Dealing With Subsidence

Home insurance is a product designed to give you financial protection from damage caused to your property by any number of events. There are things you can control such as fire and theft, and things that you can't such as extremes of weather. Whilst there are things that you can do to reduce the damage that the weather causes, there is nothing you can do to stop it completely.

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 shifting of the ground beneath your house. This can be caused by underground mines and water pockets, or something as simple as the type of earth upon which your house is built. Subsidence is an issue because if one side of the building drops and the other doesn't the strain can literally pull the walls of your house apart.

The most significant symptom of subsidence is cracking around window and door frames. In addition you can get diagonal cracks on the outside brickwork, and these are particularly problematic because water can get into these cracks and freeze, driving them further apart. The major problem with subsidence is that you only know that you've got it once these cracks appear.

If you have cracks in your house, however, you shouldn't be too worried as most newly built houses and extensions experience cracking 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.

One thing that you can do is make sure that any trees and shrubs that you do have are kept well away from the house. This can contribute to, or even in drastic situations cause, a subsidence as roots extend under the house and draw the water from the soil causing the ground level to drop.

All home insurance policies will cover for subsidence and for the costs of repair. If you live in an area with a heavy clay presence in the soil you may be at risk of subsidence, and if you do it is more important than ever that you have a good home insurance policy. It won't necessarily be expensive and could save you a massive amount of money should you develop a subsidence problem. If you're looking for a good deal try a company like Co-Operative Finance for some good policies at the moment.

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