Short answer: If you think your home has subsidence, tell your buildings insurer promptly. For a claim, the insurer normally appoints a loss adjuster, who arranges the investigation, often with its own engineers, so you do not usually need your own report to make a claim. An independent structural engineer is useful when you are not sure it is subsidence and want to know before claiming, when you are buying, when a claim has been turned down or you disagree with the findings, or when a new insurer wants a report on past movement.
What to do if you suspect subsidence
- Photograph and measure the cracks, with the date and a ruler in shot.
- Read the subsidence section of your buildings insurance policy, including the excess. Subsidence usually has its own, higher excess.
- Tell your insurer. Most policies require you to report anything that could lead to a claim promptly.
- Do not fill or repair the cracks, and do not cut down trees, until your insurer or an engineer has seen them.
- Keep a simple log: dates, crack widths, doors or windows that stick, and anything that changes.
When the insurer leads, and when to call an engineer yourself
Your insurer leads once you make a claim. The loss adjuster decides what investigations are needed, appoints the engineers and contractors, and agrees the repair.
An independent structural engineer helps when:
- you are not sure whether the cracks are subsidence, seasonal movement or settlement, and want to know before you claim;
- you are buying a house with cracking or a history of subsidence;
- your claim was declined, or you disagree with the cause or the repair proposed;
- a new insurer wants evidence that past movement has stopped;
- your insurer has asked you for crack monitoring or a structural report.
Insurers usually pay only for investigations they arrange or agree to in advance, so ask your insurer before commissioning a report you want them to pay for.
What evidence a subsidence claim needs
Your insurer has to establish that the damage was caused by the ground moving, rather than by settlement, shrinkage or seasonal movement, which most policies exclude. The evidence usually includes:
- Dated photographs of the cracks, inside and out, with a ruler for scale.
- When the cracks appeared and how they have changed. Crack width readings over time are especially useful.
- Other signs of movement: doors and windows sticking, sloping floors, a bay or extension pulling away.
- Nearby trees and large shrubs: what they are, how tall, how far from the house and who owns them.
- Any drain problems, leaks or blockages.
- The property's history: previous claims, underpinning, repairs, building work, and any earlier surveys or structural reports.
The loss adjuster may then arrange a structural engineer's assessment, a CCTV survey of the drains, trial pits to expose the foundations and test the soil, root identification, and crack or level monitoring over several months. Monitoring is common because it shows whether the movement is still happening.
Mistakes to avoid
- Filling the cracks first. It hides the evidence and can delay the claim.
- Felling a tree without advice. On clay, removing a large tree can let the ground swell (heave), which can also damage a house.
- Waiting. Delay can let damage get worse and may affect the claim.
- Repairing before the cause is known. Repairs that do not deal with the cause tend to crack again.
How Laytoe Structures can help
Our insurance structural report (from £590*) tells you whether the cracking looks like subsidence your insurer should deal with, or settlement or seasonal movement that is not usually covered. We check the crack pattern and widths, whether walls and floors are level and plumb, nearby trees against NHBC guidance, the soil from British Geological Survey records, and the drains. Reports usually arrive within 5 working days. We also give independent second opinions on declined claims, and monitor cracks when an insurer asks for it. See insurance structural reports.
* Prices are a guide only and VAT may be added.
Common questions
Should I call a structural engineer or my insurer first about subsidence?
If you want to claim, tell your insurer first; it will arrange the investigation. If you are not sure the cracks are subsidence, an independent structural engineer can tell you whether they look like subsidence before you decide.
What evidence is needed for a subsidence insurance claim?
Dated photographs and measurements of the cracks, how they have changed over time, other signs of movement such as sticking doors, details of nearby trees and any drain problems, and the property's history of claims, repairs and building work. The insurer may add drain surveys, trial pits, soil tests and monitoring.
Will my insurer pay for my own engineer's report?
Usually only if it agreed before you commissioned it. Insurers normally arrange their own investigations once a claim is made, so ask first.
Is settlement covered by buildings insurance?
Usually not. Most policies exclude settlement, shrinkage and seasonal movement. Subsidence is normally covered, subject to your policy terms and the subsidence excess.