Two building surveys, 7 years apart, provided a great opportunity to find out if our RICS surveyor’s original assessment of the structural movement in a Bristol Victorian terrace was correct.
2017 Building Survey Assessment: Identifying Signs of Historical Movement
Peter Vince MRICS carried out a Level 3 survey of the property back in 2017, and identified signs of previous structural movement. These included movement of window arches, diagonal cracking that was as wider at the top than the bottom in the adjacent adjoined property, cracking around door and window frames, misalignment of some doors and slight sloping of the landing floor.
While reports of structural movement can be alarming, Peter was clear in his report that the movement was minor, and was fairly typical for a property dating from the Victorian era. He also discovered, through speaking to the vendors, that there had been an insurance claim made in the past for potential structural movement to the left-hand side flank wall. This was in connection with a large tree in an adjoining garden which was understood to have affected the subsoil/foundation conditions. This tree had since been removed and superstructure repairs (above ground level repairs) to cracks and the like were undertaken as part of the claim.
Peter noted that while the movement appeared to be historical and not ongoing, monitoring the cracks would be the only way to be certain that no further subsidence was occurring. Of course, the buyers were also encouraged to obtain all the documentation relating to the claim, so they were fully informed before making their purchase.
2024 Building Survey Visit: Evaluation Long-Term Structural Stability
Armed with this information, the buyers went ahead, and happily noticed no further movement during their time at the property. When our RICS surveyor Chris Dunstan visited the property in 2024, he was able to use the photographic evidence of the cracking from 2017 to determine whether there had been any movement since; happily, there had not. He also reviewed areas where patch repairs had been made to the render, noting that there had been no deterioration since, suggeting that there was no active structural distress.
Structural movement and subsidence are often key areas of concern for our clients. RICS Chartered Surveyors will look for signs of subsidence during Level 2 and Level 3 RICS surveys and provide expert opinion on whether the movement is likely to be ongoing or historic, whether action needs to be taken and, with Level 3 surveys, how much remedial works are likely to cost.
