Subsidence has been a prominent issue in many parts of Britain since the exceptionally dry summer of 1976.

Since then we have had periods of low rainfall and high summer temperatures that have led to shrinkage of clay based sub-soils that are found extensively in lowland Britain. The shrinkage of the sub-soil removes support from foundations and the resultant movement is called subsidence. 

Where there is differential movement there will be damage to the structure and finishes of the building. Most insurance policies for domestic property include a clause which allows the home owner to claim on their insurance policy for the damage resulting from subsidence. 

An insurance company may agree to provide the property with additional support by underpinning, but they are not normally obliged to do so under the terms of the insurance contract.  Easton Bevins is able to assist clients in the rectification of damage caused by subsidence and in taking measures to avoid it occurring in the future. 

Clay sub-soil shrinkage is only one of a number of causes of subsidence.  In mining areas the collapse of workings deep underground can cause large areas to subside. 

Mineshafts are often capped over and then ‘lost’ as landscapes rapidly evolve after the end of industrial activity and many later developments in our towns and cities have been built over extraction workings and rubbish tips that are a source of ground instability. 

In other areas subsidence may be an entirely natural phenomenon, for instance where properties have been constructed over rocks that contain voids or that are inherently unstable. 

Whatever the cause of the failure, Easton Bevins is in a position to assist individual building owners, insurance companies and loss adjusters in tackling subsidence issues.