Subsidence, settlement and heave
What does the Association of British Insurers suggest about subsidence, and what is different before you own the house?
The ABI explains subsidence as downward ground movement that damages the building, and tells owners to tell their insurer and not to organise major repairs before the insurer has agreed. Before completion you are not that owner, and you should not open a claim on a policy that is not yours.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Use the ABI pages to understand the idea and the claims habit. Use your survey to see what this house is doing. Then tell your solicitor and the insurer you hope to use. They may want the survey extract, a history of claims, and any monitoring. The seller’s insurer, if a claim is already open, is a matter for the seller and for the solicitors to disclose. Do not ring that insurer and pretend to be the customer.
A mortgage lender’s valuation is a separate document from your home survey. Either of them might mention movement. Neither is an insurance claim form. There is no standard premium loading we can quote, because insurers set their own terms. Ask the insurer you intend to use, with the wording in front of you.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Are you stating subsidence, or movement that could have another cause?
- What should I pass to an insurer verbatim?
- What did you not investigate that an insurer might later ask about, such as drains or trees?
What are the typical next steps?
- Send the insurer the surveyor’s sentences, not a summary that adds causes.
- Ask the solicitor what the seller must disclose about claims and underpinning.
- Do not start repairs to “help the claim” on a house you do not yet own.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a crack automatically become an insurance claim?
No. Many cracks are maintenance. The ABI is writing about subsidence, not about every line in a survey.
If the seller has an open claim, can you inherit it?
Sometimes a claim stays with the property and sometimes it does not. The solicitors and the insurer say which. The survey does not.