Dealing With Subsidence

By Author: Chris Kouton
Total Articles: 10
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Any home insurance policy will give you financial protection from extremes of weather and natural events, in addition to man made problems like fire and theft. There are dozens of things that you can do to reduce your home insurance costs, but when it comes to natural damage the majority of the things that you can do are simply damage reduction.

One of the major problems in the UK when it comes to natural events is subsidence. It is one of the most difficult issues to remedy and cannot be completely fixed though only in extreme cases can it cause serious damage to your property. Some figures suggest that there are 3.3 million homes in the UK that have subsidence related issues, and there are as many as 1 in 50 houses with the affliction in the South-East and London.

Subsidence is the term given the act of the ground moving beneath your house. This can be caused by any number of geophysical features, but is most spectacularly caused by underground mines. In these cases a massive hole will open under one half of your house, but in most subsidence cases the ground shifts slightly on one side of the house and puts ...
... massive strain on the walls.

Subsidence is one of those problems that only manifests itself once it has already happened, there are precious few signs that your house is about to experience subsidence until it happens. Generally speaking the signs are cracking around doors and windows and around outside brickwork. Another thing that can happens is that doors and windows will start to stick, but this can be a sign of warping rather than subsidence.

However, if you do happen to have cracks in your brickwork don't worry too much as newly built houses and extensions experience cracking to a greater or lesser degree as the house settles under its own weight.

The only way that you can avoid subsidence issues is to make sure that you have a thorough building survey carried out before you buy the house, this should pick up initial signs of subsidence that could get worse after you have moved in.

The one thing that you can do is make sure that you clear trees and shrubs away from near your house. The roots can get in under the house and draw water from the soil causing it to move slightly, this can cause or exacerbate a subsidence problem.

Most home insurance policies will offer you coverage for subsidence, as well as paying for any repair works that can be made on the property. If you are living on an area with clay as the major subsoil you may be at risk of subsidence. Home insurance is a vital commodity, but does not necessarily have to be expensive. If you are looking at getting a new policy, or renewing the one that you already have, try a company like Co-Operative Insurance for good deals at the moment.

The Co-Operative Insurance. We are also good with home insurance cover.