House environmental search

stranger12

Hi all,

Environmental search result shows my property is within a moderate to high risk of ground subsisdence

Ratings from the provider are:

None
Low
Moderate to high

Should i be concerened ? I have arranged for a full structural survey to be done which should highlight this.

Also how reliable are flood risk free websites? Can one rely on it for insurance purposes?
I know there was a new legislation for properties which are rated as high risk for flooding to make the premium cheaper however i don't think i will need that.

I am trying to check building and content insurance cost which works out around £200 a year.

Any other search you will do when buying property?

I am waiting on local authority searches

Would you take any indemnity insurance for anything like planning permission etc?

marksoton

All of the above are questions for that rather expensive legal chap you're paying....

stranger12

That is 10 days from now so curious

dc197

The survey will only comment on visible evidence of likely subsidence such as cracks.
It will not be able to report on whether the ground has moved or shrunk just less than would cause a crack. A crack or collapse could be imminent yet nothing is yet visible.

All that the search means is that the soil type or history of earth works in the area mean subsidence is likely, nothing about whether it has happened. My area is build on clay do all houses here have that risk in their reports.

Davesnave

By default, if it's anywhere in the London area, an environmental search will come back with that grading for subsidence.

dc197

The Environment Agency offers a free map tool for flood risk. It will give you a proximity to a 1000 year flood zone for example. This means statistically there will be a flood bad enough to reach that zone once every millennium. If you get zero or two such floods, does that mean the website is unreliable? No, it means statistics are just statistics.