Spooks or subsidence? Before you blame ghosts, check your foundations

A door creaking open in the middle of the night. A glass moving across the tabletop by itself. Kitchen drawers opening on their own. Floorboards groaning as if sagging under an invisible weight.

Sounds like ghosts? Well, the truth is, it could actually be your home’s foundations shifting – and in some cases, subsidence. But before you panic, it’s entirely normal for buildings to have some form of movement as they settle and they react to seasonal changes.

And as we’ve seen an unusually hot summer this year, it’s likely that the heat will have affected the foundations of many buildings across the UK¹ which is likely down to climate change – meaning that this is an issue that you should continually be on the lookout for.

In this article we take a closer look at the effects of subsidence, and what you need to look out for.

Subsidence is what happens when the soil beneath a building moves or sinks. There are several causes of subsidence:

• Clay soil shrinkage: When the weather gets hot, clay shrinks and cracks.

• Clay soil expansion: When the weather gets wet, clay expands.

• Tree roots: If you have large trees or shrubs on your property, their roots can draw the moisture from the soil, leaving it dry and accelerating clay shrinkage.

• Leaking drains: Escaping water can soften and expand the soil or wash it away entirely.

• Mining/tunnelling: Digging beneath a property’s foundations can cause the soil above to shift.

Subsidence can also cause ghostly effects that some people might mistakenly put down to the supernatural rather than structural causes. These effects can include:

• Doors and cupboards opening on their own: This is caused by slight tilts, warped frames, and gravity imbalance

• Objects moving or falling: This is caused by slopes, vibrations and unstable positioning

• Creaks, bangs and “footsteps”: These can be caused by temperature changes, and materials expanding or contracting

• Things happening “all at once”: This can happen when a whole kitchen unit or floor shifts together

Buildings moving and creaking is common and usually nothing to worry about. However, there are some signs which may suggest a more serious underlying issue:

• New or growing cracks (especially diagonal ones)

• Doors or windows sticking or struggling to close

• Sloping floors

• Repeated or escalating issues

You can perform some easy checks to see if you have subsidence or if the problem is worsening – here are a few ideas:

• Use a marble or other small ball on surfaces to test that they’re level

• Check hinges and catches on doors and windows – are they properly aligned?

• Look for patterns - do you hear noises or witness movements at the same time each day? Does the weather seem to affect the frequency of the movements? Do temperature changes seem to affect them?

If you notice significant or worsening changes, you should let your insurer know and consider hiring a structural engineer to address the subsidence.

So, before you blame ghosts, it's worth taking a closer look at what's happening beneath your home.

Make sure to check the subsidence limits on your home insurance policy - the excess can often exceed £1000, so it's worth knowing exactly how much you would need to pay if your home is affected.

For more information, speak to your usual adviser or find out more via our website.

Sources:

1. Insurance support tops £150 million for homes affected by subsidence (ABI - Association of British Insurers) - WorldNews

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute legal or other professional advice and cannot be relied upon as such. Should you have any queries, we recommend that you consult the appropriate professional adviser.

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