On this week’s Rip of Britain, the show looked at how one family was finding it impossible to sell their home due to a “nightmare neighbour, deep beneath the ground”.
The show’s presenters, Gloria Hunniford and Angela Rippon, highlighted the case of a Staffordshire couple looking to downsize, who, three years on, still haven’t been able to sell. The problem arose due to local searches revealing an old mineshaft under their neighbour’s plot. While the family were aware of the mineshaft when they purchased the property ten years ago, its existence hadn’t caused any problems. However, banks are now refusing to lend against the property because of its proximity to the coal mine.
Earlier this year, damage was discovered at a number of homes at Bayfield, with some residents physically feeling their properties shift. Following investigations, it was uncovered that the subsidence was down to historical coal mining under the estate. The Coal Authority since received permission to knock down 15 properties in the area, with the owners being offered market value for their homes.
However, while the properties in Bayfield were covered by the Coal Authority Compensation Fund, this recent case is more complicated, as the home and the wider street currently show no sign of subsidence.
Commenting on the case, a local estate agent has said that she feels that banks are “far more stringent” now when looking to lend against a property. She also believes that more homeowners are likely to find themselves in the same situation. However, these homeowners often won’t know that there is an issue until they come to sell their properties and the searches are done.
The programme addressed how owners of such properties may need to go to auction to achieve a sale, but added that this could result in a much lower price.
According to Tom Backhouse, a geologist and mining expert from Terrafirma, in many cases, the mine in question may not even exist. Instead, it is claimed that the data used to create reports is often out of date. This is especially likely to be true where the surrounding properties show no sign of movement. As such, a special excavation report could reassure lenders that properties are safe. However, these are likely to cost in the region of £5,000 and could reveal that a mine does exist, making it an expensive gamble for homeowners.
Calls are now being made for banks to adopt a more nuanced to lending and use newer technology to carry out proper risk assessments on areas that might have a coal shaft to make sure they don’t cause any problems in the future.
