Advice please! Subsidence caused by neighbour's extension?

Jeepers_Creepers

Only £5m? You're in trouble, pal.

That's great news. Pass the case over...

And keep us updated :-)

A_Lert

Can't say anything other than dayum that looks like a hitshow.

m0bov

Have you got anyone booked to come out? Surprised BC won't come out.

princeofpounds

m0bov said:

Have you got anyone booked to come out? Surprised BC won't come out.

They didn't say they won't come out. They said that they would contact the owners and 'deal with this matter', which probably does mean an investigation. But they aren't a building SWAT team that parachutes in and closes the building down (perhaps unfortunately!).

weeg

Can I be a wee bit reassuring and say that while this is clearly problematic movement, and does need fixed as soon as practical, it's HIGHLY unlikely to be dangerous, and warnings to stay away from the back of the house are overblown. Catastrophic collapses are vanishingly rare, if they don't happen immediately after an incident (like a truck hitting your house, or an earthquake). Fingers crossed for swift progress for you.

Hopefully your insurance will pay for a structural engineer to come and inspect on your behalf, but if they won't it might still be worth the fee (typically £250-£300 maybe a bit more with longer written report) for an SE to take a look and give you some peace of mind/ ammunition for any dispute.

BikingBud

Wow I've seen some necky things but  

How do people ever get close to thinking behaving in this manner is acceptable?    

Makes issues about fence lines seem trivial, I hope you get good advice soon but feel there may be many difficult discussions ahead.

BikingBud

starfluf said:

m0bov said:

Have you spoken to next door? If they did the work they are about to be hit with a massive bill. Also, are you covered if you need to provide accommodation for your tenant?

We've never got on well with them.  Part of me when they said about the extension just said yes as not to have the hassle.  I was going to message them but chickened out.  Would that be part of landlord insurance? 

This is likely to get messy so you should be very clear about the extent and content of any communication you may have had. 

Anything that may come across as apathy or ambivalence, to their stated intent may make it difficult for you.

starfluf

Hi all - your support has really helped give me some reassurance so thank you!  I've emailed a recommended PWS and am phoning insurance now. The council have said they will be pursuing a Building Regulation application for the work.  
We'll be at the property at the weekend so will let the neighbours know that we have concerns over movement (without pointing the finger).  Anything else in terms of expected timelines etc?  Also will this affect our insurance / property value?

Herbalus

BikingBud said:

starfluf said:

m0bov said:

Have you spoken to next door? If they did the work they are about to be hit with a massive bill. Also, are you covered if you need to provide accommodation for your tenant?

We've never got on well with them.  Part of me when they said about the extension just said yes as not to have the hassle.  I was going to message them but chickened out.  Would that be part of landlord insurance? 

This is likely to get messy so you should be very clear about the extent and content of any communication you may have had. 

Anything that may come across as apathy or ambivalence, to their stated intent may make it difficult for you.

Not sure how? Stating ambivalence or even agreement to a neighbour proceeding with an extension doesn’t confer rights to damage others’ property through poor building work, nor does it negate the need for planning permission/building control etc. It’s the quality of work and damage to property that’s the issue, not whether the neighbours objected or not to the idea of an extension months before building work started.

BikingBud

Herbalus said:

BikingBud said:

starfluf said:

m0bov said:

Have you spoken to next door? If they did the work they are about to be hit with a massive bill. Also, are you covered if you need to provide accommodation for your tenant?

We've never got on well with them.  Part of me when they said about the extension just said yes as not to have the hassle.  I was going to message them but chickened out.  Would that be part of landlord insurance? 

This is likely to get messy so you should be very clear about the extent and content of any communication you may have had. 

Anything that may come across as apathy or ambivalence, to their stated intent may make it difficult for you.

Not sure how? Stating ambivalence or even agreement to a neighbour proceeding with an extension doesn’t confer rights to damage others’ property through poor building work, nor does it negate the need for planning permission/building control etc. It’s the quality of work and damage to property that’s the issue, not whether the neighbours objected or not to the idea of an extension months before building work started.

I get all the obligations but if you don't object or state any conditions when someone tells you they want to build onto your house, how have you protected your own interests and taken steps to mitigate the damage and loss?
The comment was only to ensure the OP was aware of how anything they may have done, or not, may be construed. If they said yes it's fine build the extension, were they fully aware of the potential outcomes, what did they do to protect themselves and their property?

If people are prepared to build in this manner I have no doubt that many other aspects of how they conduct their lives will be similarly shonky! If they are prepared to proceed without such obligations as complying with planning permission and building regs do you expect a truthful account of the proposal and acceptance discussion about the build?
And I would expect in the fullness of time, when liability comes to play, muted acceptance or ambivalence towards the proposal may be construed in differing ways dependent upon the intent of the parties. It will be messy!