Survey Report Help

amihohu

Hi All,

We have just received a survey back on a house we hope to buy, the main part that is concerning us is below:



We note some cracking to the right-hand side of this elevation. This cracking would

suggest movement to the wall adjacent the garage. We note that the trees have

been substantially cut back and that there is a gulley at this point. We would suggest

given the evidence on site, that there has been some structural movement as a result

of defects with the gulley likely caused by tree root damage which had led to

consolidation of the footing. A full Below Ground Drainage Survey is recommended.

It may also be of benefit to consider exposure of the footing at this point to identify

the extent of any underpinning work that may be required.


Can anyone tell me in laymans terms what this really means/how bad it is? Should we just walk away? Thanks!

cloo

Places can have had structural movement without it being ongoing, so it's not necessarily a disaster. Perhaps a specialist tree survey is the best way to get you a view on whether the trees are a problem to the structure.

teneighty

Possibly tree roots have got into drains causing them to leak. The leaking drains have saturated the ground around the foundations causing them to move.

You need to have the drains tested and possible camera survey to see if they are still leaking. Also it would be advisable to expose foundation to see what the sub-soil is made from and if it is something that will rectify itself once the ground dries out or whether the movement has been so severe that it needs underpinning or other structural repairs.

Until you have the results of these further investigations no one will know how serious the problem is and whether you should walk away.

Chanes

I would walk away unless the owner produced documents proving the stability had been checked and was fine. But maybe it's would be fine.

WeAreGhosts

we walked away from a house when we found cracking to the side of the house was caused by the drains collapsing. the problem was tree roots, but they were on the neighbour's land.

definitely get a drain survey. i think ours was about £80

Davesnave

amihohu wrote: »

Should we just walk away? Thanks!

It depends on you, the house and the seller.

The fact that you needed to ask for clarification suggests you aren't familiar with structural building work and may feel uncomfortable undertaking it.

However, if the house is special, it may warrant some discomfort.

Thirdly, as above, you probably want to be sure the work can be undertaken within the property's boundary.

On the plus side, the seller, being advised of your investigations, may agree a reduction in price to allow for rectification. They'll likely just hit this problem again if you pull out. Whether they believe that is a separate matter.

However, if works must include underpinning, a further reduction may be in order, as underpinned houses are always treated with some suspicion when the time comes to sell. Whether the seller will buy into that idea too is impossible to judge.

So, many variables to consider.

martin1959

If subsidence is identified, then it should be covered by the sellers buildings insurance.


If you do decide to buy the property, I would suggest you take your buildings insurance with the same company the current owner insures with to save issues if you have to make a claim for subsidence further down the road....


If it is identified now, and you want the sale to go through, as long as the insurance company admits liability, and you maintain the policy, then the work should be able to be done after the sale has gone through, provided you are happy with the disruption.


However, I would almost certainly expect the purchase price to be reduced to compensate for said disruption.