Claims specialist Sedgwick anticipates subsidence claims to increase between 300 – 400% at their peak this August for the UK market, potentially exceeding the last surge event in 2018.

“If we didn’t already know… surge conditions are now fully upon us,” said James Preston, technical director at Sedgwick.

He added that high risk areas such as the south east and North London are experiencing high claim volumes but in contrast to 2018, the last surge event, claim numbers further North are lower as of yet and with us now entering what should be the wetter months of the year and trees starting to reduce their water uptake, this could be a small but welcomed relief.

However he that, despite the pressures faced by homeowners at present, now is not the time to panic, and the message to homeowners should be not to instantly push the subsidence button. 

Preston added that the appearance of minor cracking is not uncommon in houses that don’t have subsidence, and for the majority it does not represent a major structural problem. As such, it is best to seek advice in the first instance and use a common sense approach.

He noted: “Climate change is not something I would claim to be an expert in by any stretch, however the frequent events of extreme weather I feel cannot be ignored and we need to play our part, whether that be utilising technology to reduce traffic flow or invest and implement alternative mitigation options, anything that helps reduce our CO2 output, is the way forward.”