London clay - shrink issues?

[gyurghle]

FTBs here so a bit anxious so just wanted to check other peoples experience & views.

The house we have offered on has come back with a high shrink swell score due to age of property & local geology & future climate changes. Apparently this is very common in London & everyone tells me to ignore it, is it common?

anyone?

London is mostly clay soil so you’re right, risk of subsidence is higher than in other parts of the UK

Yes it is a risk where there is significant clay in the soil as clay is particularly susceptible to water and shrinks and swells accordingly. Very common in large swathes of London where clay is a very common soil condition.

@KylieWasHere @Rounddog thank you, looking at the paperwork, all houses have the same risk so I assume every property in the area will have the same issue. I'm so blooming anxious!

if you decide to go for the house, have a good structural survey on it. This will flag any current/historical movement issues. One in 50 house in London have subsidence so it’s very common due to London clay.

@Blue2021 yes we will, thank you

The heat waves and drought this summer will likely lead to a lot of cracking/subsidence in London. It is already well documented and insurers are aware of this. Large parts of London are built on clay. Lots of cracks have appeared on our road since July, all the neighbours are talking about it.

@Yellownotblue I suppose if I want to buy in London it's just something I have to accept & yes i'm sure more summers like this one won't help.