The owner of a grade II-listed property in Brighouse, West Yorkshire has her taking out of comprehensive home insurance to thank for renovation works to tackle serious subsidence that threatened the future of her home.
Kim McCloskey told local publication the Brighouse Echo how two years ago she began to notice cracks appearing in her internal walls, which grew bigger over time.
She initially did not worry, but as the problem got worse she began to realise a major issue of subsidence was taking place in her home.
Work carried out by an independent structural engineer revealed the property was sinking due to a problem with drainage at the front of the house, with the roof of the house being put under such stress that the assessor believed it could fall in at any time.
As a result, the owner had little choice but to carry out works to rectify the issue and following a lengthy discussion with her insurer remedial works were carried out and her home is now once again stable.
“The house looks better than it ever has. Looking back, it was hard to see how anything good could have come out of this awful situation,” Ms McCloskey told the news provider.
“It was a stressful time, but now my home is back to normal with full certificates of conformity and structural adequacy, I can stop worrying and feel happy that the property is ready to be a home again.”
The case of Ms McCloskey is one all property owners across the UK should take heed of, as subsidence is an issue that can be caused by a range of factors – not just burst pipes or poor drainage, but also heavy rainfall, loose or dry soil, poor construction or previous mining activity in an area.
As such, anyone keen to protect their property against the effects of this damaging process might wish to consider taking out subsidence insurance cover from the expert team at GSI Insurance Services (Southern) Limited.