Subsidence history amongst other things

[Kittley]

Been feeling so stressful with our house purchase as we're at the end of the process (searches back, mortgage approved and survey back). Found out that the house we want to buy is within the Salt Brine area and the search came up that there was a history of subsidence back in 1959 where a compensation was paid out. The house was built in the 80s so different house but as the history is attached to its searches we spoke to 2 insurance providers who said they won't cover it with insurance. There are 2 significant cracks on the outside wall that the surveyor flagged but she can't be for certain if they're related to a potential subsidence risk or drainage issue.

Add to this there's a conservatory extension in the back with no building reg as the owner took the doors and window between conservatory and house and put a radiator in conservatory. Any advice? Would you proceed?

The house is already overpriced based on valuation of Bank and surveyor but all of this is worrying especially if we want to sell in the future. Our solicitor is aware but doesn't seem to know how to approach this. It's very likely the current owner didn't make their current insurance provider of the previous subsidence history and claim.

I don't know specifically about subsidence but do have recent experience of another major structural issue. I would check with your lender's surveyor what their position is. They may not even lend on it with this new information. You also don't want to hide it from them as it could bite you on the bum.

Given the issues you have listed, the previous history of the land, the unwillingness of insurance to cover and the existing cracks, then I would walk away. Sorry.

I could easily see this causing a whole load of hassle, stress and problems going forwards.

Don’t touch it.

It’s seems a lot of worry and hassle, considering there are other houses out there.

A history of subsidence can be fine if the cause has been identified and rectified and / or the house repaired and underpinned by the insurance co.
In this case the insurance co that did the work will continue to insure it and with the paper trail in place you can get a mortgage. Loads of houses on London clay have had some structural issues suitably repaired with no further bother and sell fine. Structural surveyors often say that an underpinned house on London clay is better than one not.

However… your potential purchase sounds way less resolved and with more than one issue.

You could get a structural engineer (or even a good builder, but it might need an structural survey to be acceptable to a lender) to advise on the cracks and whether they are due to removal of windows for the conservatory (because windows often have lintels) or whether it is subsidence.

If it is the alterations that have caused the cracks a builder could tell you the cost of making good / replacing the demolished parts.

It might be worth finding out who the current insurers are and asking them?

Such a blow when this sort of issue comes up.

We bought our first house with a history or underpinning and subsidence. Fairly recently, they had building surveyors to monitor slippage / crack monitoring for, I think, a year to prove that there was no current moving.

This report was vital for us to get insurance for less than eleventy million pounds.

So I would probably walk away with a heavy heart and give the vendors some advice that they need to get that sorted before they will be able to sell easily.