How can you reduce the likelihood of subsidence?
Find out the steps to take to understand whether you’re at risk and what to do to mitigate that risk
Some properties will be more at risk than others. Here are a few questions that will help you understand whether your property might be affected by subsidence:
Is your property built on ground with a high clay content?
Do you have trees growing close to the property? If yes, you can find out whether they’re a safe distance away using this useful guide from The Association of British Insurers
Does the ground your property is built on become water-logged?
Does the ground around your property become extremely dry during droughts?
Have you had any leaking water mains close to the property?
Was there or is there mining activity in the local area? You can visit the Coal Authority website to answer this question
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then there is a chance (but by no means a guarantee) that your property could be affected.
Here are a few things you can do to reduce the likelihood of this happening.
You should avoid planting trees too close to your property. We recommend that you plant any trees or shrubs as far away from your property as the expected height of the fully-grown plant.
If you already have a tree or trees that are close enough to pose a risk, don’t rush into having them removed.
Removing the roots can lead to instability and water-logging, creating the ideal conditions for subsidence!
Instead of removing it, make sure that the tree is regularly pruned back to prevent the roots from growing too deep or too far to cause damage.
You should speak to a tree surgeon to help you decide on the best way to do this.
The ground beneath your house can become water-logged because of rain or flooding, but it can also be caused by leakage and water escape.
Have your guttering and plumbing checked once a year to make sure that the ground isn’t becoming saturated from a leak.
If you think you have a subsidence problem, the first thing you should do is contact your insurer.
They will be able to advise on what to do next, but the next step will probably be to contact a chartered surveyor who will help you identify the cause. Here are some of the solutions they might suggest:
If the subsidence is being caused by a tree, a tree surgeon will be able to advise on the best course of action, whether that’s removing the tree itself or pruning it back to manage its growth.
If water is escaping from your property or the water mains, you’ll need to contact a plumber to fix the leak.
You should then monitor whether the symptoms of subsidence (such as cracks in the wall) continue or stop.
Underpinning is the most extreme and expensive course of action.
As a result, it’s normally the last resort.
Underpinning is when you excavate the ground beneath your property and replace it with materials that are less likely to subside.
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that underpinning will fix the problem altogether and you may still struggle to sell or insure the property after the work has been carried out.
But if your property requires underpinning it’s still much better to bite the bullet than to do nothing.
