My house sale fell through because of dampness and subsidence, what can I do?

My house sale fell through. The buyer said there were problems with dampness and subsidence, following a building survey.  Apparently, I am not allowed to see the building survey so I can’t even look into what the issues are. I can’t see anything wrong and the estate agent says this is unusual and I wonder what I can do?

Normally, subsidence damage is quite obvious. I am assuming you don’t have any cracking or other signs of movement. With the age of our housing stock, it is quite usual to see some movement whether it be settlement over time, settlement from adjacent building or perhaps bomb damage. Some form of dampness is pretty common and can usually be fairly simply treated. It is certainly an overhyped issue. An allegation of subsidence should be taken seriously. However, I think you have a right to question whether this is the real reason they have pulled out. It may well be some other reason, such as finance or perhaps just “cold feet”.

You could get a survey done or at least a bespoke inspection of those particular points. This might also give your agent some confidence. However, many surveyors would probably be cautious about who you showed this to because they would not want to extend their professional liability to an undetermined/unlimited audience.  I would speak to a Chartered Building Surveyor or Structural Engineer and ask them for a short report.  Money spent on this would probably be well worth it if it saves you months of setback if the same thing happens again.