Structural movement

caliew

Hi, I am surprised solicitor said don't declare it with insurance when insurance usually ask if there is any history or currently any signs of subsidence, heave or landslip, surely the solicitor would not want to put you in a position of your property subsiding even if it is unlikely of progressing its still a sign and shouldn't want you to have even a slim risk for you to be without a home in the future. From an insurance point of view any information keyed incorrectly could invalidate the policy and perhaps if it came to light in a claim situation you were aware and something that wasn't declared then I would hate you to be knocked back.

As a consumer its entirely up to you how you wish to address the risk, I am not a solicitor even though my service management degree is under the faculty of business and law, your solicitor may know some other legalities surrounding this that I am unaware of surrounding you declaring this, I am just looking upon this on an insurance cautious risk management angle.

acealfa

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Why have you had cancelled insurance?

Went through a search comparison and got 2 quotes with and without mentioning the structural movement. On advice decided to take out a policy with LV not mentioning it but they rang me and known I had changed information. I was completely honest and sent over a copy of the survey but they weren't interested and cancelled the insurance.

class2ldn

L and g wouldn't insure ours but direct line were ok with it

ruggedtoast

acealfa wrote: »

Went through a search comparison and got 2 quotes with and without mentioning the structural movement. On advice decided to take out a policy with LV not mentioning it but they rang me and known I had changed information. I was completely honest and sent over a copy of the survey but they weren't interested and cancelled the insurance.

Oh dear. You are at a whole new level of specialist insurance now.

Adrian Flux?

kinger101

teneighty wrote: »

A Building Surveyor or Structural Engineer should be able to give a more detailed analysis of the movement although sometimes you can only give a definite result if the cracks are measured and monitored over a period of several months.

You'd get the exact same bland statement with a full survey. Only the structural engineers report would give a categorical answer.

kinger101

acealfa wrote: »

Went through a search comparison and got 2 quotes with and without mentioning the structural movement. On advice decided to take out a policy with LV not mentioning it but they rang me and known I had changed information. I was completely honest and sent over a copy of the survey but they weren't interested and cancelled the insurance.

Does your lender sell insurance?

teneighty

kinger101 wrote: »

You'd get the exact same bland statement with a full survey. Only the structural engineers report would give a categorical answer.

Possibly in one of the cheap "full" surveys undertaken by one of the lenders panel valuers but unlikely on a full building survey undertaken by a proper local independent Building Surveyor. At least the survey should include an opinion on what originally caused the movement and evaluate the extent of the movement to be able to state that it is historic and non-progressive and only minor in nature.

Structural movement will have an underlying cause and unless that cause has been addressed it is likely to continue and could deteriorate (progressive) or it could just be ongoing slight seasonal foundation movement prevalent in older properties with shallow foundations.

nellyupnorth

Search for an insurance broker called RK Shipman. They were absolutely brilliant when we had difficulty getting insurance after a subsidence claim. They might be able to help.

kinger101

teneighty wrote: »

Possibly in one of the cheap "full" surveys undertaken by one of the lenders panel valuers but unlikely on a full building survey undertaken by a proper local independent Building Surveyor. At least the survey should include an opinion on what originally caused the movement and evaluate the extent of the movement to be able to state that it is historic and non-progressive and only minor in nature.

Structural movement will have an underlying cause and unless that cause has been addressed it is likely to continue and could deteriorate (progressive) or it could just be ongoing slight seasonal foundation movement prevalent in older properties with shallow foundations.

The statement I got from my surveyor (RICS) said pretty much the same as OP's. It would have been nice if he would have suggested settlement was the most likely reason in my survey, but I had to get him to reissue a statement in the end. I suspect the original document sat on the fence for the usual reasons.

Mind you, my surveyor missed many things.

teneighty

kinger101 wrote: »

The statement I got from my surveyor (RICS) said pretty much the same as OP's. It would have been nice if he would have suggested settlement was the most likely reason in my survey, but I had to get him to reissue a statement in the end. I suspect the original document sat on the fence for the usual reasons.

Mind you, my surveyor missed many things.

The point I was trying to make was the vast majority of RICS "surveyors" who undertake the bog standard residential surveys are general practice valuers and NOT building surveyors and have very limited training and experience in building defects and construction. Hence all the problems with Home Buyers Reports and cheap surveys from the lenders own panel firms. I suggest your "surveyor" was probably the same.

The OP is tying themselves up in knots trying to resolve the insurance issue related to structural movement probably because an inexperienced valuer didn't understand what he was looking at and just put in a generic tick box clause to cover themselves against future claims. For this case the OP is probably OK not to declare it for the insurance but if they want clarification they should avoid the usual big national RICS Surveying Firms and go to a local independent Building Surveyor of Structural Engineer.

You get what you pay for. If people just have the basic mortgage valuation, a Homebuyers Report or a cheap survey undertaken by a valuer they shouldn't be too surprised if it is full of useless generic nonsense and pages of caveats and exclusions.