A subsidence claim is one of the more stressful things that can happen to a homeowner — partly because of the damage, and partly because the process is opaque. Here is how it actually works, and where an independent surveyor fits in.
Step 1: Notify Your Insurer Early
Subsidence is covered by most buildings insurance policies, usually with a higher excess (commonly £1,000). Notify your insurer as soon as you suspect movement — delays can complicate claims. They will appoint a loss adjuster and usually their own engineers.
Does Home Insurance Cover Subsidence?
Almost all standard UK buildings insurance policies cover subsidence, heave and landslip as a core peril — but with a distinctive excess, commonly £1,000, and important caveats. Cover applies to damage caused by downward movement of the ground beneath the foundations; it does not extend to normal settlement of a new building, movement of patios and boundary walls unless the house is affected, or defects that predate the policy. If your home has a previous subsidence history, insurers may apply special terms, higher excesses or require continuation with the existing insurer — which is why keeping the paperwork from any past claim is so valuable when you come to sell.
Step 2: Investigation and Monitoring
Insurers rarely act on one visit. Expect a period of crack monitoring — typically several months of measurements — plus drainage surveys and soil investigations to establish the cause: clay shrinkage near trees, leaking drains, or made ground. This phase feels slow, but it determines everything that follows.
Step 3: Cause Removal, Then Repair
Most modern claims are resolved by removing the cause — tree management or drain repairs — followed by cosmetic repair once movement stops. Underpinning is a last resort in a small minority of cases, despite its reputation.
Where an Independent Surveyor Helps
The insurer’s experts work for the insurer. An independent subsidence survey gives you your own assessment of cause, severity and the proposed repairs — invaluable when you doubt the diagnosis, the scope of repairs feels thin, or you are buying or selling a property with a subsidence history and need a clear-eyed view of what it means for value and insurability. Call 020 4579 8270 for an independent opinion.