House subsidence: What to expect?

[SalvdB]

Have joined this forum because no one I know has any experience with this. I hope it's not too off-topic, as it relates to building work I will not be doing myself.

I rent a basement/ground/1st floor flat in a four storey Victorian end-of-terrace. What they didn't tell me when I moved in was that the building was subsiding. There are now cracks everywhere, damp and just two days ago a large chunk of rendering fell off the back of the house, scaring the crap out of me.

I've been informed that the landlady's insurance company have now confirmed that they will cover the repair work and surveyors are coming next Wednesday to give the building a look-over.

The thing is, I have no idea what to expect, when it comes to what they will have to do. I've prodded around Google but can't find any direct answers when it comes to a pre-1900's house with a basement (note: the basement is pretty much a glorified coal cellar and is not a living space). Should I expect a situation where I can no longer live in my flat because they're digging trenches in my floor/filling my basement with concrete?

I'm sure all situations are unique, but I would like to hear from those in the know with a full range of possibilities, from best case scenario to worst. In the end, what will happen, will happen and it's not my responsibility but I'd like to know if I should start looking for alternative accommodation asap!

Also, is there a risk of the house falling down as they do the work? Should I start making plans to move my belongings out too? Because of the subsidence, contents insurance has been too expensive for me to afford, so if something happened to the building, I'd lose everything.

Sorry to ramble on. Am freaking out a bit.

 

[Nige F]

I rent .... contents insurance has been too expensive for me to afford, so if something happened to the building, I'd lose everything.

Sorry to ramble on. Am freaking out a bit.

You rent - it`s all down to your landlord . it might be fine. I personally would get my stuff into storage , and negotiate with the landlord as to cost

 

[SalvdB]

I rent .... contents insurance has been too expensive for me to afford, so if something happened to the building, I'd lose everything.

Sorry to ramble on. Am freaking out a bit.

You rent - it`s all down to your landlord . it might be fine. I personally would get my stuff into storage , and negotiate with the landlord as to cost

Landlords are absolutely not responsible for contents insurance. Your contents are your own to insure. Only the building insurance is down to the building owner.

 

[JohnD]

I can't see any reason why the price of Contents insurance should be affected by subsidence of the building.

 

[SalvdB]

I can't see any reason why the price of Contents insurance should be affected by subsidence of the building.

It really is, trust me. The premiums go through the roof the minute there's actually a possibility of something terrible happening to your house. Basically you're asking them to insure your valuables when there's a possibility the roof might fall on them.

 

[^woody^]

"Subsidence" is a word banded about for every single type of movement or defect.

If there is subsidence, then it will have a cause. If that cause is removed, then the related subsidence will stop. A tree or broken drain mainly. Then, cracks are just repaired

If there is a ground or foundation issue, then the remedial work will normally be done externally. The basement or property can remain habited, albeit a bit noisy depending on what work is going on

You wont know until the report is done, so no good worrying about it.

For any disruption to your daily life, or if you incur costs (losses) then put a claim in to your landlord, who should pass it to the insurers

As a tenant, you are entitled to expect a "full repair" which means not a temporary or make do fix.

Risk of falling down? Negligible, not impossible but very unlikely

 

[Nige F]

I rent .... contents insurance has been too expensive for me to afford, so if something happened to the building, I'd lose everything.

Sorry to ramble on. Am freaking out a bit.

You rent - it`s all down to your landlord . it might be fine. I personally would get my stuff into storage , and negotiate with the landlord as to cost

Landlords are absolutely not responsible for contents insurance. Your contents are your own to insure. Only the building insurance is down to the building owner.

Cost of the storage is what I meant -