Selling a house with subsidence

You can sell a house that has had subsidence, but you need to be open about it, and buyers and their lenders will want evidence of whether the movement is historic and stable or still active. Historic movement with good paperwork is often manageable on the open market. Active movement makes a mortgage sale very difficult, so cash buyers are often the realistic option until it is fixed, at a price that reflects the uncertainty.

What is subsidence?

RICS, the professional body for chartered surveyors, defines subsidence as the downward movement of a building’s foundations caused by changes in the ground that supports them. It is different from settlement.

The RICS consumer guide describes three common causes:

Shrinkable clay soil. In long dry spells, or where trees and shrubs draw water out of the ground, clay shrinks and the foundations can drop. RICS cites an estimate by Which? that about 70% of subsidence cases are due to tree roots drawing moisture from shrinkable soil.
Leaking water. A broken drain or water main can soften or wash away soil beneath the foundations, particularly in sandy or gravelly ground.
Past mining. Old tunnels, especially from historic coal mining, can collapse and cause movement at the surface.

Historic or active: why does it matter?

This is the question that decides how hard your sale will be.

Historic movement happened in the past and has stopped, perhaps because the cause was removed or the house was repaired. If you can show that, buyers and lenders are far more likely to be comfortable, though some will still ask questions.

Active movement is still happening. Nobody can yet say how far it will go or what it will cost to fix, so lenders and insurers are wary, and so are most buyers who need a mortgage.

Telling the two apart takes time. RICS says cracks may need measuring and monitoring for as long as 12 months, or longer in extreme cases, and that solving subsidence can take up to two years to investigate fully and put right. It also notes there is rarely cause for real concern unless cracks appear suddenly and are more than 3mm wide.

Free · No obligation

Want to know what a cash buyer would offer?

Tell us about the property in 2 minutes. Vetted buyers, individuals and institutions, reply with offers.

Cash buyers usually offer less than full market value in return for speed and certainty. You are free to turn down any offer.

Do I have to tell buyers about subsidence?

You must answer the buyer’s questions honestly. In England and Wales, the Law Society’s Property Information Form (TA6) asks about alterations, guarantees and insurance, and the explanatory notes say buyers can rely on your answers. If you give misleading information, the buyer may be able to claim compensation after completion.

The notes also point out that insurers may ask a buyer about past claims, high excesses or unusual conditions on the existing policy, and that if a seller discloses such issues, the buyer must pass them on to their own insurer. A past subsidence claim is exactly the kind of thing that will come up.

In Scotland, the Home Report includes a single survey by a chartered surveyor and a property questionnaire, so a buyer will see the surveyor’s view of the property’s condition from the start. Whichever nation you are in, tell your solicitor everything you know.

What reports will buyers ask for?

The more evidence you have, the easier the conversation. Useful documents include:

structural engineer’s or surveyor’s reports
crack monitoring results
details of any insurance claim, the insurer’s findings and the repairs carried out
drain surveys, if a leak was the cause
any tree works carried out to deal with the cause
a mining report, if the property is in a former coal mining area

RICS notes that you can check whether a property is in a former coal mining area and order a mining report if it is. If you have none of this and suspect movement, an RICS surveyor or structural engineer can investigate. It costs money, but a buyer’s surveyor will likely raise the same questions anyway.

How is subsidence usually fixed?

The fix depends on the cause. According to RICS:

where tree roots are the cause, removing or pruning trees can solve the problem, though removing a tree can occasionally make things worse, so take advice first
where leaking pipes are the cause, repairing them is usually enough to stabilise the property without underpinning
underpinning the foundations is lengthy, costly and disruptive, typically costing £10,000 to £75,000 for a typical house or more for larger ones, and fewer than 5% of properties with subsidence are estimated to need it

Advertising

Advertise here

Reach homeowners while they plan a sale: conveyancers, removals, surveyors, clearance and more.

Advertise with us

Opens our media pack (PDF, 533 KB).Advertising standards

What about insurance?

Check your buildings insurance first. RICS says most insurers will recommend specialist advice, and if the claim is accepted you get your costs back minus the excess, which it says is commonly £1,000. Insurers often appoint their own experts to investigate and design repairs.

After a claim, the Association of British Insurers says its members are committed to working with policyholders to maintain cover, although that is not always possible, and a property still at risk may attract a higher premium or different terms. It suggests a broker from the British Insurance Brokers’ Association for specialist help.

Your buyer’s insurance matters too. The Law Society’s notes suggest buyers arrange insurance from exchange, partly to check the property can be insured under normal conditions before they are committed. Keep your own buildings insurance in place until completion.

How do cash buyers approach subsidence?

A cash buyer does not need a lender to accept the property, so they can buy while movement is still being investigated. They will allow for the cost of investigation and repair, the risk that it proves worse than expected, and the effect of a subsidence history when they sell on.

Be prepared for this: offers for a house with active or unresolved subsidence are usually well below the price of an equivalent house without it, and a quick sale generally means accepting less than full market value. Where the movement is historic and well documented, an estate agent sale may achieve more, and our comparison of cash buyers, estate agents and auctions sets out the options.

If you would like to see what buyers on our panel might offer, you can get offers for my home. It is free and there is no obligation, and you can share any reports you have so buyers can take them into account. Our guide to how much cash buyers pay explains how offers are worked out.

Common questions

Can I sell a house that has had subsidence?

Yes. A history of subsidence does not stop a sale, and it is far easier where the cause was dealt with and there is paperwork to show the movement has stopped. Active, unresolved movement is much harder, because buyers' lenders and insurers will be cautious until it is investigated and fixed.

Do I need a structural engineer's report to sell?

There is no legal requirement, but buyers and their lenders will often ask for one where there is evidence of movement. Existing reports, monitoring results and records of repairs from an insurance claim are all useful to have ready.

Will my insurer keep covering the house after a subsidence claim?

The Association of British Insurers says its members are committed to working with policyholders to manage ongoing subsidence risk and maintain cover, although that is not always possible. If the property is still at risk, you may pay a higher premium or have different terms.

How long does it take to fix subsidence?

It varies. RICS says cracks may need monitoring for as long as 12 months, and solving subsidence can take up to two years to investigate fully and put right. Where the cause is a leaking drain or a tree, the fix can be simpler than underpinning.