Would you proceed with a house purchase after historic subsidence?

[Subsidenceissue]

We have just received the TA6 form for the house we are buying and it states there was subsidence almost 25 years ago on one wall by a drain. It says work was undertaken and issues fully repaired and a full report is available. Our surveyor is undertaking our survey this week so we will flag but should we just walk away. The whole area is clay so subsidence is more likely but really disappointed we were not told before offering.
This would be our forever home so the plan would be to to live there at least 30 years so when we came to sell (assuming no further issues) the subsidence issue would be over 50 years old.
What would you do?

Well obviously we say that because it was fine.

We had all the paperwork and a survey. Professional surveyor said it was fine.
Insurance company: no issue. Premium was not higher. Higher excess for subsidence was irrelevant because we never had to claim for subsidence as it was fixed.

And we sold without difficulty to people who understood all this.

It’s fine: people who panic about historical subsidence are potentially losing out, and not competing for great houses with those of us who know it is ‘fine’ (if all the due diligence is fine and says so)

We’ve just sold our house where we had structural repairs carried out just over 25 years ago. The work was completed in accordance with the specification agreed with the structural engineer and loss adjuster, and there had been no further problems. We lived in an area which is known for subsidence and where the houses are built on clay. It didn’t put any potential buyers off, and we never had difficulty getting buildings insurance. We stayed with our original insurers for a number of years, and once we had got to 15 years without a further issue we got quotes from other companies and switched insurers two or three times after that. We were never refused insurance but A couple of times our policy had a higher than normal excess for subsidence than if there had been no previous movement. But when we last changed, the insurance company did not impose a higher excess. Im not sure if it’s still the same now, but it used to be the case thst if you made a claim for subsidence, the insurance company were obliged to continue to cover the property, including if there was a change of ownership. We moved a couple of weeks ago and rhe couple who bought our house didnt have a problem getting insurance.

we were looking at houses for eight months before we moved, and historical subsidence really didnt put us off. My husband was a surveyor for over 50 years and amways toon the view that if underpinning or structural repairs were done properly, the house would be more stable than other comparable properties.

if you love the house and the survey shows thst there is no active movement then I think you would be foolish to walk away. Also take a lot of what a building surveyor says in his report with a big pinch of salt - they will suggest that almost everything in the house is an issue and will scare you silly if you don’t have any building knowledge

@Growlybear83 DH is a structural engineer and yes, an underpinned house is more structurally sound than the one next door that’s not. 25 years is a lengthy time without issues. Most on MN have no qualifications in this field.

Wouldn't be a problem for me either, especially if it's terraced.
Mumsnet threads are weird for ramping up the anxiety over nothing!

It shouldn't be a problem, and I think this sort of thing is only going to get more common with dry summers and wet winters causing ground to shrink and swell. Unless I have misunderstood subsidence?

@sorryIdidntmeanto Subsidence is where the ground shrinks and the foundations sag leading to obvious cracks in the walls. Can be caused by soil that’s washed away but that’s often down to a leaky pipe. When the ground swells with too much moisture retention, it typically pushes the walls outwards so cracks might be seen between ceiling and walls for example. An engineer or surveyor should recognise the difference. Heave - the swelling soil - is often caused by a thirsty tree being removed nearby or a leaky pipe where water is retained in the soil, eg clay soil. Very brief description but yes, both are possible.

We have. One corner of the basement collapsed in the 80s due to a drain and was rebuilt. It’s never been an issue for insurance and has had a few owners since it happened so not an issue reselling. We have been here ten years and
no problems.

Our house had subsistence issues - clay soil, and plants near the house were the issue. The garage was underpinned and that was considered sorted.
There had been a more recent issue with a collapsed drain, which the sellers didn't have sufficient paperwork about (house was previously owned by their grandparents). Yes we had to get specialist insurance, which is more expensive, and the subsidence excess is much higher, but we managed it. Once it is long enough ago, it ceases to be so much of an issue - except for clay soil being generally problematic in that respect.

We've just built a new outbuilding in the garden, and the foundations are about 2.5x deeper than those of the house, because that is what building control now demands due to nearby trees!

We have 6ft foundations for an extension on clay and near a tree.

25 years, you'll be grand. You will be able to get insurance as it is so historic. Every house on clay will subside at some point and yours has already been underpinned so you are in a better position than ones that haven't yet. That's the way I look at it anyway. If you are really concerned get a structural engineer report. The surveyor's report won't be worth the paper it is written on.

It wouldn't put me off at all. Bought a house with a history of subsidence, it has a certificate of structural adequacy, I have all the investigation reports into the cause, which was a leaking drain washing out the foundations, it is insured against further subsidence (and buildings insurance is a reasonable price) so not a problem.

£1k is the normal excess for subsidence claims

@WildFatball Er no! They won’t. Deep foundations designed for the clay soil will ensure the house is perfectly ok! Shallow foundations found on many period properties is more of an issue but even then it’s not all properties by any means.