Cracks in walls

[alexablue22]

Hi,

I have some cracks appearing in my house walls. Before I contact insurer, could someone with some building/surveyor experience, informally have a look. Or if you have had something similar, could you tell me the pathway you took to remedy? That would be most helpful.

[tomdhu]

Whatever you do , do not contact your insurance until you have very carefully had your problem assessed by a professional and competent building surveyor.

If you take it up with your insurer, they will "mark" your property forevermore as a subsidence property and you will be faced with massively increased premiums forever after. Plus, no other insurer will touch your property and you will seriously impair the value when you come to sell.

A surveyor will quickly tell you if it is serious or not and if it's something like a bay window issue it will be quite inexpensive for you to get fixed privately.

[Coll]

I think he's right!!

[Sue]

https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,2056986

[Coll]

Interesting, Sue.. Still - I defo concur with an assessment before calling. We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood..??

[alexablue22]

Thank you, both for your advice.

[alexablue22]

...Thank you, Sue, most helpful.

[fishbiscuits]

I've had minor subsidence issues in my previous two properties and on both occasions the insurer appointed a loss adjuster, who arranged monitoring, remediation and repair (i.e. trees removed, drains repaired, brickwork stitched, interior redecoration). Premium didn't increase (at least not by a significant amount). When it came to reselling, the buyer's solicitor wanted a description of works and copy of paperwork... when I sent surveyor's measurements proving that the problem had stabilised, the buyer seemed totally happy (in fact, I think his solicitor commented that this was a sign that the property had been well looked after). I did not experience any evidence of the property being black-marked.

Still, I don't necessarily disagree with tomdhu, getting an independent opinion to start with cannot be a bad thing, as long as they don't rip you off.

Here's another thought - the first thing the surveyor will do is set up monitoring, to check if the movement is continuing. You can actually do this yourself.. either with a few steel discs and set of calipers, or a device called a tell-tale.

[Ivvan]

I would completely agree with the post by tomdhu on this.

[Sue]

Ivvan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I would completely agree with the post by tomdhu

> on this.

As noted on another thread, my bay was neither cheap nor easy to fix.

It had to be completely rebuilt, new pillars and sill made by a stone mason, and three new windows installed. Then interior and exterior plastering and redecoration.

If I hadn't been insured I would have had to shell out a great deal of money.

Plus regardless of who has done the repairs, if there has been subsidence you are obliged to declare this on selling the house.

Up to you and your conscience, but lying to a buyer and their solicitor is not a road I would want to go down, for many reasons.

https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,2056986