Subsidence risk as temperature soars

Wednesday, 24 June 2009 5:26 PM

Homeowners are being warned to take steps to reduce the risk of subsidence now as temperatures are set to rise this summer.

Halifax Home Insurance says two of the wettest summers, now followed by soaring temperatures, could cost the insurance industry as claims "increase significantly".

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) say the industry has handled 144,000 subsidence claims in the past four years, costing £825 million. Halifax says homes in the south-east of England could be more at risk as slightly warmer temperatures teamed with clay based soil increase the risk.

Neil Curling, senior structural claims manager for Halifax Home Insurance, said: "People don't knowingly cause subsidence, but there are ways homeowners can help to reduce the risk of such damage to their home to avoid the costs, inconvenience and inevitable worry that subsidence damage brings."

Subsidence can cause structural problems for a building and during the summer the risk increases as vegetation grows rapidly and demands moisture when the weather is driest.

Mr Curling added: "Large areas of the country are built on clay subsoil, which is prone to shrink and swell as it dries and re-hydrates.

"People will often see cracks appear in their gardens during summer, which is indicative of shrinkage of the clay. It's not the clay itself that causes the problem, but trees and other vegetation extracting moisture from the clay is all too often a recipe for subsidence damage.

"Signs that a property might be suffering from subsidence include cracks in walls, particularly if they start from the corners of windows or doors which themselves may become difficult to open or close."

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