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This
is an Insurance article by an independent author and jml
Insurance takes no responsibility for its accuracy or content Subsidence
Claims Subsidence
can be classified as the downward movement of the ground beneath a building's
foundations. It can be caused by a number of factors, which become more or less
likely based on your geographical location. Regardless of what type of subsidence
you encounter, finding that it is affecting your home can be extremely disconcerting
(for you and your house insurance subsidence prospects). If
you discover signs of subsidence, the first thing you should do is call your insurer.
Acting quickly can allow you the opportunity to take preventative measures, possibly
avoiding the costly and disruptive process of underpinning as long as you act
in time. Indicators
of subsidence are often easily noticeable. Subsidence related cracks appear both
internally and externally. They will often be tapered diagonally across walls
and will expand over time without closing up again on their own (while non-subsidence
related cracks typically will). Often, subsidence cracks will originate from window
and door frames. Other indications can be found when windows and doors stick for
no apparent reason, or when wall paper begins to ripple. If you observe any of
these indications, you should contact your subsidence house insurance provider
immediately. Once
you have informed your insurer about any potential subsidence issues, they will
likely put you in contact with a loss adjuster. A loss adjuster will probably
attend you at your home to assess your case, at which point they may need to refer
to other specialist contractors for advice. The diagnosis process can take some
time to complete and further monitoring of symptoms over an extended period may
be required. It can take several months of observation before cracks can be defined
as either benign or malignant, though in some more severe cases it may be obvious
much sooner. If
subsidence has been diagnosed as the cause of your problems then there are a number
of possible outcomes. In the most severe cases, you will need to have underpinning
work carried out. This type of repair will usually prevent further movement of
the foundations from occurring, but it is very costly and extremely inconvenient.
An underpinning job can cost anything from £5,000 to £50,000, depending on both
the size of your property and the nature/extent of any damage caused. Estimates
vary, but it is thought as little as 10% of properties diagnosed with subsidence
will require subsequent underpinning. Every
other possible measure should be taken to tackle subsidence before underpinning
is attempted (according to the Institute of Structural Engineers). In cases of
subsidence caused or exacerbated by tree root damage this might involve tree management
solutions such as pollarding, root control or removal (where applicable). It is
vital that arboriculturist advice is sought whenever tree management is required,
as mismanagement could be counterproductive and may even lead to more severe problems
like heave (the upward movement of ground beneath foundations). Because drain
leakage can cause some types of subsidence, a CCTV drain survey may also be required. After
you have had a subsidence issue with your home, it may be difficult to find buildings
insurance with subsidence cover. This is often the case, even long after you
have had a problem put right. Currently, evidence as to whether subsidence is
more or less likely to occur after underpinning is not readily available, so insurers
tend to err on the side of caution. This is bad news for people with previous
house insurance subsidence claims. It isn't all bad news though, as there are
a number of specialist non-standard insurers who are able to offer competitive
quotes for subsidence house insurance. The
information supplied on this page is by a third party and jml Property Services
do not take any responsibility to its accuracy ©jmlpropertyservices07/11
homeprotect is an award-winning home insurance
service designed to be as inclusive as possible and cover you irrespective of
what your circumstances are
-More information HERE
Return
to Insurance Articles See
also: Potential
Subsidence Problems in the UK in 2012 - March 2012 Subsidence
Property Insurance - a letter from a client - July 2011 Subsidence
and underpinned insurance - Help is here - October 2010
Subsidence
Insurance Problem near possible flood area - Blog September 10
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