Heave/ subsidence/ insurance claim HELP please

lou4791

When we moved into our victorian terrace house 5 years ago, the survey picked up some heave/ raised area to the kitchen floor. An insurance claim was made by the previous owners and £1000 excess paid by them. The problem was found to likely originate from the drains and some works were carried out, and the problem considered solved. We have stayed with the same insurance company.

Recently I have been wondering if the raised area of the kitchen floor has been getting worse, but it's so difficult to tell as any differences would be very subtle. But last night I noticed a crack running up and along the top of the kitchen door that I have not seen before. This confirmed to me that there is likely an ongoing problem and the works carried out 5 years ago never properly solved.

I've called my insurance company today who have advised me to call out a surveyor myself to assess the problem prior to making an official claim.
I'm so scared that this may not be covered for some reason.
Will any local surveyor be appropriate to call? Do I have to pay the surveyor up front before claiming? Is there anything I need to know about do's and don'ts of larger insurance claims? Could this claim be a continuation of the previous one 5 years ago and the excess waived, as i'm convinced it's the same problem that was never properly solved?

I'm really lost on this. Any advice very welcome.

snowcat53

Take a deep breath and dont panic - I know it's hard.
I have experience of a very similar situation in our previious house. Briefly a crack appeared in the kitchen wall which was diagnosed as due to subsidence. After tests the cause was put down to a cracked drain and lots of work was done paid for by the insurer (less 1k excess) and everything appeared stable. However several years later the cracks opened up again and in new places. Eventually the insuirer accepted this was a continuation of the earlier episode not a new claim, and this was important as no new excess had to be paid (they had increased the excess to 5% of rebuild cost in the meantime too). The costs this second round were much greater and incluided digging out and supporting the foundations, (badly constructed extension, and a leaking main pipe was also found) which hopefully finally solved it (we moved later)

So good that you have not changed insurer for a start

Crucial is that you need a good specialist structural engineer/surveyor. Get a recommendation if you can , or otherwise yellow pages, look for letters after their name

Some companies appoint them for you, but as they have told you to do this, make sure they agreee to pay their fees, and ask them to do it direct so you dont have to pay and reclaim.

Good luck. It will be tough and disruptive but you can get through it

macman

Is the 'crack' actually structural, or just in the plasterwork?
If the underlying masonry itself isn't cracked then it's not likely to be structural.
Remove a small area of plaster around the crack and check it yourself before calling anyone out.

lou4791

Thanks for your replies.

Macman-
I took your advice and removed a little plaster. it does seem to go down deeper.:(

Snowcat-
Thank you for your advice. Your experience does sound very similar. There is an old extension in our problem area too. Wouldn't surprise me if it turns out to be the cause.
How did you convince the insurance company that this was a continuation of a previous claim?

macman

But does it go into the masonry? You need to remove the plaster entirely in that area to see.

lou4791

Macman- Thanks, i'll have a proper dig.

Snowcat- Did you have problems selling the house?