Buy a house with structural movement - what do I need to consider

Moneysaving222

I’ve seen a house and the survey suggests structural movement. Owner is being a bit annoying and denied any issues and was hesitant of getting a structural engineers report.

Anyway assuming the owner gets the necessary work done and engineer signs the house of, what next?

Im assuming I go to the insurance companies and battle to get insurance. It’s not subsidence and if I speak to the underwriter showing all evidence etc I’ll get covered. Or I can take over her insurance.

Than I get a revised offer? Will the house be less in value because it’s got structural movement and harder to sell/insure?

Anything else I need to know?

TIA

G_M

If a structural engineer genuinely identifies structural movement, which is recent or ongoing (as opposed to historic) and which requires remedial work,

* you will always have to declare this
* many insurers will decline policies
* the meercats will tell you to naff off and refuse to give you cheap cinema tickets
* the current insurers may (or may not) offer to maintain cover)
* specialist insurers (via broker) will cover you, at a price

What do you mean "It’s not subsidence."?There's no real definition of each - they overlap if not being inter-changeable terms .......

If /when you come to sell, some buyers will be put off so your pool of potential buyers will be smaller, and they may negotiate harder on price.

I would not assume the seller will get the work done. He may refuse because:


* he may not be convinced of the need, esp if he's lived there happily for many years without being impacted by, or even aware of, this 'movement'.
* of the cost to him, with no guarantee you will end up buying
* he believes he could find a willing buyer without doing the work
* the work might be disruptive and interfere with his home life

So the first step is to get a SE report and get to really understand if there IS an issue, what it is, how it needs fixing, and at what cost.
(or just save yourself the cost of the SE report and walk away now)


Then and only then you can assess how much you want this property, and for how long. If you see yourself moving on again in 5 years, then maybe getting involved with this is not worth it. If it's otherwise your dream house and you envisage 20 years there, then look into fixing it and living happily ever after......

Davesnave

GM's advice is sound.


The stigma of having an underpinned house lasts at least 20 years.

My daughter bought such a house, which came with all the necessary certificates etc, but at 20 years from the time of remedial action, she still paid approximately 10% less than comparables.

Now, another 5 years on, she has insurance at standard rates and a house that is somewhat stronger than those of her neighbours. It's quite a long term house, so she is content.

Doozergirl

What do you mean by 'it's not subsidence'?

Is it, or not? ALL houses move. What seems to be wrong with it?

It could be a case of an inadequate window lintel. That's not going to cause insurance issues.

Moneysaving222

‘Subsidence is the downward movement of the site in which a building stands’ (FOS). I asked the engineer and he said it’s not subsidence and due to trees or drains. So when he does his report a better understanding will be found.

Ive researched subsidence and this forum/other sources say the current insurer will insure for future years.

The owner is a she and she’s been “unaware” of the damage. House is empty. She’s also claiming no structural movement. Lol.

Moneysaving222

@doozergirl it’s either drains or a tree, or both. I’m waiting structural engineers report.

Davesnave

Moneysaving222 wrote: »

‘Subsidence is the downward movement of the site in which a building stands’ (FOS). I asked the engineer and he said it’s not subsidence and due to trees or drains. So when he does his report a better understanding will be found.

:undecided
Or is it just me this morning?

"it’s either drains or a tree, or both."


Ah, slightly clearer now.....:)

Doozergirl

I known what subsidence is (I own a building company!), I was asking what you meant by 'it isn't'.

If it's not subsidence then there's nothing to declare to the insurers.

The structural engineer's report is only going to elaborate on what is already in their head. I wanted to know what was in their head in order to give a sensible answer, or at least know what symptom is causing this panic.

As it is, you have a house that doesn't have subsidence and apparently no obvious problem as we don't even know if there's a crack. We can't advise properly until we know what the problem is, or even might be.

Edit: You replied, thanks. I think you need to establish if there's any remedial work needed on the house or if there's a simpler fix in removing the offending item. I wouldn't bother declaring anything minor if the cause is established and fixed without the house needing work itself. As I said, all houses move and the older they get, the more they show that.

If it needs underpinning then you're into insurance territory and you can continue with the existing insurers, but want to consider the increased premiums and affect future buyers .

It's one of those things that people are frightened of but don't understand. Movement where there's a clear, solvable issue is like water off a duck's back to me. Take the cause away and ensure you're maintaining the house and grounds correctly there's no problem and there won't be one either. Underpin the house and it's got a better standing than it's Period neighbours .

Gers

https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/19/couple-wake-find-850000-cottage-started-sinking-ground-10015864/

An extreme example I hope!

Tom99

Moneysaving222 wrote: »

I’ve seen a house and the survey suggests structural movement. Owner is being a bit annoying and denied any issues and was hesitant of getting a structural engineers report.

Anyway assuming the owner gets the necessary work done and engineer signs the house of, what next?

Im assuming I go to the insurance companies and battle to get insurance. It’s not subsidence and if I speak to the underwriter showing all evidence etc I’ll get covered. Or I can take over her insurance.

Than I get a revised offer? Will the house be less in value because it’s got structural movement and harder to sell/insure?

Anything else I need to know?

TIA

Leaky drains and nearby trees are two of the most common causes of subsidence?

Moneysaving222

Hi Doozergirl. I was hoping someone like you would reply. It’s not subsidence as it doesn’t fit the FOS definition and structural engineer said so.

The survey for me and mortgage company said structural movement. There are big cracks that the landlord didn’t know about. I can’t get her to verbalize what she is going to do about the problem.

Just to be clear I don’t need to declare the structural movement as it’s not subsidence? I’m just worried as I’ve called the insurers and they’ve been positive it’s substance etc. I’ve not given the address or my name to the insurance company.

I don’t think it needs underpinning - based on what the structural engineer said. However the full report hasn’t been done as the vendor wants me to pay for it. I told them no.

If the vendor fixes the problem (most likely drains or a tree) and the structural engineer signs of the property, will everything be ok?