Underpinning foundations may be covered by home insurance
If you’re worried about the cost of underpinning foundations to prevent subsidence to your property, it may be worth checking your home insurance policy.
The Association of British Insurers says the standard excess for subsidence claims is usually £1,000 on buildings insurance policies.
Any cost above that should be met by your insurer – allowing you to enlist the help of professionals in underpinning foundations on your house or outbuildings before subsidence worsens.
To determine whether you may have a subsidence problem, look out for windows or doors that do not close easily, and cracks wide enough to slot a 10p coin into them.
Weather conditions can lead to subsidence – and with much of the UK currently technically in drought conditions, dried-out soil may shift more easily than it otherwise would.
However, even in areas that receive plenty of rain, trees can cause problems for nearby structures.
This is not due to encroachment from their roots, as many people might think, but is because a large deciduous tree can draw 50,000 litres or more of water out of the ground each year.
In essence, this destabilises the ground in the same way as a period of drought.
Look out for the early warning signs of subsidence, and consider underpinning foundations if you think your property may be at risk.