reason you should proceed with extreme caution. Selling on in an area known to have issues can be difficult.

Having said that, in 2009, I lived for a short time in a rented house on an estate where subsidence was common, and while that house was one affected, it still sold at price well above the average for the city. (£364k)

It seems 'desirability' can sometimes overcome even serious issues like this, though from a personal perspective, I couldn't see why people were so keen on the road, or the house!

DigForVictory

In what was thought to be the hot summer of 72, the family home had underpinning as it was built on clay, which had shrunk in the heat. However, one side of the house shrunk less due to a spring further across, so we had a temporary moat & an awful lot of concrete. It wasn't subsidence just differential drying & once sorted, shouldn't ever be an issue again.
Get your own structural report & use it to dicker down the price if it so indicates?
All the best!