Subsidence worry and insurance

[Flyingarmadillo]

So long story short.. have moved into my parents home and noticed very concerning cracks on ceiling and walls, coming down to the top of the door frame. I have an ev so arranged to get a charger installed and they want to drill into the archway where there are also cracks. Due to come next week.

I am absolutely the terrified the house will collapse. I can’t believe they have let the house get like this and not done anything. They are only on state pension so their go to excuse is not having any money which I understand but why not contact insurance?

I’ve checked the policy and it says 4 adults living in the house which no longer applies because my younger siblings moved out 18 months ago so that hasn’t even been updated and now there is another adult (me) and also my 2dc living here now.
excess £1000.

So if I understand correctly and we make a claim then we will pay the £1000 excess but there is also the possibility that it may not be covered because the policy isn’t up to date due to the amount and ages of people on the policy.

What do I do? Should I cancel charger installation in the meantime?
Ive added pictures so please tell me if that’s subsidence or something else but whatever it is I’m so worried and don’t know how to handle this.
Would really appreciate any advice from anyone. Thank you x

It’s impossible to say just based off of the photos whether it is subsidence but it could be. Personally with cracks like that I wouldn’t be having the EV charger fitted, get the work done on the house first. With regards to your insurance it’s worth having a proper look through because there is usually an additional compulsory excess for subsidence work, typically it will be more than the excess you have agreed to, they will send somebody out to assess it and have the work done.

The problem you may have though is that failure to keep it up to date could invalidate the policy altogether, they need to know if there are children living there as typically this would increase the price and so if they deem that to have been kept secret to avoid higher premiums then there is every chance they will not pay out at all.

Get in touch with the provider OP ASAP x

any big trees nearby?

It is really hard to say IMO whether those cracks are superficial - ie in the plaster or structural. But they are of course significant.

How did they appear gradually or all at once ?

Thank you @Mrsttcno1 you’ve just said aloud what I’ve been thinking, I agree I should cancel the charger installation and contact the insurance provider. The ev installation want to drill through the archway- the opposite side of where the cracks are but I fear it will create more and insurance won’t cover it.

The insurance automatically renewed in April and already had a £200 increase, my dm forgot about it but usually she speaks to them and gets a lower quote. I am worried that if I call the insurance provider they will increase it even more than she can afford and of course when it comes to the excess claim they will say they can’t afford it so just leave the house as it is.

Oh gosh I really am stressed, shall I just call the provider and say I’ve looked at the policy and the people need to be amended and so on, then mention the cracks? I’m also worried that as soon as I mention the cracks the premium will also be higher too even without them covering it!

@lovetoshare81 there was a willow tree in the back garden, their neighbours made them cut it down. They also had one on the front but it got removed for the driveway.

@GasPanic i think they appeared gradually I don’t recall seeing them in the past years but tbh I’ve not looked up at the ceiling much before. I have noticed some creeping down the walls in the kitchen and they have definitely appeared gradually. Does that sound more like subsidence?

Thank you all by the way x

It’s a no win situation now in that respect @Flyingarmadillo you have to mention if there is subsidence, or if you think there is so that they can investigate, if you don’t mention it then in years to come you try to claim for it they will refuse it anyway as it’s been evident for years and you haven’t been paying the increased premiums to cover that. And you have to update the cover for the actual occupants of the property because if you don’t then it can invalidate the cover anyway. So essentially if you say nothing about either of those things then you are paying for insurance that won’t pay out so it’s money down the drain, if you do tell them then yes the price will be increased but at least you’ll have insurance that you can actually use. X

@Mrsttcno1 You’ve written that so clearly and truthfully, it’s the correct advice I’ve needed to hear all along! Thank so much, you are a star! That’s actually helped clear my head from the worry and you are right, essentially whatever happens we will have to pay the increase and just deal with it but at least we will have the cover.

I just feel saddened by my parents ignorance and lack of concern. But will go ahead and call the provider then cancel installation. Thank you mrs. X

No problem @Flyingarmadillo ! Good luck! It is frustrating but I do think some people just turn a blind eye to things that feel overwhelming to deal with and it just ends up causing a bigger problem to deal with down the line, my husband is a bit like your parents in that respect so I do understand your frustration! X

When you call them, I wouldn’t even mention subsidence. I’d just concerning cracks and their expert can come to their own conclusion about what’s going on. I haven’t dealt with insurers but structural engineers are very cautious about labelling a house that moves subsidence.

We bought a house that turned out to need quite significant structural work and had to deal with two structural engineers and a RICS surveyor. I was sure it would be subsidence but they all put it down as ‘historic movement’ - it didn’t feel very historic because my hand could fit in the crack in the bricks!!

Our house is covered in these and has been for ages. Its highly unlikely the house will collapse, if it was going to do that you would see cracks outside in the brickwork big enough to see daylight through. People are often surprised how serious cracking/buldging/bowing has to be before a house finally gives way.

These are just cracks in the plaster due to age, slight movement (like vibrations from the road, footsteps etc...) and moisture changes.

Our house has cracks like this. We had a surveyor come out who said that they ère nothing to worry about so I've decided to believe him.