Foundation risk: why it's increasingly on the radar

Short answer: many older homes (especially pre-1970 in the west of the Netherlands) stand on wooden piles. Through low groundwater and drought those piles can be affected, causing subsidence. Foundation repair quickly costs tens of thousands of euros, so it's a serious checkpoint — certainly for pre-war buildings in peat and clay areas.

Where it mainly plays out

The risk is greatest for older homes with wooden pile foundations in areas with soft (peat) soil and fluctuating groundwater — think parts of Zaanstad, Rotterdam, Schiedam, Gouda, Dordrecht and Amsterdam. New builds and homes on concrete piles or shallow foundations run much less risk.

How to check it

• Year of construction and foundation type (wooden piles, concrete piles or 'shallow').
• Visible cracks, sticking doors or a sloping floor.
• Known foundation problems in the neighbourhood (national maps give an indication).
• If in doubt, request a foundation survey — a structural inspection doesn't always cover this.

Sources: KCAF — Foundation Problems Knowledge Centre