Structural Movement

Eivissa123

Hi all

I've had a valuation report conducted on a property I've had an offer accepted for.

The report says evidence of previous structural movement but no signs this is ongoing.

I've contacted the EA who said the vendor has lived there since 1970 and is not aware of any issues. The house is a 1930s semi.

Should I be concerned by this ? Should I get a structural survey for insurance purposes? Or declare when insuring?

Many thanks
Tim

davidmcn

Eivissa123 wrote: »

Should I be concerned by this ?
Should I get a structural survey for insurance purposes? Or declare when insuring?

I would say no to all of the above. It's pretty normal for older properties. If the surveyor thought it worthy of further investigation they'd have said so.

nubbins

I would definately be getting this checked out, for a start is the owner declaring this when applying for buildings insurance? For example one of the money Moneysavingexpert buildings insurance questions.....

"Has the building ever shown signs of heave, landslip or subsidence?"

jbainbridge

Eivissa123 wrote: »

Hi all

Should I be concerned by this ? Should I get a structural survey for insurance purposes? Or declare when insuring?

Call the surveyor and ask them these questions.

G_M

This is a Valuation report you arranged? Or was it arranged by a mortgage lender?

If a lender, it is not your report, and you've been shown it as little more than a courtesy.

So when you apply for insurance, ignore it (answer "no" to the question, just as the current owners probobly have).

Incidentally, it is quite possible (likely) the current owners have no idea about this so have in all honesty always answered "no".

Many houses settle a bit at some point, so for an older property it is common. Provided it is not 'ongoing' I doubt there is an issue.

If you decide to investigate further, a structural engineer is more appropriate than a surveyor for this issue.

Dird

Personally I'd go with AXA home insurance or something with similar questions.

meerkat told me Home Protect (an AXA subsidiary) was cheapest but their application was too dodgy "any subsidence", "what year"...I imagine if an issue cropped up they'd ask for a copy of the survey which would show a mention so you can't tick "no" but you also can't say a year.

Strangely AXA itself has a different Q, "to the best of your knowledge has there been subsidence in the last 10 years"...to me longstanding = longer than 10 years so I could easily tick "no".

I'd rather pay the few £ more than have the risk of being accused of lying

kingstreet

Long-standing/historic, non-progressive movement isn't an issue and is perfectly normal. It does not need to be declared to insurers as it is not subsidence.

For peace of mind, send your likely insurer a copy of the report or ask them verbally for their opinion.

If the surveyor thought there was any possibility of a problem, you would have been asked to arrange a structural engineer's report immediately.

G_M

kingstreet wrote: »

For peace of mind, send your likely insurer a copy of the report or ask them verbally for their opinion.

Hmmm...

option 1 could open a can of worms and option 2 relies on a call-centre [STRIKE]monkey[/STRIKE] adviser.

Eivissa123

Anyone here with experience in the same circumstances? I'm considering getting a full structural survey to look at this plus other potential issues.

It seems most houses this age have some movement. I've asked for the surveyor to comment but can't imagine he'd give me much more of an answer as it was just a valuation report.

Thanks

kinger101

Anything the EA says is irrelevant.

Find out what potential insurers require (by speaking only to the underwriter). Direct Line for example require the words "historic, long standing and non-progressive" to be used. Nothing else will satisfy them. You can sometimes get your surveyor to change their wording if they've sat too much on the fence (their natural habitat). They can never give a categorical statement, only an opinion (anything else requires a structural engineer and a lot of time). But the insurance company wants statements to the best of your knowledge.

The structural movement may well just be settlement, which occurs in most properties over time. It does not necessary imply land movements (heave, subsidence and landslip).

If any land movements have occurred historically, and you're finding it difficult to insure, one possibility is continuing the vendor's insurance policy.

If you do need to speak directly with an insurance company, ask to speak to an underwriter. But what you need to do first is get some clarification from the surveyor.

Nikki2312

We just bought a 1930s semi and the previous owners had little utility room underpinned in 1999, we got insurance through a specialist insurer and only pay £25 a month which is surprising as everyone told us it would be hundreds a month! Our report also said previous movement but non progressive but we did pay for a full structural report just to make sure. When you have one off occurance causing subsidence like tree damage or a burst water main and the problem has been fixed in theory it would be low risk it happening again.....