Subsidence Claims: Signs, Causes and Settlements
How to tell structural movement from ordinary settlement, and why these claims take so long.
Subsidence, heave and settlement are three different things
Subsidence is downward movement of the ground beneath the foundations, unrelated to the weight of the building. Heave is upward or lateral movement, usually where clay soil swells after trees are removed or drainage changes. Settlement is the gradual bedding-in of a new building under its own weight, and it is excluded by every policy. Insurers routinely characterise movement as settlement, because settlement is not covered. Distinguishing them is an engineering question and it is the first thing to establish.
What to look for
Diagonal cracking wider at the top than the bottom, typically running from window and door openings. Cracks wider than about 3mm, visible both inside and outside in the same place. Doors and windows binding or dropping out of square. Wallpaper tearing at joints. Sloping floors. Cracks that measurably change with the seasons. Fine hairline cracking in plaster on its own is usually nothing.
Common causes in Ireland
Clay shrinkage during dry summers, and the reverse swelling in wet winters. Tree roots drawing moisture from clay subsoils near foundations. Leaking drains and water mains washing out fines from beneath foundations, which is a frequent and often overlooked cause. Made-up or poorly compacted ground. And in the limestone country across much of Galway, solution features and voids in the bedrock.
Why these claims take so long
Because monitoring takes time. A building thought to be moving is usually monitored for six to twelve months, with crack gauges and levels read at intervals, before anyone will commit to a cause or a remedy. That is genuinely necessary — repairing before movement has stabilised means repairing twice — but it is a long wait, and during it you are living with an uncertain house and sometimes an uncertain mortgage. Expect twelve to twenty-four months from notification to completed repair on a claim requiring underpinning.
What a settlement should cover
The investigation and monitoring, the engineer’s and other professional fees, any drain repairs or tree removal needed to address the cause, the structural remedy itself, and then full making-good — replastering, redecoration, joinery adjustment, flooring, and external render or pointing. Making-good after underpinning is extensive and is frequently understated. Alternative accommodation may also be needed where the works make the house uninhabitable.
Get your own expert involved
Subsidence claims are decided on engineering evidence, and the engineer who produces it is normally instructed by the insurer. You are entitled to your own. These are among the most technical and highest-value claims in household insurance, and among the most likely to be resolved on a basis that suits the insurer rather than the policyholder. First consultation free — 085 268 7871.
Dealing with a claim right now?
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