Is my vendor or real estate agent lying to me

Moneysaving222

The price agreed with the engineer to have a look at the cracks. Not the report.

Yes the reports are starting from £400 and don’t include if they need to do further reports etc.

Nebulous2

Moneysaving222 wrote: »

Hi Nebulous2, I called and can’t get insurance for 12 months after work is done. Also I think pre-existing work isn’t covered. Owner is in denial about structural movement.

I'm beginning to think I may have been very fortunate. As I said I wasn't asked for any information other than the homebuyers report. There is nothing to show any work has ever been done. I expect the insurer knows from the postcode that subsidence isn't common. My own view was that it has stood for almost 300 years and is likely to last a bit longer.

Moneysaving222

Hi Nebulous. Yes I don’t know. Perhaps the surveyor was happy with the work already carried out? Mine is obvious there needs to be work done and holes filled etc.

Smodlet

Nebulous2 wrote: »

I'm beginning to think I may have been very fortunate. As I said I wasn't asked for any information other than the homebuyers report. There is nothing to show any work has ever been done. I expect the insurer knows from the postcode that subsidence isn't common. My own view was that it has stood for almost 300 years and is likely to last a bit longer.

Moneysaving222 wrote: »

Hi Nebulous. Yes I don’t know. Perhaps the surveyor was happy with the work already carried out? Mine is obvious there needs to be work done and holes filled etc.

kinger101 wrote: »

No insurance policy is going to cover for historical damage.

As far as I'm aware, no insurance companies are going to cover buildings where there is a present ongoing subsidence* issue (grounds for suspicion or proven)

They may cover building where there is historic subsidence (i.e., it has been remedied, and in the expert of an appropriate qualified person, is unlikely to pose a problem in the future). There'll likely be an increased excess, and possibly higher premiums.

As it stands, the property cannot be insured for subsidence. And even if it's fixed, a new insurance policy isn't going to cover old damage.

Apologies if anything I wrote was unclear but kinger101 has clarified the situation admirably, I think. Should anything further be needed, I hope the below may help:

If, when taking out an insurance policy, one can state without fear of contradiction that there is neither history nor present evidence of subsidence, one can obtain cover against such. If, however, there is evidence of either historical or current damage caused by same, one will not be able to insure against it without going to a specialist insurer, who will charge several times the cost of a "normal" policy and may still refuse to insure the property at all.

Jumblebumble

G_M wrote: »

Look.Ignore what people trying to sell a house are telling you. They just want to sell the house.


I.

The same advice is actually good for all second hand items and to cars in particular