Guide to Subsidence, Heave & Flooding
Three of the worst incidents that a person can claim against are
subsidence, heave & flooding. Any of these three claims can seriously
affect your insurance rating.
Subsidence
The standard definition of subsidence is "downward movement on which the structure stands".
This is when the ground under a property 'subsides' or lowers,
causing serious structural damage to the property. The main reasons why a
subsidence claim is so serious are:
- Typically, the cost to repair the property after a subsidence
claim is phenomenal, as the whole structure is affected
- Subsidence claims, by their very nature, are recurring events. After
one incident has been reported it is highly likely there will be many
for that property
- In some cases the subsidence will get increasingly worse, forcing
the insurance company to pay out more and more for the claims.
Heave
Heave is the opposite of subsidence. With heave, the ground rises, again causing serious structural damage.
Heave is caused by the reverse process of subsidence, by soil becoming saturated and expanding, damaging the structure located above it. The main causes of heave are:
- If an area has torrential rain the clay will absorb the moisture and expand, causing heave
- More commonly, if an area has a lot of trees nearby then the roots would extract the moisture from the soil. If, at a later date the trees are cut down, then the moisture in the clay will not have anywhere to go, and will be absorbed by the clay, once more causing heave
Suffering from heave will seriously affect your ability to obtain house/building insurance by much of the same reasons as subsidence (detailed above).
Flooding
Flooding is another major problem that will seriously negatively your insurance capabilities.
Houses in flood areas are likely to be hit repeatedly, year after year, and flood damage claims are traditionally very large. Most insurance companies will not offer buildings insurance to proeprties that lie inside a heavy flood zone.
If you do live inside a flood zone, your best course of action is probably to seek a specialist flooding insurance provider.
Neither Homesaver Direct nor any of the members on it's panel offer building/property insurance to properties that have suffered from subsidence, heave or flooding. If you have experienced any of the above situations, you are advised to seek specialist advice.
|
