Subsidence
Our Service - Subsidence Insurance Claims
- Prompt attendance after receiving an enquiry.
- Where possible, identification of the mechanism of movement and an opinion on the cause of damage following the initial site visit.
- Where appropriate, appointment of experienced site investigation contractors (trial pits, soil and root samples, CCTV drainage investigation) to confirm causation and enable us to provide formal recommendation for management of the subsidence problem.
- Concise, plain-language reporting.
- Design of foundation-strengthening works where required, together with tendering to our panel of experienced contractors, and management of the works.
- Mitigation advices, where foundation strengthening works can be avoided by removing the cause of movement.
- Crack monitoring where appropriate, to ensure stabilisation of the property.
- Scheduling and overseeing final repairs and redecoration works.
What is Subsidence?
Subsidence is a change in the condition of the ground on which a building is supported. It can result in crack-damage to walls and ceilings, distortion to door and window openings and in extreme circumstances, fractures to pipes and other services.
In London and the South East, this damage most commonly occurs to buildings founded on shrinkable clay sub-soils, during periods of very dry weather. This is usually where roots from trees and large shrubs grow beneath foundations, extracting even more moisture and causing the clay to shrink, and the foundations to move. Subsidence can occur due to other factors as well, such as the softening or erosion of soil by water from a leaking pipe or drain.
When Subsidence to a building is suspected, a thorough investigation by an experienced Chartered Structural Engineer or Chartered Building Surveyor is required to diagnose the cause, and accurately identify the area of foundation movement. Once this has been established, a course of action can be decided and the correct remedial action can commence.
