I've been renting an apartment above a restaurant in a city for five years, and I've noticed a lot of cracks in the walls and uneven floors. The building owner is pretty careless and hasn't made any improvements since he bought the property. Every time a truck drives by or someone jumps in the apartment, the whole place shakes to the point that things fall over. Recently, a piece of the ceiling fell down, possibly due to water damage. I'm not overly worried since it's not my building, but I do want to know if there's a real risk of it collapsing. Can a house collapse from foundation issues, and if so, how would that happen? What should I look out for? Am I just overthinking this?
3 Answers
You might want to consider contacting your local building department about your safety concerns. They can send an engineer to evaluate the situation. Given that you're experiencing cracks and have had issues like fallen ceiling pieces, it sounds pretty serious. Just be prepared to act quickly if they determine the building is unsafe.
It's understandable to be concerned! Honestly, you should get a structural engineer to inspect the building ASAP. It's hard for anyone online to assess the situation without seeing it in person. But based on what you've described, yes, your building could potentially collapse at some point. It’s not an immediate issue, but it’s definitely a good idea to have professionals take a look before anything too serious happens.
Typically, buildings do settle over time, but if you’re seeing cracks like you describe, it could be a sign of uneven settling, which is concerning. It’s probably best to think about moving soon since the pace of the cracks is worrying. Getting a professional assessment can provide peace of mind, even if it might be a hassle.