A virtical crack under the gutter

djdjddjj

Martin_the_Unjust said:

Is the extension the neighbours?

…….because I suspect that’s the cause.

I would be walking away.

Yes, the neighbour's extension. 

The roof has been covered by plastic sheets for at least 4years from Google Earth...

stuart45

djdjddjj said:

Martin_the_Unjust said:

Is the extension the neighbours?

…….because I suspect that’s the cause.

I would be walking away.

Yes, the neighbour's extension. 

The roof has been covered by plastic sheets for at least 4years from Google Earth...

Have you had any conversations with the neighbour about the issues? If they have been there since the 50's, they might offer some information on the history of the cracking. 
My guess is that the surveyor will only recommend you getting an SE in when you get his report. 

twopenny

It's split several actual bricks as well as pulling them apart at the mortar joints.
It takes some force to do that.
I'd wait for the report if it's in depth enough to say probable cause and want a huge amount knocked off the asking price if you are willing to fix it, if it's worth it.

Personally I'd walk away now as even the hassle of fixing it possible it might happen again or put the stress elsewhere on the wall and you start again.

djdjddjj

stuart45 said:

djdjddjj said:

Martin_the_Unjust said:

Is the extension the neighbours?

…….because I suspect that’s the cause.

I would be walking away.

Yes, the neighbour's extension. 

The roof has been covered by plastic sheets for at least 4years from Google Earth...

Have you had any conversations with the neighbour about the issues? If they have been there since the 50's, they might offer some information on the history of the cracking. 
My guess is that the surveyor will only recommend you getting an SE in when you get his report. 

No, the vender has been there since 50s, but the neighbour bought the house 3yrs ago. Did not get a chance to meet the neighbour yet.

djdjddjj

twopenny said:

It's split several actual bricks as well as pulling them apart at the mortar joints.
It takes some force to do that.
I'd wait for the report if it's in depth enough to say probable cause and want a huge amount knocked off the asking price if you are willing to fix it, if it's worth it.

Personally I'd walk away now as even the hassle of fixing it possible it might happen again or put the stress elsewhere on the wall and you start again.

Thank you.

I’m now seriously considering pulling out of the purchase. I’m also disappointed that neither the vendor nor the agent mentioned the crack, which appears to have been there for several years. I regret having spent money on solicitor and surveyor fees without being made aware of such a significant defect from the outset.

Martin_the_Unjust

djdjddjj said:

twopenny said:

It's split several actual bricks as well as pulling them apart at the mortar joints.
It takes some force to do that.
I'd wait for the report if it's in depth enough to say probable cause and want a huge amount knocked off the asking price if you are willing to fix it, if it's worth it.

Personally I'd walk away now as even the hassle of fixing it possible it might happen again or put the stress elsewhere on the wall and you start again.

Thank you.

I’m now seriously considering pulling out of the purchase. I’m also disappointed that neither the vendor nor the agent mentioned the crack, which appears to have been there for several years. I regret having spent money on solicitor and surveyor fees without being made aware of such a significant defect from the outset.

I assume the crack was there to be seen when you viewed the property.

Better to be out a few hundred rather than tens of thousands though.

WIAWSNB

djdjddjj said:

WIAWSNB said:

The vendor, and their neighbour, should be looking at whether their insurance will cover this. 

I wonder why they aren't? 

The vendor had the house since 1950, but the neighbour has sold 3 times over the last 10yrs

Again, pretty much all household buildings insurance includes 'subsidence' cover, albeit with a typical £1k excess.

So, why hasn't the vendor - and the neighbour - investigated this?  

These are Qs to ask your conveyancer and the EA. Make it clear there is almost certainly something 'of material significance' going on with this house, and it'll be unmortgageable if not sorted. AND, it should be a declared issue from this moment on.  

Your mortgage lender may have said 'yes' based on a valuation, but they'll almost certainly balk after receiving the surveyor's report. 

WIAWSNB

djdjddjj said:

Yes, the neighbour's extension. 

The roof has been covered by plastic sheets for at least 4years from Google Earth...

What is this 'extension'? It looks like a small lean-to in the pic. It ain't actually habitable, is it?

I can't see how a wee add-on like that would cause one house to effectively detach itself from its partner. 

Anything else 'suspicious'? Any huge trees, for example? 

I certainly agree with others - a near-vertical split, which includes the actual bricks, ain't normal 'settlement'. 

FreeBear

WIAWSNB said:

djdjddjj said:

Yes, the neighbour's extension. 

The roof has been covered by plastic sheets for at least 4years from Google Earth...

What is this 'extension'? It looks like a small lean-to in the pic. It ain't actually habitable, is it?

I can't see how a wee add-on like that would cause one house to effectively detach itself from its partner.

One possibility is when that extension was built, a lintel was put in to provide a larger opening. If the wall wasn't sufficiently propped up at the time, that might have caused the crack. But I would have expected a crack to develop under the neighbouring window rather than at the top of the wall.. If the crack can be attributed to the extension, I'm not sure general household insurance would cover it.