Concrete Foundations

Dear Coventry Property Owners,

Recently, some property owners have become aware of defective concrete used in poured foundations in Eastern Connecticut. The full extent of the problem and the number of properties impacted is not yet known. Analysis in eastern Connecticut appears to show that the presence of a mineral, iron pyrrhotite, appears to be the main cause of the problem, though there are other possible causes. These defects result in the concrete expanding, and eventually crumbling. The concrete may not show visible signs of these defects for as long as fifteen to twenty-five years after it was poured. To date, some foundations poured between 1983 and 2016 have been shown to have defective concrete, and defective concrete has been reported in roughly twenty municipalities in eastern Connecticut, and possibly a few in Massachusetts.

Coventry is one of the towns in which defective foundations are known to exist, although the State of Connecticut does not yet know the full extent of the problem in Coventry; we have also received some engineering reports from Coventry homeowners confirming defective concrete conditions.

The State of Connecticut recently passed Substitute House Bill No. 5180 "AN ACT CONCERNING CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS." Section 2 of this legislation states: Any owner of a residential building who has obtained a written evaluation from a professional engineer licensed pursuant to chapter 391 of the general statutes indication that the foundation of such residential building was made with defective concrete may provide a copy of such evaluation to the assessor and request a reassessment of the residential building by the assessor. This legislation is effective October 1, 2016. There are additional provisions in the legislation, and the full legislation can be found online.

If you believe your property suffers from a crumbling foundation, the Town of Coventry recommends that you consult with a professional, licensed engineer as required by the new legislation, and obtain the necessary report. We also recommend that you consult with the State of Connecticut, Department of Consumer Protection, which can be reached online or 860-713-6100. Applications and all supporting documentation must be filed in the Assessor's Office no later than Thursday, December 1, 2022.

If you have any questions regarding this issue, please feel free to email the Town of Coventry Assessor's Office call 860-742-4067, or by visiting our office in person at Town Hall during normal office hours.

Sincerely,

John Preisner, Assessor

Capitol Region Council of Governments - Crumbling foundation website and information