Don’t Let Subsidence Sink Your Home Insurance

The good weather may not last long in the UK, but that doesn’t stop homeowners from making the most of their gardens with almost 9.7million people planning to plant a tree in their garden this year. However, unless we do our homework our green fingers could soon be burned by a home insurance claim.

Subsidence is one of the major causes of home insurance payouts in the UK. There are certain aspects of subsidence that homeowners would struggle to control – many soils contain significant portions of clay which are affected by changes in soil moisture. Seasonal drying of this soil lowers the surface and if building foundations are above this level they will move, resulting in damage such as tapering cracks.

This is compounded however by trees and other vegetation. As the tree grows, cumulative drying occurs and this can actually produce the opposite of subsidence where the tree actually declines or is felled. The surface level around the tree can expand and rise – and this can often be more damaging to buildings unless the foundations have been stabilized and strengthened.

Why planting trees can make home insurance claims grow

Planting a tree can be seen as a commendable act. It has a number of environmental benefits and adding value to your garden can also increase the price of your property as a whole.

However, trees randomly planted good intentions but little experience means you could soon be counting the cost through a home insurance claim.

According to Sainsbury’s home insurance, around 12 per cent of the money paid out for subsidence claims is caused by trees and other vegetation. In fact home insurance companies across the UK pay out around £5million a week for subsidence claims – that’s a whopping £710,000 a day.

Many of these claims are caused by property owners that simply don’t know where to correctly plant trees and how far away they should be from the home. For example, a maple tree should be planted at least nine-12 metres away from a property. Research from the insurer also found that around 1.1million people intend to plant a willow tree in their garden this year – but willow trees should not be planted any closer than 18 metres from a home or there is serious risk of subsidence damage.

In particular, homeowners in the South East should take care. Properties in this region are at particular risk because of the higher prevalence of clay-based soils.

What can you do to reduce your subsidence risk?

There are many steps that homeowners can take to limit the risk of subsidence. This starts with some good research into the type of trees you plan to plant in your garden and in particular how far away they should be from your home.

In particular you should watch out for ‘screens’ such as Leylandi trees which are a good way to divide the garden but often grow rapidly and cause a high risk of subsidence. Those with a small garden should consider Magnolia trees, Holly trees and Laurel trees, all of which can be planted within five metres of a property due to a low water demand.

Upkeep is important too and you should regularly prune your trees and shrubs to keep them under control. However, it’s not just the state of your greenery that’s important – be sure to monitor your home too.

It’s worth having a survey carried out before you begin planting to discover if there are any existing problems. For example, if you conducted a survey before buying the property check for any previous mining activity. Also examine the drainage and look for cracks and perform regular checks on all drains and pipes.

If you just want to do your bit for the environment but don’t necessarily have the garden space to do it, then why not join an organization like the Woodland trust? For a small fee – around £2.75 a month – you can contribute towards the protection of around half an acre of woodland.

Gardening enthusiasts however, should check their home insurance policies before they begin any work. Look for the level of cover available and check that there are no exclusions – for example, will your insurer pay out if you are deemed negligent for planting a tree too close to a property?

If subsidence does occur then inform your home insurance provider as quickly as possible so that the problem can be diagnosed and repaired. The longer you leave it the more damage subsidence will do, so don’t waste time.