Tree subsidence in Ealing

London28UK

Hello Forum

I have a question about tree's and subsidence and wondered if anyone has experience of dealing with Ealing council. I have a tree thats around 15 meters high and is 3 meters from the flank wall of my end of terrace house. The is some cracking in my flank wall directly opposite the tree, which has caused a small hairline crack to travel up through about 25 bricks from the ground level vertically up the side of my house.

I contacted the council and they have said to contact my house insurance and also stated that subsidence can be caused by many factors and not just the tree. A surveyor when I bought the house and a structural engineer both said the tree is the most likely cause.

If anyone has been through this situation before and has any advice on how to proceed I would be grateful. I read online I could not contact arboroculturist (tree specialist) to come and make a report and dig some small trench at the side of the house to look for tree roots growing under the wall.

Ideally I would like to avoid going to court and involving my insurer and just get the council to remove the tree and make a contribution to the costs of repairing the wall and underpinning it if needed.

nofoollikeold

Have had this problem twice (in Ealing, same house). Its a long, complicated and expensive process:

1. Contact insurers.
2. They will want to put studs in the walls and monitor movement over a period of up to two years.
3. If they consider there is movement, they will do core samples at various intervals around the wall(s), particularly in line with the tree(s).
4. The insurers will repair the damage and make good any internal decorations directly affected. Most likely a repair with epoxy cement and helical stainless steel reinforcing bars rather than underpinning.
5. If the core samples from 3. above reveal roots which are unequivocally from the tree(s) they will deal with the council to get the trees cut back or removed, possibly to the extent of threatening to sue the council if they don't comply.

You will have to pay your insurance excess, which will probably be at least £1,000 and could be higher depending on policy.

You will be stuck with using the same insurers forever, as it will be difficult, if not impossible, to get anyone else to quote after a subsidence claim. Your premium will go each year as they try and get their money back.

I managed to get a letter from my insurers the first time promising to insure me at the same cost as similar properties in the area and to pass this on to any subsequent buyer. They wouldn't provide such a letter on the second occasion.

Its a long winded, frustrating and expensive business, and I sincerely wish you all the best with it.

nubbins

I would keep as quiet as possible, not mention it to anyone and get it fixed myself, any mention of subsidence and especially an insurance claim will knock tens of thousands off a future sale.

diable

Get rid of the tree.

Furts

As I understand it OP bought the house having been advised by both a surveyor and a structural engineer that an adjacent tree was causing damage to the property. Yet the sale went ahead and insurance was put in place.

Ordinarily one would have walked away, or sought a reduction in the house price to allow for repairs. But OP still had a duty to notify their insurers.

In practical terms the house is damaged and it can never be returned to its original state. It can be patched, or repaired but this will show. Equally if the tree were to be removed this will risk much more damage to the house than is now occurring.

When all this is considered one can sympathize with Ealing Council. It is difficult to resolve and the costs are being born by the residents of Ealing. These people represent thousands whilst OP represents one. If these residents were to be asked do they want to bear these costs the answer is likely to be negative. Hence whose position should the Council be representing? The end result is that OP will not find it easy to move things forward.

The pragmatic answer is probably to stay quiet and live with matters.

London28UK

Many Thanks to those who replied. It does sound like a complicated, long and painful process. I think I will chat with the council about getting the tree cut back a bit, and live with the hairline crack. The surveyor informed me that it was not a serious issue, and as its an end property, the wall is 13.5 inches thick, rather than the normal 9 inches. He also said the house which is 110 years old is solid and the tiny hairline crack is not an issue on a house of this age. He also said the house will be here in another 110 years ! So will let the tree live, maybe get a haircut and just get on with enjoying the house which I love. Thanks again.

davholla

What species of tree is it?
This gives information about how different trees have different affects with subsidence.
http://www.subsidencebureau.com/subsidence_trees.htm
As a kid our next door neighbours had a willow and it caused a lot of subsidence. You don't see them in gardens very often now.