Subsidence

SamSub

I'm about 99% sure that my home has subsidence. I have a 2m long crack that is 4 mm thick, and door frames have changed shape noticeably.

I don't know what the wisest thing to do its. It seems that I have a few options:

1) Wait and see if it gets any worse, if it doesn't, patch it up myself and address any underlying cause.
2) Get the insurance company in
3) Throw myself off a bridge

I'm reluctant to do 2) because it seems that, as soon as I get it officially recognised as subsidence, my home will be black-listed and I'll never be able to sell it. Also, my wife is 8 months pregnant with our first child, and we were planning to move in about 2 years time.

I'm pretty good at DIY (e.g. have fitted a new bath, have redone the entire kitchen ceiling etc), so I'm fairly confident that, as long as it doesn't get worse, I could patch it up and no-one would ever know.

I'm trying to think of all the possible outcomes, the the likelihood of each:

Let's look at scenario 1) from above first:
Worst case scenario: insurance company doesn't do a proper fix, they just patch it up, then refuse to renew my insurance in a year. I'm stuck having to pay through my teeth for more expensive insurance, plus the subsidence comes back. I have to pay 1k excess for the patch-up, which I could have done cheaper myself. Plus the house is now blacklisted, and I'm probably going to loose about 20% of the value when I see.

Scenario 2):
Worst case: I patch it up, it comes back the next year... then I call the insurance company and they sort it out?
Or: I patch it up, it doesn't come back, I sell the house and the survey identifies the issue... this still seems better than 1) because the house doesn't officially have any subsidence claims, just a bit of suspicion. And best case, it gets past the survey just fine because it has fully stabalised and I get away from this whole nightmare scott free.

So, it seems to me that every case is better than calling the insurance company at this stage, except of course if it gets so bad that it's doing serious damage to more of the house. Even if this does happen, I can get the insurance in at this stage and claim ignorance. I'm aware that I'll be obliged to declare it if I did it myself; however, officially I'm just a layman patching up a bit of cracked plaster completely oblivious to subsidence.... which sounds terrible, but I'm thinking about my future and my family.

The whole thing is just an awful nightmare

phil24_7

Morally I would say don't pass this problem on to somebody else as they could well be in the same position as you with a child on the way.

Put markers on all the cracks and measure the widths/lengths of the cracks. Check door openings and floors for levels and record somewhere.

Check every month for 12 months to see what is going on.

Check your water meter for unusually high usage and find out the location of the main water supply for your street. Ask your water company to check for leaks in your area if you suspect there could be a leak near your house.

Check with neighbours for similar problems as it is rare for subsidence to affect 1 house but not a neighbour.

Above all, don't panic. Try to find a cause and then work on a solution.

27cool

Subsidence cannot be "patched up". The cause of the subsidence needs to be properly addressed and fixed permanently.
Your insurance company are the people to contact. Subsidence almost always requires some underpinning.
They will still offer you insurance, If only to get some of their money back.
Personally, I would prefer to buy a house that has been properly underpinned than one that has a "suspicion" of subsidence.

Doozergirl

You need to know the cause of this, urgently. If this is happening quite quickly, it is unlikely to stop by itself. The saying 'a stitch in time saves nine' applies here.

Where are these cracks exactly? Where do they run from and to? Evidence on outside or inside, or both? How old is the house?

Photos, if possible?

Thinking does not help anything. You need to do. That starts with investigating. Some investigations can be relatively cheap and may put your mind at rest.

Number 3 is not an option. Even writing that down in jest suggests that you are thinking way too hard and blowing it out of proportion.

Grenage

As above, you need to get this sorted; A 4mm x 2m gap and deforming openings is pretty bad, although pictures would definitely be a bonus.

Worst and probably likely case, get your insurance involved and deal with the ongoing sale problems when they come round; one battle at a time.

Chanes

Seriously? You'd try and pass this on to someone unsuspecting and leave them in that kind of mess if a survey missed it?

Report it and get the insurance to fix it.

dominoman

Don't be a fool. Call the Insurance company.

If it's not subsidence you'll soon know and you can stop worrying. If it is subsidence then it needs fixing.

Subsidence that has been dealt with won't take any value off your house. At worst it will put off a few wary and naive first time buyers that worry over everything (I was one of those 2 years ago), but in some parts of the country (south London included) every other house has some form of subsidence.

I don't think the Insurance company can choose to ditch you once you've declared it.

arbrighton

You will be able to sell it, don't talk tosh. And you are happy to allow your child to live in this house without fixing a major structural issue?????

OH bought house that had been underpinned due to subsidence (after renegotiation) with mortgage and arranged to take on existing insurance.

We sold it...

SamSub

Thanks all, I've decided to call the insurance company and get it sorted properly.

I've come to the conclusion that I will be able to sell it: I would be happy to live in a house with a history of subsidence, and so, worst case, I can trade this one for another with the same issue in a location I prefer.

Thanks all.

Hoploz

I think if it were me, I would have a proper look round and try to identify what the problem is myself, in the first instance. Drains nearby, trees nearby, cracked concrete in outside paving, things like that. Seasonal changes affect soil water content - eg hot spells in summer could cause small cracks.

If none the wiser I would monitor the cracks as described above - I would take photos with a ruler each month for a few months to check whether it's progressing.

Next step I think I'd call a surveyor type person, to see if they can diagnose a cause, prob a couple of hundred quid, but still staying away from insurance co till I knew what I was faced with.

If survey recorded cause needed expensive or extensive work, I'd call the insurers then. No need to drag them into it if it's something that can be solved without.

(In fact thinking about it, this is my process when anything else goes wrong too. Try and sort myself, avoid paperwork and risk of encountering cowboy tradesmen at all costs lol)

Norman_Castle

https://www.abi.org.uk/~/media/Files/Documents/Publications/Public/Migrated/Home/ABI%20guide%20to%20dealing%20with%20subsidence.pdf