Cracks In Front Wall Of House Due To Heavy Traffic

[revpat55]

I am looking for some advice before I get in touch with my insurer Direct Line. I live in an old Victorian terraced house (built in 1886) on an arterial road on a main bus route with heavy traffic (incluing HGV's) passing practically 24/7. The front wall of the house is about 12 feet from the road. I have just started stripping the front living room wall to redecorate and there is a crack in the plaster as well as a gap of about 1cm between the ceiling and the front wall. This is probable due to the traffic but I am not sure what my legal position is if there is any subsidence. Would this normally be covered by my buildings insurance? Will they just consider this to be cosmetic? I know ALL insurance companies will do ANYTHING to avoid paying out & don't wants to start a battle I can't win!

[gness]

Just off out so no time for a long answer about my experience but be very careful before you contact your insurance company. I did for the same reason as you and though they were very good and discovered my problem was a tree in next door's garden because subsidence had been mentioned it put my premiums up. Even when I came to sell telling buyers you have NO evidence of subsidence but have had the house checked for it can worry some people.
Bit waffley....in a hurry...someone will give better advice I'm sure.

[soapnumpty]

I would recommend contacting your insurers. I used to deal with Subsidence insurance claims. If you mention cracking they will probably send out a structural engineer or loss adjuster to investigate the cause and establish if you have a valid claim. To put it simply Subsidence is caused by the foundations moving, due to the soil below expanding or contracting. This is usually caused by tree roots or leaking drains. Heavy traffic going past over a long period of time is unlikely to be considered as 'subsidence' and probably won't be covered by your insurance. I wouldn't automatically assume this is the cause of your cracking though. Give your insurers a call and let them investigate. They don't all try to avoid paying out I can assure you! Be warned though, if it is subsidence there is no quick fix. It can take a while to establish the cause of the movement. Good luck.

[boxtops]

Your house is a bit younger than ours (ours is 1860) and the foundations are very limited - we get cracks from time to time as the house shifts about (we're centre terrace). How long have you lived there? was there any mention of cracks when you had the survey done before you moved in?

[revpat55]

All great answers & thanks for the advice. Soapnumpty, I am only going by what he builder who replastered the front bedroom told me & it seemed believable as a reason for the cracks but I only have his advice. Boxtops, I have been here over 30 years & there were no problems when I moved in. However, we have no trees within 500 meter radius that would be likely to cause any root damage. Again, thanks for taking the time to reply