What is subsidence?
Discover exactly what subsidence is and what the causes are
Subsidence is when the ground beneath a property sinks, pulling the property’s foundations down with it.
This process can cause the walls and floors to shift, leading to cracks and potentially destabilising the construction of the property.
Subsidence can be caused by a range of things including clay shrinkage, trees growing close to the foundations, water washing away soil beneath the property, used or disused mines, formation of underground caverns and poor foundations.
Subsidence claims tend to come to light after extremely dry or wet spells, especially when they are due to soil types. This could be why we see a spike in subsidence claims during autumn.
Warmer weather is one of the most common causes of subsidence. In fact, subsidence claims increased by 20% in 2018 because of
the UK’s heatwave. As the ground below a property warms, clay-rich soil can shrink as the water trapped in it evaporates.
This causes the soil to shrink, leading to the downward movement of the ground above.
Trees may look harmless enough, but they can cause subsidence in two different ways.
Drawing water out of the soil can cause that soil to shrink – and a mature oak tree can draw up to 1,000 litres per day! Trees growing near to or under the foundations can also cause the ground to shift and become less stable.
Leaking drains, escape of water, flooding and heavy rainfall can wash away soil particles over time, causing the ground to slowly shift or become less stable.
Older properties often have shallower foundations than new builds. The use of the wrong materials in the foundations or not properly preparing the earth can also lead to foundations shifting below the property in new developments as well.
Damage caused by subsidence can be expensive to fix. In fact, at Total Landlord our most expensive claim ever for subsidence damage was for an eyewatering £348,703.
The good news is that subsidence claims have dropped since then. But with spring 2025 recorded as the warmest on record in the UK and one of the driest in the last 50 years, and the hottest June on record, experts are warning that we could be heading for a surge in subsidence claims in 2025. If we were to have a surge this year, it would be the third surge event in the last seven years alone after 2018 and 2022.
“Subsidence is one of those risks that tends to fluctuate with the weather –in 2022, we saw a clear spike in claims following the extreme heat. With 2025 shaping up to be another hot and dry year, we could well see a similar pattern emerging, particularly for properties in clay-heavy areas. We’ve already received eight subsidence claims so far this year, which could be an early sign of things to come.”
Subsidence is our sixth most common type of claim and over the last five years (up to the end of 2024), the highest claim has been for £150,204, due to tree roots from a council owned tree. Although fortunately our average claim size for subsidence is less than that, at £10,036, based on the last five years’ claims.
