Subsidence claims – Helping you with subsidence damage and repairs
by Admin
Posted on 27-03-2023 12:55 PM
Fixing subsidence has the potential to get expensive, so it’s a good idea to have insurance in place. Most home insurance policies will cover a claim for subsidence, with a standard excess applicable. At aviva, we appoint a specialist company to manage subsidence insurance claims, from the initial investigations to the final repairs.
They’ll establish the cause of damage, determine whether the damage is covered by your insurance, arrange investigations, and assess and approve repairs. They’ll usually want to know the rough date the suspected subsidence appeared, along with photographs of any damage. If you’ve got an extension, conservatory or carried our building
work
, hold on to any documents relating to it, as they may want to see that too.
When the earth shifts under a home, it can cause cracks in the foundation, or minor settling issues. In worst cases, large sinkholes can cause the collapse of an entire house. Fortunately, these instances are rare. Damages to your home’s structure can lead to costly repairs. To get an idea of the potential price tag, in 2010, indiana paid out compensation on eight mine subsidence claims that totaled more than $590,000; an average of nearly $74,000 per claim.
Subsidence is caused by the undermining of the foundations of a property which causes downward movement in the external walls. This results in cracking in the structural walls of a building. Subsidence repairs are usually a straightforward process, and managing a subsidence claim is essential in restoring your property to a structurally sound state. However, subsidence claims can be very difficult to negotiate and require dedicated and professional representation to succeed. Sometimes subsidence can be interpreted as a pyrite problem but it is in fact is a completely separate issue to pyrite damage.
Subsidence is particularly common in london where the majority of the properties are built on london clay and there is the highest shrink-swell clay hazard in the country. We have been privileged to assist many policyholders with their subsidence claims, ranging from minor cosmetic damage throughout to substantial underpinning and piling. The gallery below shows some common areas of work we undertake, such as drainage repairs and piling, as well as various internal and external cracking we deal with as a result of subsidence.
Understanding subsidence damage and repair
Our role ensures that you will receive the maximum amount from your subsidence claim, and that your subsidence damage will be dealt with by the best subsidence repair experts. We can compile the full statement of claim and recommend the right people to produce the necessary reports and paperwork. If there is disruption to your property we can include for alternative accommodation costs if you have to vacate the premises to facilitate the repairs.
We offer professional advice to you and there is no obligation following a free initial consultation. ‘ contact us ’ and one of our experienced property loss assessors will discuss the issues with you to see how we can help you with your claim.
Subsidence damage as defined by your insurance policy can be hard to prove. Not all cracks in walls and plasterwork mean you have a subsidence problem; many cracks are caused by natural movement in the house structure due to seasonal temperature and moisture level changes. These tiny cracks are often in a corner where a stud wall joins a block wall, or where a wall joins the ceiling. They are generally insignificant, but diagonal or vertical cracks in walls, especially when they are wider than the thickness of a €1 coin are something to be concerned about. Most household insurance policies – and some commercial property insurance policies – cover loss or damage caused by subsidence, heave and landslip.