Bought a house with subsidence

mr_humpadink

Forgot to say, he said that he did use a surveyor but only a basic survey, he didn't need a mortgage.

AdrianC

mr_humpadink wrote: »

Forgot to say, he said that he did use a surveyor but only a basic survey, he didn't need a mortgage.

And I bet that survey said he should get an expert structural engineer's opinion, right?

mr_humpadink

AdrianC wrote: »

And I bet that survey said he should get an expert structural engineer's opinion, right?

No idea AdrianC but I'll speak to him later and ask him.

Davesnave

mr_humpadink wrote: »

I have asked him to speak to a solicitor and get a professional structural survey done.

OK, but there's no such thing, though people use that term.


He needs a structural engineer now, not another surveyor.

Tom99

mr_humpadink wrote: »

Thank you Tom99 for taking your time to reply, I don't know all the answers to your questions yet but he did use a surveyor.
The reason he/we think that there is still movement is the amount of cracking, everything in the house is new and it has been re-plastered , I know new plaster can crack where the boards join but there are diagonal cracks on all the windows and doors that we can see, some walls have wallpaper on and we can't see what's going on behind it.
I have asked him to speak to a solicitor and get a professional structural survey done.
I have found and read the auction property "legal documents" and it shows a mine shaft under the houses at the back but it also says that it is unlikely to affect the property.
The ball is in his court now, I'll let you know what he does.
BTW, he doesn't know that I'm asking on these forums....

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]What is the situation with the house now, is your friend living there as their main home? [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]How big are these cracks, how long have they lived there, are the cracks getting wider? [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Basically is the an urgent need to take action right now?[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Clearly, if your friend thinks they have any comeback on the seller or their own surveyor, both of which sound unlikely from what you have said, then there is an urgent need for a survey now, maybe by a building surveyor or structural engineer.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]But if no immediate action can be taken against a 3rd party and depending exactly how big these cracks are, would it not be better to wait a few months to see what happens to the building. Any survey now will not be conclusive, but if it is, as as you suspect, subsidence, then the surveyor will almost certainly advise monitoring the building for future movement over a few months before any remedial action can be suggested or start.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The other thing is I am not sure how your friends insurance company would respond if approached now. When taking out that insurance they will almost certainly have answers the questions about whether the building shows any sign of movement and whether any insurance claims have been made.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]If approached now, and the insurance co inspect the property, it will be obvious to them that this problem existed when you friend bought the property without a full survey.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]I think its unlikely they will accept a claim when the property was already defective before they became the insurer and when your friend has either deliberately lied or at the very lease been careless when making the prior declarations.[/FONT]

moneyistooshorttomention

It sounds like your friend is panicking a bit - understandably I know.

From what I understand - new plaster does often crack a little. My whole house has been replastered since I got it - and I can see hairline type cracking at some edge of ceiling points since then and one or two other little bits of hairline cracking. From what I can make out - this is to be regarded as "normal" - if downright annoying:cool:. I gather "all will be resolved" now a little bit of time has elapsed and once I get a decorator in again (hopefully I'll be able to find a "proper" one this time - ie that does the preparation work prior to painting:cool:). Said "proper" decorator will "sort that out - eg with filling as necessary" prior to painting and I don't expect it to happen again. It's definitely not subsidence.

It may be that that is all the problem is - and your friend is extrapolating from the fact that Next Door has subsidence to think he/she does too??

In their position - I'd monitor it personally for a few more months (ie to see if the cracks were growing at all). So take photos for instance.

At the end of that few months Monitoring Time - then possibly get in that structural engineer Davesnave suggests if still worried.

From what I can recall from a previous home of mine (rented thankfully) the Housing Association concerned got one in and they put up gadget things on outside walls to measure what was happening (think they are called "tell tales" ???). In the years after I moved out - I don't think there was any further movement and that housing is still there decades later/has been revamped and it looks very nice actually.

wantonnoodle

I would seriously look at getting a structural engineer in to do an assessment of the building. They're not as expensive as you may think. We had one in as a result of our valuation when we bought a couple of years ago, who only cost about £350. Found out that we needed to replace lintels above about 4 of our windows. Our house was built in 1929 so highly likely that lintel work may need doing if windows are not square. Cost a couple of grand.

Not sure about floors/ceilings, however it is common for new plaster to crack, especially if it has been dried out too quickly. I'm sure a structural engineer is the way to go though.

m0t

We've just had an incredibly long and hot summer with a significant period without any rain.

The ground the house stands on will have dried out and caused slight movement, the materials the house is made of will have dried out and shrunk (particularly if the lintels above the doors and windows are made of wood).

You need to proper investigation to determine if this is true subsidence.

Hillwalker11

You cannot monitor the movement of cracks yourself, it is not obvious to the naked eye.They are measured by a structural engineer with a special device and the movement is usually in mm, it is that small.

lincroft1710

mr_humpadink wrote: »

I have found and read the auction property "legal documents" and it shows a mine shaft under the houses at the back but it also says that it is unlikely to affect the property.

Mine shafts and associated workings are a well known cause of subsidence