Subsiding social housing is exacerbating housing crisis

Freya Chapman, Residential Lead at ground engineering company Mainmark UK, said that subsidence in the empty social housing is forcing people into “substandard living conditions” and “exacerbating the housing crisis”.

Complaints about living conditions in social housing in England have soared in recent years according to the Housing Ombudsman, who warned that without change, the country risks the “managed decline” in social housing.

While unliveable conditions are fuelling these complaints, the increasing number of vacant social housing across England is exacerbating the crisis, forcing people to take residence in ageing, decrepit homes. For Milton Keynes, this could be more up to 4,500 total dwellings empty or disused.

Sky News has worked with housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa to reveal the numbers of vacant council properties by using Freedom of Information requests. From this, it estimates that there are up to 34,000 vacant council properties in England, which are empty due to the rising costs of refurbishment and maintenance coupled with shortfalls in funding for local authorities. Subsidence, an issue that could impact over a million more homes by 2050 (according to The Telegraph), is a common maintenance issue that leads to vacating residents from a property.

Freya said: “When subsidence is found in social housing, the first port of call for a local authority is to vacate to property, redirecting residents into alternative accommodation. If this accommodation was fit for purpose, there would be less of an issue.

However, as we’re learning more often, much of our social housing is afflicted by serious health and safety issues like overcrowding, asbestos, black mould and pest control. It’s important, then, to readdress the issues with the empty properties so that we can improve the standard of living for people in need.

“Due to financial shortfalls, thousands of properties are left empty with the subsidence issues worsening and becoming increasingly more expensive (and hazardous) to fix. If local authorities can secure the funding and react quickly to these structural problems, the property need not be vacated at all.”

Alongside encouraging better funding, Mainmark is working to educate residents and local authorities on how to spot subsidence early. This, it says, is the key to keeping repair costs and disruption to a minimum.

Freya continued: “It can take many years to impact a structure, and visible signs are often small and easy to miss. Symptoms include cracks in walls, sloping floors and jamming doors and windows. These are best dealt with as early as possible to minimise the disruption caused by repairs and keep costs low.

“In most cases, the solution is simple, cost-effective and efficient. Where previously huge excavation projects would be used to address issues of subsidence, engineers can now relevel a property using resin injection technology. This is where a geopolymer is pumped through small holes in the floor to fill the voids beneath the property.

“In more severe, complex cases, like subsiding apartment blocks, computer-controlled, multipoint grouting might be needed. However, again, this can be managed quickly to minimise disruption for residents. While we work together to navigate the ongoing housing crisis, there are certainly things that can be done now to address poor living conditions. Better management of council resources and the diverting of funds to maintain subsiding social housing should certainly be a priority.”

Freya is one of only a few female subsidence experts in Europe, with more than a decade of experience in geotechnical ground improvement for residential buildings. A member of the Subsidence Forum Committee, she is encouraging better collaboration between industry professionals and local authorities to tackle issues exacerbating the housing crisis.

Mainmark Ground Engineering (UK) Ltd is a subsidiary of the Mainmark group of companies established in 2016. The company, located in Stacey Bushes, Milton Keynes, has over three decades experience and has established itself as a pioneering force in the industry, leading the way in developing and delivering cutting-edge solutions. Mainmark has earned international recognition as an award-winning ground engineering organisation.