Underpinned - would it put you off

[Deleted User]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some opinions please...

We've been looking at a house that was built in the early 1980's and due to subsistence (we think this was due in turn to the removal of some trees - the ground the house was build on was a former orchard).

The house was then underpinned (we understand by the house builder still under guarantee) in the mid 1980's.

Following an engineers report (done by the vendor - if we were to decide to make an offer we would of course get a full structural survey, and any associated searches and inspections ourselves, just trying to decide if we should be walking away before that stage) it seems that there has been no further structural problems, but superficial external re-pointing required as the brick work in the corner of the house that was underpinned was re-pointed with cement when it should have been a cement and line mix). It has been suggested that to remedy this would be a couple of £100.

Our concerns are;

1) Would house insurance be significantly higher for a property with this history?

2) Although we expect not to, should we have to sell, would this put potential buyers off?

3) We do not feel that the asking price reflects these issues (are they really issues if they have been resolved in this manner and so many years ago) - can we realistically expect the seller to reduce their price as a result of this history?

Your thoughts would be appreciated,

Thanks,

D9

gik

Another thing that occurs to me is are you able to get a mortgage to buy the property with it's history?

[Deleted User]

gik wrote: »

Another thing that occurs to me is are you able to get a mortgage to buy the property with it's history?

At this stage, we believe so.

Mickygg

Yes I would be put off.

creativemieu

Yes, I would be put off as well. Even if you are able to get a mortgage on it the insurance co's will probably charge you more. Let's face it any excuse to get more money out of us will not be ignored by them. And even though it has been under pinned there is no guarantee that the ground it is built on is now stable. I would not buy it.

bigadaj

It is somewhat ironic that with underpinning there are often more problems after an issue has been resolved than were the case if it were ignored or not known about.

The fact the underpinning has been done should solve settlement issues and be acknowledged as such, however it does depend on the exact methods involved and guarantees or certification and it's not unknown for such jobs to be bodged.

Having said that if the work was done some 30 years ago and there aren't any obvious problems then it's very unlikely to be much further risk.

In spite of this insurance could be difficult and or costly, so it's worth checking this out before getting too far.

The general perception and insurance are enough to put doubt in most people's minds and as such it's likely that there would be some reduction in price to reflect that.

nicter

We too recently looked at buying a bungalow which had been underpinned. I posted on here about it
Several insurance companies we rang said they wouldn't insure it so we got a quote from the company (Santander) that currently insure the bungalow
We were quoted £900.00 a year :eek:
We didn't proceed with the sale

[Deleted User]

Thanks for your opinions. I will definitely call a few insurance companies tomorrow and see what they say. I think if there are any refusals, or they are significantly higher than an average property, then it will probably be enough to put us off.

LandyAndy

Is this house in any way remarkable or unique?

Is it your dream home that you will want to live in forever?

No? And no?

Walk away. Houses are a big commitment, don't start on the back foot.

[Deleted User]

LandyAndy wrote: »

Is this house in any way remarkable or unique?

Is it your dream home that you will want to live in forever?

No? And no?

Walk away. Houses are a big commitment, don't start on the back foot.

It isn't our "dream" home, but it has the potential to be our forever home. (I don't really believe in the "dream" home idea - just whether it ticks all the need boxes, and enough of the want boxes too - and without this issue it's ticked more than any of the others we have seen so far. As far as house shopping goes, I think we're quite pragmatic.

One of our concerns is although we wouldn't expect to ever have to move, you never know what happens in life - e.g. move for work etc - sometimes these things can't be avoided. We wouldn't want to be in a position that we couldn't sell.

martinthebandit

If the price of the house reflects the additional costs that go with it, I.e. would you be able to afford the same house if it had no history of subsidence, then I would not let it put me off.

If the asking price does not take into account the subsidence problems then any offer I made certainly would.

Its not a 'walk away' from me but rather offer according to what the house is worth to you.