GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATION OF GROUND UNDERNEATH A PROPERTY – ESSENTIAL WORK!
Unfortunately, property movement in Spain is not uncommon. There are many reasons for this, including defective geotechnical surveys and inadequate foundations – either of which can lead to a Spanish property suffering from serious subsidence or heave.
Since 2000 all new build properties (with a few exceptions) must have a Decenal 10 year, insurance backed guarantee to protect property owners against structural instability. As a part of the Decenal (sometimes known as the Builder’s Guarantee), a geotechnical study of the ground must be commissioned by the builder, developer or architect to ensure that a plot is capable of providing a stable area for an intended property and ascertain the correct foundation system.
Pre-build bore testing (in two or more places on the plot) using a core drill, is undertaken by geotechnical experts to investigate the make-up of the ground substrates, level of firm ground, moisture content, propensity to shrink or heave etc. The core samples are then taken back to a laboratory for more detailed assessment, from which a geotechnical report is produced. The report may suggest the type of foundations most suited to the ground conditions – or even state that the ground is unsuitable for the construction of properties. So the geotechnical report is extremely important and a vital component in the design and build of any property in Spain.
However, not all geotechnical reports in Spain are carried out to the same stringent standards and (in my experience) some geotechnical reports have a habit of going missing when there is a court action – indicating that the proper survey was not carried out or was known to be defective.
Of course, if your property suffers from subsidence or heave in Spain then this is a serious matter and one that, unavoidably, needs urgent attention. In reality, you may be facing a minor problem (and sometimes not a problem at all!) – or you may have a serious progressive structural issue that requires considerable work to resolve. Most builders and architects involved in your build will state that ‘it’s normal settlement’ and ‘its nothing to worry about’ – often then filling the cracks. Do not accept this diagnosis before you have had a second and independent opinion!
CORE SAMPLES FROM A GEOTECHNICAL SURVEY
The trouble is that any resolution of your property movement may be complicated by the need to start a court action to force your Decenal insurers to take any property movement seriously and pay for the necessary remedial works. I would stress the ‘necessary’ remedial works because it is not unknown for insurers to try to minimise the work required to resolve any structural defects caused by movement.
Certainly, if you do have property movement in Spain then you should employ a professional surveyor to ensure that the reason for your movement is correctly identified. This invariably requires a detailed investigation of a property (trial opening of foundation areas may be typical), proper crack monitoring (note that commonly used patches of plaster often applied by architects here are not reliable!) and an expert geotechnical study is sometimes also required to check that the property has been built on adequate ground – and with proper foundations.
Meanwhile, taking court action in Spain is not for the faint hearted and must be done by a specialist litigation lawyer, who is familiar with construction litigation in Spain and can prepare a winning case, should court action be necessary. This is certainly not something that a non-litigation lawyer should attempt and you would be very unwise not to seek expert help – given the very considerable amounts at stake.
At Building Defects Spain, we are specialists in property movement and building defects litigation. This forms a considerable part of our daily work and we can provide you with unparalleled advice and assistance if you do have subsidence or heave.
So, if you think you have property movement in Spain then do contact us. We can provide you with all the help that you need from an initial survey through to a geotechnical investigation (as required), a detailed report on the necessary remedial works and management of the corrective works. We can also provide you with a specialist (bi-lingual and bi-qualified) litigation lawyer – who specialises in building defects legal actions in Spain and with whom we have worked closely for years.
Mark Paddon