Subsidence Claim

ivort

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone knows about subsidence claims.

My house has started showing signs of subsidence recently (cracks in the outer brickwork 3-4mm below a window), and i suspect it might have been going on very slowly for some time. However im a little worried because i had a period about 3 months ago where i wasnt insured for buildings for a period of about 4 months, just through being lazy and not getting around to renewing.

I took my new policy out 10 weeks ago with the same insurers who i was with the year before, and I understand thre are rules about who is liable depending on when the subsidence started (i think), so is it likely i will get a claim refused now because it hasnt been continuously insured?

It it likely to just be turned down, a shared cost? or anything else?, any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

maninthestreet

Just how big are the cracks? Every small crack that appears in brick work isn't always caused by subsidence.

lincroft1710

Subsidence claims can take months to settle, sometimes years. It is usual to monitor the cracks over a period of time and to try and find the cause of the subsidence.

ivort

Im fairly sure it is subsidence, as the cracks get bigger the further up you go and its the same at the front and rear of the house.

They are about 5mm at its widest below the window and the crack goes through a couple of the bricks and not all via the mortar lines.

Im guessing monitoring would be required but the scary bit is the gap in insurance, i dont want to do anything that would put any potential claim in doubt because i said the wrong thing. Any ideas how this might affect things?