Subsidence
Subsidence is a common here in the UK – according to the fancy-titled Landmark Information Group, it’s actually cost £3bn to the economy over the last decade. And that’s a cost that’s going to keep rising, given that many believe that upwards of 1 in 5 UK houses suffer subsidence.
You’re probably aware of what subsidence is, but for those not in the know, it occurs when there’s a shift in the ground below a property. That’s when you’ll notice horrific diagonal cracks appearing along your walls, where part of the brickwork is literally pulling away from the rest of the wall, as the ground slopes beneath it.
Subsidence is a serious issue, causing property damage and even forcing homeowners from their house, for safety reasons, until the problems have been resolved. And yet, in our experience, plenty of other companies simply don’t take the issue seriously – sometimes they refuse to study certain areas of a property because it’s too difficult for them, or because they believe that the correct repairs have been made. On occasions, it’s not uncommon for them to entirely fail to check the drainage systems.
But do you know the relationship between subsidence and your drains?
The link between the two cannot be understated. See, quite often, it’s the drainage system that’s causing the subsidence in the first place. If a drain springs a leak, or indeed an entire water pipe has burst, the flow of water can have a seriously adverse effect on your property as the water washes away the soil and creates an unstable, waterlogged surface.
Of course, there is one step you can take to prevent subsidence from occurring: specifically, if you suspect your property is at risk, you should carry out regular assessments to keep an eye on your pipe-work. While this may seem excessively cautious to some, the damage caused – and the repair bill – will be mitigated at much less cost to either property or bank account if detected early enough in the process.
But what is subsidence has already occurred?
Well, thankfully, it can be repaired relatively swiftly if you choose a professional, who will also be able to take action to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Luckily, we’re those professionals, and we take the problem of subsidence very seriously. We don’t think you should suffer at the hands of either unstable ground or poor third-party companies who don’t understand the trouble it can cause.
If you suspect your house is at risk, or subsidence is already occurring, contact our expert team and we’ll be glad to help.