Pursuing previous owners for costs

jimfromcov

Does anyone have an experience in pursuing previous owners for reparatory costs required on a home due to poor structural work previously carried out?

I moved into the house two years ago and have recently been looking into having a beam concealed within the floor depth, but during this process have found that the existing construction is laughable. There is a steel beam that was supporting the wall above at an angle which required wooden "chocks" to be used to actually support the wall on the beam. This steel beam then did not run full width and instead was resting upon a wooden beam which does run full width and is barely supported at either end (I'm talking half an inch of the wood sitting within the wall).

To add to this, a second beam running at a right angle to the first was also supported off the wooden beam.

I've had a structural engineer calculate the loadings on the beams, and the wooden beam fails substantially, whilst the second steel beam is also over by 11%.

Like I said, I'm having the beams concealed anyway, but the whole process has been complicated by the poor work previously carried out and has therefore bumped up the cost, as well as requiring a new beam.

fezster

Was this flagged on a survey? Did you have a structural engineer take a look before purchase? Did the work have building regulations sign off?

societys_child

How old is the house, when was the work carried out, and who did it?

Do you think the previous owners will have known?

david1951

You're at least going to need to:

1) find an address for the previous owners and, unless they admit fault and agree to pay, then:
2) prove that they knew about the structural work
3) prove that they knew it was of poor quality
4) prove that they wilfully, or through negligence failed to mention this when selling the house

I doubt you will have much luck. This is the sort of thing you were supposed to check when you had your surveys done.

jimfromcov

I've had a look through the paperwork when I purchased and it wasn't mentioned. The issue is that it was all boxed in, etc. and it's only because I pulled off the skirting board / was having the beam hidden that I am be aware of it at all.

The previous owners may not have been aware themselves as the works may have been carried out prior to them buying the house as I do not believe that they would have artex'ed the ceiling themselves in the time since 2005 (although accept i may be wrong).

As for proving that they knew it was of poor quality, if they did not have building control sign off, surely they cannot be sure that the works were carried out correctly...

another_casualty

As mentioned above, it would seem that it comes down to the survey, and what kind of one you went for .
Not sure of the legal side of things, but you may have purchased the property as 'sold as seen 'etc.
Hopefully it won't cost too much to put right , if you have to pay .

fezster

jimfromcov wrote: »

As for proving that they knew it was of poor quality, if they did not have building control sign off, surely they cannot be sure that the works were carried out correctly...

Assuming they had the work carried out. Otherwise, they may have been just as in the dark as you.

Regardless, this should have been picked up by your own survey and a Building Regulations completion certificate then requested by your solicitor. I doubt you can pursue the original owners for this, so best to just have it sorted yourself.

J_B

Caveat Emptor, surely?

I_have_spoken

If you'd paid for a comprehensive structural survey when buying then you'd have a slim possibility of a claim against the surveyor but the fact is was boxed-in gives them a pretty good get-out.

phill99

How many more times are there going to be posts on here because of a new homeowner failing to undertake their own due diligence?


Sweet Mother of God.

firefox1956

phill99 wrote: »

How many more times are there going to be posts on here because of a new homeowner failing to undertake their own due diligence?


Sweet Mother of God.

Very well put..............