Heat wave predicted could lead to rising subsidence claims
A hot summer with less moisture in the soil will lead to thousands more subsidence claims, the Independent reports.
- Repairs cost £7,000 or more on average
- Houses built before 1965 are particularly susceptible
- Last year, 27,707 individual claims paid out a total of £137m
- Problems most common in the South-east and parts of the Midlands due to clay sub-soils
- RSA figures show trees responsible for as many as 70% of valid subsidence claims
"Subsidence is an insurer's nightmare," says John Sellers, a spokesman for More Than. "The work to remedy it is time consuming and claims frequently cost in the tens of thousands."
Malcolm Tarling, a spokesman for the Association of British Insurers, says, "If you have a subsidence claim the insurer will not rush in. It will employ a chartered surveyor to monitor over a period of time what the movement is and ascertain what is causing the problem. You need to get the correct diagnosis in order to take the correct course of action."
Websites
