Specialist support for subsidence insurance claims involving cracking, foundation movement, structural instability and long-term building damage across Northern Ireland.
Get Expert Help TodaySubsidence is one of the most serious property damage claims a homeowner or business owner can face. What may begin as cracking around doors, windows, walls or floors can develop into a major structural issue if the movement is not properly investigated, monitored and presented to insurers.
Well over 20,000 subsidence claims are submitted to insurers in an average year.
Hundreds of millions have been paid by insurers in the UK for subsidence damage.
Minor cracking can progressively worsen and affect the structural integrity of a building.
Subsidence damage affects houses, commercial buildings and their contents through downward movement of the subsoil beneath a property. This movement can cause cracking, structural failure and long-term instability if the claim is not properly assessed and handled.
Within the insurance industry, subsidence damage is defined as a progressive downward movement of the subsoil beneath a building, causing cracking and structural failure of the building itself.
It is typically characterised by radial fractures in plasterwork and brickwork around door and window openings, as well as cracking of solid floor slabs. Subsidence damage may initially appear minor, but the damage can progressively worsen and ultimately affect the structural integrity or performance of a building.
If you discover what appears to be structural cracking or subsidence damage to your property, whether this is a house, domestic building, business premises, retail unit, factory, warehouse or office, it is essential that you seek professional advice quickly.
Clay type subsoils are typically prone to subsidence movement. The most common causes include drying out and shrinkage of the soil following prolonged warm dry weather, extraction of moisture by large tree roots and leakage from underground drains causing undermining of the soil beneath.
Premier Property Claims has extensive expertise in the handling and management of subsidence insurance claims. We can help arrange emergency repairs to make the building temporarily safe where required.
We can arrange appropriate monitoring of structural failure and cracks, prepare a schedule of loss and negotiate settlement with insurers or their loss adjusters on your behalf. We will also guide you in obtaining appropriate contractor repair estimates to support the subsidence claim.
We review visible cracking, movement patterns and the circumstances surrounding the suspected subsidence event.
Where needed, we help arrange appropriate monitoring of cracks and structural movement.
We can engage structural engineers to comment on cause, extent of damage and remedial works required.
We prepare the claim and negotiate directly with insurers or their loss adjusters on your behalf.
Where appropriate, Premier Property Claims engages associated structural engineers to comment on the cause and extent of damage and provide expert opinion on the remedial works required.
It is common for insurers to initially suggest that only superficial repairs are required in order to minimise their outlay. In many cases, professional involvement can show that more extensive works, including underpinning of foundations, may be the necessary long-term solution.
Your insurance company is likely to appoint a loss adjuster or claims handler to deal with your claim, but this is to protect their own interests. These representatives operate under heavy workloads and your claim may not be given the focus it deserves. Adjusters and insurance claims inspectors do not prepare your claim. They adjust the claim you submit.
Other expenses may be recoverable that you are unaware of. If you prematurely agree a claim with insurers, it may be too late for them to subsequently reconsider additional items.
Insurance policy wordings can be difficult for a policyholder to understand. An insurer or their representative has the advantage and may attempt to construe the wording in their favour. Premier Property Claims understands policy wording and has the expert knowledge and subsidence claims handling experience to redress the balance.
It is essential that you are represented by your own professional FCA regulated loss assessor as soon as a subsidence event is discovered. This helps ensure the claim is properly and accurately presented and that you receive the maximum benefit available under the policy.
Speak with Premier Property Claims today and let our experienced team manage your subsidence insurance claim from investigation through to settlement.
Call 0800 193 4323