Subsidence Mitigation: The Legal Principles

Subsidence: mitigating insurer's outlay and maximising recovery prospects.

Tree root subsidence claims are often long running and expensive for insurers, not to mention the impact they have on the policyholder. This is especially so when underpinning of the affected property is required to reinstate stability. Where underpinning is required, insurer's outlay can often run into the tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. Frustratingly, these costs can invariably be avoided by securing swift removal of the implicated vegetation; however, where the tree is not owned by the policyholder, swift removal is often elusive and insurer's best option is to seek to recover the costs of underpinning from the third party tree owner.