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What to Do if the House Has Subsidence?

  1. Steve Williams from Heywood
  2. Buying a house questions and answers

Question

We are just about to purchase a house and have found subsidence at the rear of the property. At the point of the crack the ground has sunk and the crack is all the way to the top and then back down again. Before our mortgage provider will release the funds the works have to be carried out to fix it. Is this down to the seller to have the works carried out or would you advise to stay clear?

Answer

It is the buyer’s responsibility to appropriately investigate the condition of the property they are considering purchasing. The vendor has no obligation to remedy any building defects identified by the buyer, however, if the defects are preventing a sale from proceeding (as in this instance) then the vendor might consider undertaking remedial works to fix the problem. I would not recommend proceeding with the purchase without the subsidence issue being remedied by the vendor first.  

Oliver Watkins MRICS

Oliver Watkins MRICS

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