If you suspect subsidence, contact your buildings insurer before anyone else. The insurer, usually through a loss adjuster and an engineer, decides whether to investigate, whether to monitor, how the cause is removed and which repair is used, including whether underpinning is needed at all. We can explain how the process normally runs and carry out a repair scheme once the insurer has agreed it, but we never promise a claim will be accepted or say what an insurer will pay.
How does a subsidence claim usually run?
No two claims are identical, but most follow a similar pattern. Knowing it in advance makes the long gaps less worrying and helps you ask the right questions.
- You report it. You tell your buildings insurer what you have seen: new or widening cracks, doors or windows sticking, a floor beginning to slope. Photos with dates help.
- The insurer appoints someone. Usually a loss adjuster, often with an engineer, who visits to look at the damage and decide whether it appears to be subsidence, settlement, heave or something else.
- Investigation. If the cause is not obvious, the insurer may arrange trial pits beside the footing, soil sampling, a CCTV drain survey or tree reports. Our soil and site investigation page explains what each of these shows.
- Cause removal. Leaking drains are repaired, or a tree is managed on the advice of an arboriculturist and the engineer.
- Monitoring. Cracks and levels are measured, often for around 12 months, to confirm the house has stopped moving. See crack and movement monitoring.
- Repair. The insurer's engineer specifies the repair, from crack stitching and redecoration up to underpinning in a minority of cases, and a contractor carries it out.
- Sign-off. Building Control signs off work that falls under the Building Regulations, and the insurer's engineer often issues a certificate of structural adequacy.
What does the insurer decide, and what is left to you?
It helps to be clear about who owns which decision, because that is where most frustration with claims comes from.
| Decision | Who usually makes it |
|---|---|
| Whether the damage is accepted as subsidence under the policy | The insurer, on its loss adjuster's and engineer's findings |
| What investigation and monitoring happen, and for how long | The insurer and its engineer |
| How the cause is removed (drain repair, tree management) | The insurer and its engineer, with an arboriculturist for trees and the council for protected trees |
| Which repair method is used, including underpinning | The insurer's engineer |
| Reporting the damage promptly, giving access, keeping records | You |
| Telling future buyers and insurers about the claim | You |
We do not negotiate claims or act on your behalf with an insurer. If a claim is live, follow your insurer's instructions on who carries out investigation and repairs, and do not commission work that has not been agreed.
Where does a local contractor fit into a claim?
Many homeowners ring us before they have spoken to anyone, because a crack has appeared and they want to know if it is serious. That is fine. We ask what you have noticed, the age and type of the house, nearby trees and drains, and whether you have already contacted your insurer. If there is a realistic chance of subsidence, our advice is the same every time: report it to your insurer and let them start the process.
Once a scheme exists, we can price it. Some insurers use their own appointed contractors, and some will accept a contractor the homeowner puts forward if the scheme and price are approved first. Where an insurer is happy for us to quote, we price the engineer's design in writing, handle Building Control notices for the structural work, and work alongside a party wall surveyor if the job affects a neighbour. On terraced streets in places like Walton that last point comes up often. We then carry out the work in planned stages so the engineer can inspect as it goes.
There is a second group of calls: homes where a claim was refused, settled in cash, or where the owner simply wants to deal with old, stable cracking privately. In those cases we arrange the same engineer-led approach as any other job through our underpinning and subsidence service in Liverpool, starting with finding out whether the house is still moving.
What can you do to keep a claim on track?
- Record the damagePhotograph each crack with a ruler or coin beside it and date the photos. Repeat every few weeks.
- Note the timelineWrite down when doors started sticking, when cracks first appeared, and any dry spells, leaks or tree work nearby.
- Do not hide cracksFilling and painting over cracks removes the evidence the engineer needs and can complicate the claim.
- Hold off on worksDo not start extensions, digging or tree work until the insurer and engineer have advised. Felling a large tree on clay can cause heave.
- Check tree protectionIf tree work is advised, check with your council first. Protected trees and conservation areas have their own rules.
- Keep drains workingKeep gutters and gullies clear and report any obvious leak, because escaping water can soften or wash out ground under footings.
Why do claims involving older Merseyside homes take time?
Many of the houses we are asked about across Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral are Victorian, Edwardian or inter-war, often with bay windows on shallower footings than the main walls, mature trees in the garden or street, and drains that have been in the ground for a century. In general terms, parts of Merseyside sit on glacial clay while coastal areas have sandy ground, so the possible causes vary. Separating an old, stable crack from a live one, and a drain-related problem from a tree-related one, takes investigation and usually a season or more of readings. In older suburbs such as Aigburth and Mossley Hill, several of these factors can be present at once.
Coal mining is a separate matter. Parts of St Helens lie on the former Lancashire Coalfield, and mining subsidence claims are handled by the Mining Remediation Authority, not a buildings insurer in the usual way. GOV.UK has a free postcode search showing whether a property may be affected. We do not handle mining claims.
What happens when the claim is closed?
Keep everything: the insurer's letters, the engineer's reports, the monitoring results, Building Control certificates and any certificate of structural adequacy. Buyers' solicitors commonly ask for these, and an organised file makes a later sale far smoother. Your insurer may also want to know about the history at renewal, and so will any new insurer. Our subsidence and cracks guide explains what the crack categories mean if you want to understand the engineer's reports.
Not sure whether to claim?
Call 07777 659786 or use the form. Tell us what you have noticed and whether your insurer is already involved. We will give you a straight answer about sensible next steps, and if a scheme is agreed we can price it as part of our structural underpinning work across Merseyside.
Frequently asked questions
Who should I call first if I think my house is subsiding?
Your buildings insurer. Most policies expect you to report possible subsidence promptly, and the insurer then appoints a loss adjuster or engineer to look at it. Starting repairs, tree work or digging before the insurer is involved can make a claim harder. You are welcome to ring us to talk through what you have noticed, but we will point you to your insurer first.
Does buildings insurance cover subsidence?
The ABI says buildings insurance usually covers subsidence damage to the home itself. Garden walls, fences, gates, patios and drives are usually covered only if they are damaged at the same time as the house. Every policy differs, so read your own wording or ask your insurer. The subsidence excess is usually higher than the standard excess; our cost guide gives the ABI figure.
Will the insurer pay for underpinning?
That is the insurer's decision, based on its engineer's findings. Underpinning is uncommon: the RICS consumer guide says fewer than 5% of affected properties need it. Most claims are settled by removing the cause, such as a leaking drain or a tree, monitoring until the ground is stable, then repairing cracks and decorations. We cannot predict or promise what any insurer will agree to fund.
Why has my claim gone into monitoring for months?
Because the repair has to match the cause, and movement on clay can be seasonal. The RICS guide says cracks may need monitoring for around 12 months or longer to tell seasonal movement from progressive movement. Repairing before that is clear risks the cracks coming straight back. The insurer's engineer interprets the readings and decides when the house is stable enough to repair.
What paperwork should I keep after a subsidence repair?
Keep the insurer's correspondence, the engineer's reports, any Building Control completion certificate and the certificate of structural adequacy that the insurer's engineer often provides at the end. Buyers' solicitors commonly ask for these, and future insurers will want to know about the claim. Never leave past subsidence out of a sale or an insurance application.
Can I choose my own contractor for an insurance repair?
Sometimes. Some insurers use their own appointed contractors; others may agree to a contractor you put forward, provided the scheme and price are approved first. Ask your insurer or loss adjuster how they want the repair handled before anyone is instructed. If they are happy for us to price the engineer's scheme, we quote for that scheme in writing.