Owning a home is likely to be one of the most significant financial commitments you can ever make in your lifetime. In addition to typical mortgage loans, an ordinary expense is home insurance. Usually, house insurance policies are tailored to protect you and your home against losses or damage, like fire, subsidence, burglary and personal injury liability. You’d think house insurance Ireland would cover repairs required because of settlement, but they don’t. Here’s what you need to know and what you can do about this problem:

It can be alarming to notice new cracks in your house, and stories about shrinking floor insulation and failing concrete blocks can add to your concern. However, all new constructions rest under their weight. The building components are heavy.

How does settlement cracking happen?

Settlement cracking occurs at weak points in the structure like opening formed by windows and doors; the majority of modern construction provides for this movement with crack-inducing joints. This means cracks form at predetermined locations and initial settlement of a property should complete itself within ten years of its construction.

However, expansion and shrinking of structure materials can pursue beyond this point. Thermal movement, for example, happens as construction enlarge as they are heated and then shrink again as temperature falls. Most homeowners are familiar with the sound caused by the movement of the structure.

It used to typical for houses to be built sans joints that provide structure for thermal movement. Settlement cracks can fit in this normal thermal movement in the absence of the said joints; it also explains why cracks reappear when they are filled. The building structure is merely expanding and shrinking along the lines of the settlement crack.

How is subsidence different from settlement crack?

In the case of subsidence, cracking occurs when the ground that supports the structure moves away or is eroded; this can happen if a water main bursts or drain leakage, or erodes the dirt below the structure. Subsidence is common in areas where there is a history of mining. Subsidence can also occur when the supporting subsoil gets wetter than usual, say, during flooding or even drier than average; repair of subsidence is usually covered by home insurance Ireland.

What can be done about this problem?

You will have to confirm your house insurance company that the cracking is the product of subsidence and not settlement cracking; an initial assessment is carried out by a building surveyor. They can usually tell by the location and pattern of cracking, and some other tell-tale signs such as: have the doors started to jam? Have there been issues regarding drains or water mains? Has the area been witnessing an extreme dry spell?

The matter may be further investigated if the building inspector confirms that subsidence is the cause of the cracks. The investigation can include the deployment of monitors on cracks to document the degree and direction of movement.  An examination of the ground below the foundation and testing of water mains and drains may also be executed.

It is suggested that you engage a licensed professional to inspect and monitor the property before worrying unduly about cracks in the building.