Foundation Repair and Insurance

My house is from 1970's and built on the stumps. It has building movement due reactive soil which is causing door jamps and the cracks have started to build up on the walls. The external area is rendered so don't know if any brick is cracked.

How much does it cost for underpinning? Is there a way to get it covered by insurance? I

 

Generally you don’t underpin a house on stumps.. you relevel the stump, or worst case rebuild the stump with a new footing into firm ground.

If the external render is cracked, chances are the brick is cracked also.

There are quite a few maintenance things you can do to prevent ongoing cracking including addressing drainage, vegetation, and articulating the external walls/internal linings. Call a structural engineer for advice.

No chance with insurance unless there has been an event e.g. burst pipe, earthquake, flood etc

 

Just spoke with the insurer who said I can lodge a claim and they will send a builder for an assessment. If the damage is caused by an insured event for e.g..rain seeping into foundation, they will cover the repair. If the damage is due to excluded event, I can withdraw the claim and no excess will be payable.

Is it worth going through this process and how it will impact any future claims?

 

Reactive soil isn’t an insurable event - so don’t get your hopes too high...

 

As you have noted the insurer will let you know if it’s an exclusion and give you the opportunity to withdraw the claim.. so it shouldn’t count against you moving forward.

If you’re lucky you may get a copy of the report which should identify the maintenance issues you need to address.