The property
An estate of around nineteen detached bungalows near Ryde on the Isle of Wight, built around 2000 on a former woodland site and held on lifetime leases. The bungalows stand on pile and beam foundations, and one on the estate had already been demolished after foundation movement.
The brief
A private investor buying the estate needed to know the risks before completing, and later needed support when one of the bungalows began to crack.
What we did
- Pre-acquisition survey, 2019An inspection and report warning of renewed movement at one bungalow, the mortgage risk of unremedied subsidence, liability for trees, and a repair budget of around £15,000 a unit.
- DiagnosisCracking inside and out, a garage door frame pulled away by about 20 millimetres and a sunken patio, traced to a conifer on site and a large tree on neighbouring land.
- The claimActing as consultant to the owner through a tree related subsidence claim, which the insurer accepted. The insurer then pursued recovery from the neighbouring landowner whose tree caused the damage.
- Repair scope reviewedThe claim scope checked item by item: around 36 metres of crack stitching, 145 square metres of walls and 53 of ceilings redecorated, screed, sealant and garage repairs.
The guidance
The investigation followed the established approach to subsidence claims: establish the cause first, remove or control it, then repair.
The risk was named in the survey before it became a claim.
The outcome
Risk foreseenMovement and tree liability flagged before purchase.
Claim acceptedTree related subsidence accepted by the insurer.
Cost recoveredInsurer pursuing the neighbour whose tree caused it.
Read more about our insurance claims and building surveys services.
