They are living a real nightmare.
Six owners of houses located in the Cotefort subdivision, in Aix-les-Bains (Savoie) near Lake Bourget, see their homes sink inexorably into the ground.
The fault is too loose ground, because part of this subdivision of 37 houses was built on a former landfill.
The disaster-stricken homeowners did not know this when they built what they thought was their dream home in 1981.
Today, these modest people live in fear of seeing their pavilions collapse.
“Look at this huge crack that appeared in the hallway of my house.
It's so big I can get my hands on it.
It continues on the ceiling of my living room.
The house is almost cut in two, ”says Marie-Ange Chenal, 65 years old.
Marie-Ange Chenal, 65, shows the huge crack that appeared on a wall of her house ... Serge PUEYO
The problems first appeared in 2007, when the various garbage left in the landfill began to settle, causing the houses to sink slowly but beyond repair.
“My house is tipping east.
And the top beams that hold the roof are coming off.
I'm afraid they will fall, ”says Michel Pech, 66 years old.
His daughter Nathalie lives in the house, with her two children aged 6 and 14.
“This winter has been an ordeal.
The underfloor heating broke down due to movement.
And no window closes properly because everything has moved.
As a result, we were very cold with my children ”.
Françoise, 70, had to leave her room on the first floor.
“I heard loud crackles, huge noises.
I'm afraid that one day the roof will fall on me.
My house is unsaleable.
And the worst part is that I always pay off a loan.
I thought I was living a peaceful retirement and it is hell.
I'm just asking for a little humanity so that we can be helped out of all our problems, ”says Françoise with tears in her eyes.
The developer of the subdivision and the geotechnical technician involved
The ten-year guarantee has long passed.
But the six owners still appeal for help.
"We ask the insurance companies to take their responsibilities," says Nathalie, sobs in her voice.
Because the six houses affected will have to be destroyed.
Before being rebuilt on foundations with piles.
Which will cost between 500,000 and 600,000 euros each.
“The total cost of the operation is around 4 million euros.
We want the insurance companies of different parties to be able to agree to compensate my clients, ”explains Me Robichon, lawyer for the 6 owners, who has also launched a legal action.
“An appraisal brought into question the developer of the subdivision, Procivis, but also and above all the geotechnical engineer from the company Ginger CEBTP responsible for evaluating the mechanical resistance of the soil.
Because the foundations of the six houses were not suited to this soil, which is very heterogeneous due to the presence of waste.
A trial is scheduled for April 29 in Chambéry, ”explains Me Robichon.
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For Marie-Ange Chenal, “it is time for this nightmare to end because it has already wasted lives.
Since the start of this affair, there have been three divorces and two deaths, including that of my husband Aimé, from cancer.
He was the one leading the fight before his death.
It is not only our houses that are collapsing, it is also our lives ”.