With the British summer currently at its peak, you might have noticed large cracks have started to develop in your property’s walls. If this is the case, your home could be at risk of subsidence. Even if this is yet to occur, it’s something you definitely should be aware of.
Although subsidence is largely something that affects houses built on clay soil, it is a problem all homeowners ought to be conscious of, namely as it has the potential to cause a substantial amount of damage. Of course, if you live in a high-net-worth property and/or in an affluent part of the UK, the financial impact subsidence can have is likely to be even greater. For this reason alone, it is well worth checking to see if the condition poses a danger to your home.
Establish that subsidence is in place
As mentioned above, subsidence often occurs during the summer months. Following a long period of hot and dry weather, the soil around a property can start to shrink. This, in turn, can see the home itself begin to sink further into the ground.
Generally speaking, this is a problem that tends to affect houses in southern England, although it can also occur in other parts of the UK. Bear in mind that it usually happens in areas where mining activity has taken place, while it can also strike in properties situated close to trees and bushes. As the plants’ roots withdraw moisture from the soil, they can damage a structure’s foundations.
If you believe any of the above applies to your home, you should start to look for cracks in the walls. Subsidence results in fractures occurring on both the inside and outside which are usually wider at one end than the other. You might also find wallpaper ripples and windows and doors start stick when you try to open them, both of which can be indicators your home is beginning to sink.
Whatever signs of subsidence might be evident, it is worth getting in touch with your insurance company for advice. As these firms tend to have access to geological and claims data, they should be able to quickly establish the level of subsidence risk your home is at.
Take out a comprehensive insurance policy
Although virtually all insurance policies offer some degree of protection for subsidence, if you live in a high-risk subsidence area you’ll need to take out non-standard home insurance. As a standard policy will typically only have an excess of about £1,000, these are unlikely to give you full-ranging cover if and when subsidence strikes. In such cases, you are best off seeking out the services of a specialist insurer, either through a broker or by contacting such organisations directly.
Reduce the risk
Even when you have this specialist cover in place, there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of your home being damaged. As leaking drains can cause the soil next to a property to slip away, any cracks in the pipework should be rectified as soon as possible.
You should also look to remove any trees that are right next to your house. However, uprooting any ones that are older than the property itself might actually cause a greater amount of damage, especially if they disturb the foundations, so you should seek out specialist advice before digging up any roots.
