What if my house sinks ...?

rmcmanus · 30th January 2008, 01:33

We moved in to a Wimpey home about 2 years ago. The plots have been built on mine workings which have been bored and grouted with concrete but one or two of the neighbours have had large vertical cracks appear in their garage walls, and I've been told the school at the foot of the road has been nicknamed the Titanic (!) as it is slowly sinking into the ground.

Long Story Short, if for some reason our house is affected by sinking or excessive settlement, who is liable ? The builder, my home insurance ? I'm getting paranoid now that every nail pop or plaster crack is the start of my house going subterranean ...... cheers.

Tony · 2nd February 2008, 15:05

You will be covered by the NHBC warranty for the first ten years and also your buildings insurance, but did you tell the insurance company about the situation on the application form.

Tony

Tony · 2nd February 2008, 15:12

http://web.archive.org/web/200209281...thouses.co.uk/

This is a story about a house with serious structural defects

rmcmanus · 2nd February 2008, 16:23

Thanks for the replies. Sound like WilCon-Artists, from reading that article. Hope I never have to experience that.

As for home insurance, we stayed with the same mortgage lender, same insurance etc, when we moved - and I don't recall ever being asked any sort of questions regarding what I knew about the house - I assumed they got everything they needed from surveys, land reports etc, as it was a new home. I didn't find out until after I moved in anyway, so I didn't have anything to tell them.

Should I tell them anything I know now ? Given that it's all sort-of circumstantial and nothing has happened to our house...... yet.