Subsidence or settlement ?

spiritus

My mother has a Victorian terraced house which she is considering selling. For as long as I can remember a couple of rooms at the back of the house are at a slight angle (there is a distinct slant, almost as if walking uphill).

There are no cracks in the walls and no obvious signs that any movement is continuing.

A few years back my mother put in a claim for subsidence but the assessor told her it was "long term settlement" and that any movement had reached equilibrium. Consequently they rejected the claim.

Last week an estate agent came to value the property and said it might be difficult to sell the house due to this problem. However, another estate agent came to see the house and didn't think it would be a problem.

My mother is now seriously spooked by the remarks from the first estate agent.

Can anyone offer any advice please ?

mr.broderick

Go with the 2nd agent

Andy_Hamilton

Do the walls look "off"? If not then re-level the floors. If there concrete there easy, just mix up some self leveling screed and pour in. If it's floorboards pack it out level.

tbs624

Reassure your mother - get a third EA in. Many older properties have signs of settlement but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to fall down and/or be unsaleable. A buyer's surveyor's report would probably say something along the lines of "there is evidence of settlement compatible with the age /location/type of property and it is recommended that the buyer engages a structural engineer's report". If you have a FTB s/he *may* be put off by that but others won't be.

You could get a Home Condition Report as part of the HIP (Home Information Pack) or your own structural engineer's report prior to marketing so that your mother could be further reassured.

Go have a walk down the Shambles in York ,or a stroll around cities like Norwich - many buyers view sloping floors and wonky window/door frames as part of the character of an older property, so long as its been established that the building is safe.

The first EA may have been inexperienced, not really wanting any sale that might require any effort above the minimum on his/her part, or just having one of those days. Some Estate Agents are well trained and really good at their jobs, and others are downright hopeless (as in any walk of life).

spiritus

Yes, the walls are definitely off. Very noticeable above the windows but it's been like this since I was a kid. Wallpapering was a nightmare !

Levelling the floor off might be tricky as the house still has original skirting boards running around each room.

Thanks for all the advice guys.