Is your home at risk from mining subsidence?

With all the UK’s deep coal mines now closed, you could be forgiven for not giving them a second thought when buying a property. However, mines have left a potentially harmful legacy, as many homeowners across Yorkshire have discovered.Nearly one in three of our properties sit above coalfields. Although most houses will not have any problems, the sheer scale of mining over the centuries means costly and even dangerous structural damage due to mining is far from unheard of.When one family in Sheffield first noticed a crack in their plasterwork, they initially put it down to wear and tear. However, upon closer inspection it was clear that the crack went through to the stonework.At this point, they commissioned a structural survey, which revealed that the cracking intheir detached home was likely to be due to previous mining activity in the area.As Matthew Baker, partner at Allcott Associates LLP Chartered Surveyors pointed out: “Coal seams can often stretch for considerable distances from mine entrances, which means that historical mines and tunnels can be found below a substantial number of residential properties.”“Unsurprisingly, the large-scale removal of coal has inevitably led to some ground movement. When this happens, building foundations move too, resulting in subsidence. Subsidence caused by mining can lead to serious instability of the structure.”

Drilling down

Further investigation involved drilling bore holes down to the coal seam to check the ground conditions. This found that the movement of the foundations was caused by the settling of material that had been used to fill a disused mine below the property.Matthew notes “In this case, the family were able to secure their home by underpinning the foundations, a process which caused significant upheaval because the house had to be vacated whilst the work was carried out. It was also associated with significant expense, estimated at £20,000. Works to the mine itself were also needed to prevent further movement.”“Unfortunately, although the home has been made secure, the past occurrence of subsidence can reduce house prices and push up insurance premiums.”There is, however, some good news for home owners in this situation. Residential property owners have a legal right to claim for subsidence and related damages caused by coal mining from the UK’s Coal Authority. If successful, the mine owner will cover the cost of repairs.Help is available even in the most extreme cases, when demolition may be required, or works may not be possible because the subsidence is ongoing, making selling the house impossible. In these circumstances, mine owners may be obliged to compensate owners for the ‘undamaged value’ of the home.

Yorkshire homes at risk

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With Yorkshire homes accounting for around one third of UK claims for subsidence related to coal mining, how can property buyers and owners in our region protect themselves?If you suspect subsidence as a result of mining activity in your current home, Gov.uk recommends that you instruct a Chartered Surveyor to assess the damage and prepare a report. The report can then be used as the basis to request compensation from the Coal Authority. If the claim is successful, you should also be able to recover all or part of thesurveyor’s fees.

Compensation

It is important to act as soon as you notice any issues – claims for compensation must be submitted within 6 years of the damage becoming apparent. If you’re buying a house, the Coal Authority’s website should be used to find out if aproperty is in a former coal mining area. A postcode search will reveal whether or not a home is located on a coalfield and will provide recommendations on ordering a report for more information. Reports can be obtained from either the Coal Authority or Terrafirma, and despite being associated with a small cost, they are well worth it. Getting a CON29M report will not only tell you if your property is in a likely zone of influence from coal mining,it means you will automatically have insurance cover against any new mine-related issues that are revealed in any subsequent searches. If this happens, and the value of your home is affected as a result, cover of £50,000–£100,000 (depending on the firm used for the report) is available for as long as you own the property.A note of caution though: while these reports are extremely useful, records are far from complete, with estimates that two-thirds of mine entries, and numerous shallow mines, are not documented.Therefore, if you’re buying a property, check your building survey for comments about signs of subsidence. Keep an eye out for warning signs such as cracks in interior or exterior walls, and at joints between walls. Although normally nothing to worry about, even doors and windows that start to jam, or wallpaper that starts to wrinkle, can be an early sign of subsidence.It’s worth bearing in mind that subsidence resulting from mining can even affect recently built properties, with an undocumented shallow mine recently leading to severe subsidence and the evacuation of families from a housing estate built in 2011. By 2018, 18 of the new homes had been demolished.#

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