Don’t let your pocket be shaken empty by repair costs

The violent tremors felt across the country earlier this week shook homes to the core. For the majority of householders last week’s earthquake was their only experience of an event of this magnitude. With insurers already predicting that damages could amass into millions of pounds, RICS has advised to make sure they are not paying over the odds for damage repair work.

Homeowners should initially carry out an inspection and look out for the tell tale signs of damage. The tell tale signs include:-

Cracks in ceilings or walls
Blocked drains or broken drainpipes
Missing roof tiles
Stiff doors or windows.

A chartered building surveyor can carryout a full property evaluation in order to ascertain the full extent of the damage to the property. The surveyor will then be able to determine the severity of the damage, advise on what repair work needs to be carried out and also help with the formulation of an insurance claim.

“If properties are left unchecked and damages are not routed out and repaired straight away, it could cause more extensive damage to the property and to the wallets” advises Ian Potts, RICS spokesman.

1.Cracks in the ceiling or walls.

If left unresolved a small crack in the corner of a wall or ceiling could cause further structural damage. For example if the crack is on the exterior of the property it could allow water to seep into the foundations causing dampness to surface in walls and rotting in timber floors and walls.

Replacing damaged brickwork in an external wall, depending on the quality of bricks used can vary between £135 to £190 for a one metre crack. To replace high level brickwork, if scaffolding is needed, costs will range from between £155 to £230.

2.Blocked drains or broken drainpipes

Drains can become dislodged or develop cracks which may lead to subsidence in the building. A broken drainpipe could potentially wash away soil from the foundations of the property causing the property to weaken, shift and crack. Drainpipe leakage is the second most common source of subsidence in a property after trees.

Repairing a broken drain pipe including excavation can cost between £150 and £275 for a one metre length of pipe depending on the diameter of the pipe.

3.Missing roof tiles.

Missing roof tiles offer a warning sign that the structural safety of the roof may have been compromised. Ignoring this warning could aggravate problems further with the worst case being that the roof collapses. This becomes even more probable if there is an adjoining chimney which could cause further instability. Missing tiles will also provide another avenue for water to seep through causing damage to the roof timbers, potentially leading to the formulation of rot, and to the entire ceiling needing to be replaced.

Replacing clay or concrete tiles costs can range between £280 to £290 per tile. Rebuilding a damaged chimney stack including high pots can cost between £2170 (for one pot per stack) and £4340 (four pots per stack) based on 450mm high pots.

4. Stiff doors and windows.

If doors or windows have suddenly become more rigid than normal, this indicates that the doorframe has been compromised and over time could cause the frame of the door to crack. If windows are stiff to open and close or do not open at all, this indicates that the frame of the window is damaged. If this is not addressed and householders continue to persist with forcing a window to open or shut this could cause the glass to crack and potentially an injury.

Repairing doors and windows can cost between £68 and £110