Buying an 1830s house with subsidence caused by nearby oak roots

[Oldhouseyn]

Looking at buying a beautiful old (1830s) house that has some subsidence from tree roots (nearby Oak). The cracks need pinning and trees need managing to help with this.
Should we go ahead or pull out? Genuinely torn and don’t know anyone else who has experience with subsidence.

Personally I would pull out. Can be difficult to sell if it has had subsidence.

Have you got estimates for the work as if you went ahead the cost could be high.

Half the million-pound houses in London have subsidence, what with being built on clay…

If you love the house just buy it, do the work and carry on with your life. Ask for some money off to offset the costs, but don’t be excessive about it.

Oh and don’t rush to fell the tree as you can then get the opposite problem (heave) as the roots die.

Agree with @BadSkiingMum. Also be aware that your buildings insurance will be in the four figures bracket in future.

No one can answer that question for you. Depends entirely how much money you have and how much appetite for doing the work and taking the disruption you have. The risk is substantial so you need to go into it with your eyes open.

It depends. What is the cost of underpinning? Can you cut the trees back or do they belong to someone else?
how much will the insurance be and will it reduce once the house is underpinned?
i wouldn’t totally discount it. is reduced the offer depending on the answers to the questions.

Thanks all comments so far.
Underpinning isn’t required

Tree management (all belong to the property) and pinning the 2 affected areas. Cost will be in region of 50k.

It's up to the current owners to do this work on their insurance, not you.

I would not buy it, I have lived in a house with subsidence and underpinning and insurance claims and so on. I wouldn't go anywhere near one again.

Also, if it's 1830's construction that will be very different to modern methods of repair, which in itself is likely to cause issues longer term.

That’s unlikely to happen, given that they want to move.
Future insurance costs on the property will be affected anyway, if there has been a previous successful claim for subsidence.

Some of this is part and parcel of owning a period property. There’s a quaint old house near me, probably an old mill house, that is literally the bank of a stream. The wall of the house is one and the same as the wall of the stream. What would a survey on that property say? Damp? Risk of flooding? Well, yuh huh! Of course there is…But someone will want to live there even if it’s uninsurable because it’s as cute as hell.

It all really depends on how much OP loves the house.

Is it in a conservation area or any protection on the tree? Conservation area you need permission from council re tree and I would want to be certain they will give it.

It is in a conservation area but no TPO.

Nearly 30 years in building and I've seen a fair few of these on older houses. £50k for pinning two areas plus tree management isn't unusual for that sort of work on an 1830s place.

A few practical things before you decide

• Get a structural engineer's report that spells out exactly what movement is still happening vs historic (old cracks that have settled). Pinning historic cracks that aren't moving is different from an active problem.
• On the oaks – careful how aggressively they're managed. Heavy reduction or felling can cause heave as the clay rehydrates, which is its own headache. A proper arborist plan tied to the engineer's advice is worth having in writing.
• Conservation area (even without a TPO) still usually means you need to notify the council before significant tree work – check that before assuming the management can just go ahead.
• Insurance ask a broker now what buildings cover will look like after a declared subsidence history, even once the work's done. That ongoing premium can matter as much as the £50k.
• Make sure any price reduction from the sellers covers not just the works but the disruption and the insurance hit.

Whether to proceed depends on how much you love the house and your appetite for living through the works. It's doable – plenty of period houses have been through this – but go in with eyes open on the ongoing costs, not just the one-off repair.