We have over 25 years experience in dealing with Insurers, their Loss Adjusters and other experts. Mainly these claims are for structural movement arising from the operation of an insured peril.

Insurance Claims:

Structural Movement / Subsidence / Structural Cracking:

Most house insurance policies cover damage due to an escape of water, and again most will cover subsidence. An escape of water, e.g. from drains, is very often a cause of structural movement and cracking in the walls of buildings. Dangers to your property for which you are insured are known as Insured Perils, and once an Insured Peril has operated you can invoke the coverage of your policy. Below are the usual steps taken when initiating and resolving an Insurance Claim for structural damage due to an escape of water.

• Structural Movement is identified in the structure, generally by noticing cracks in the walls of the house or building.
• A suitably qualified Engineer is engaged to assess the structure and identify the cause of the movement.
• If it is established that an insured peril has operated, the insurance company are notified of same either by the building owner or the Enginerr acting on their behalf.
• The insurance company will generally appoint a Loss Adjuster to handle the claim on their behalf and to ensure that a fair and equitable settlement is reached.
• The Engineer, acting on behalf of the building owner, will meet with the Loss Adjuster on site to explain how the insured peril has operated and show the Loss Adjuster what damage has been caused.
• In the case of Damage Due To An Escape Of Water the Engineer will furnish the Loss Adjuster with a Drains Test Result showing where the leaks are occuring, and will have a trial hole excavated at the foundation close to the leak to prove the softening of the soil.
• Once the Loss Adjuster has accepted that an insured peril has operated, both the Engineer and the Loss Adjuster will agree on a scope of remedial works required to make good all damage caused and carry out the necessary reinstatement and redcoration works.
• The Engineer will then engage a firm of suitably experienced contractors to provide a quoatation for the proposed scope of works.
• This quotation will then be forwarded to the Loss Adjuster for his consideration.
• The Engineer, acting on behalf of the building owner, will then enter into negotiations with the Loss Adjuster to agree upon an equitable settlement that is in accordance with the terms of the insurance policy.
• When a settlement figure has been agreed the insurance company will forward an initial cheque for approximately 80% of the agreed sum to the policy holder. And once the work is completed to the Engineers satisgaction and suitable invoices are to hand for the work carried out the final payment will be forwarded to the policy holder.
• Once the settlement has been agreed the property owner will appoint a contractor or contractors of thier choice to carry out the specified works for an agreed sum.
• When the works have been completed to the satisfaction of the Supervising Engineer, all relevant invoices are forwarde to the Loss Adjuster to vouch that the work has been carried out and costs incurred.
• The Loss Adjuster will then generally notify the insurance company of this and request that the retained monies be released.
• Once these retained monies are recieved by the policy holder, all outstanding accounts can be settled.

Structural movement generally occurs in a structure when the ground bearing the structure yields, under the load of the structure, and compresses to such an extent that the structure settles at the point of failure.

This settlement at the foundation line gives rise to tensile stresses in the masonry of the structure, which generally cause diagonal cracking in the walls of the building. These diagonal cracks generally occur at weak points such as window and door opes. The simple diagram at the top of the page shows a typical crack pattern that may occur as a result of subsidence.

Very often the cause of the ground yielding is erosion of the soil due to movement of water, often due to defective sewers or water mains leaking water. This erosion decreases the bearing capacity of the soil, with the result that the house sinks slightly into the weakened subsoil. This type of erosion is particularly common in the greater Cork area due mainly to the make up of the soil and the Limestone bedrock in the area. The water which has escaped from the drains will not only erode the soil by washing away fines, but will also erode the Limestone bedrock. To arrest this structural movement it is generally necessary to underpin the house. The type of underpinning required will depend on the type of soil present and the existing foundations, and should only be specified by a suitably qualified engineer.

A simple hydrostatic test carried out on the sewers will determine if they are leaking. Digging a trial hole exposing the soil at the foundation line will facilitate an assesment of the soil to determine whether it has softened or not. If it is established that there is an escape of water and that the subsoil has softened, then it is likely that the cost to repair the damage caused by the escape of water will be covered under the relevant house insurance policy.

If you are concerned that your house or other structure is either Subsiding or Settling feel free to contact our office, or requesting a call back by below.