Are preventative works covered by insurance?

In my area we have had a few very heavy storm seasons (who hasn't). There has been deluge upon deluge on already sodden ground and that has caused water to pool and spread around the back of my house.

Several cracks have appeared and are putting monitors on them but the engineer has stated that, with the now constant rain events, we need to address drainage at the back of the house as a matter of priority as it is not sufficient anymore.

It's not an easy site to work and 3 quotes have been €8k, €10lk, €10.5 which will cripple us but if those cracks are the beginnings of a subsidence event it must be done now or major works will be required.

If the engineers report reflects that is it something the insurance covers?

In all the years I've had insurance I've never had something come up that I would even think of claiming for, until now, so don't actually have a clue of the process.

We have both flood and subsidence cover.

Eggs For Dinner

Insurance will cover a sudden and unforeseen event, listed in your policy, which occurs at a specific time on a specific date. In short, gradually operating causes, or preventive maintenance is not covered by insurance

I'm saying preventing more damage, if the report says subsidence, and not preventing a new event.

I'm awaiting the report but likely the damage is already happening and the cause will be the draining water.

Does remediation include the cause or just the repairs to the actual building?

Jim2007

All such insurance policies are not equal. When the insurance company writes a policy with you, there underwriters will take into account the type of property you have and it's location, to define what risks they will cover and at what price. So you need to sit down and read your policy carefully noting any exclusion etc. to understand exactly what your cover is.

Generally speaking such policies cover unexpected events and does not cover remediation work needed to prevent that event happening, in fact you are obliged to take all reasonable steps necessary to avoid the event happening. That said, I have seen a few cases where insurance companies have decided on a case by case basis to pay part of the remediation work, but it was only in cases where the engineer reports made it clear that covered event was almost certain to happen and the insurance company would be on the hook for a much greater sum if the work was not carried out.

For the moment I guess all you can do is clarify what you are covered for under your policy and wait for the report.

Eggs For Dinner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121419470#Comment_121419470

If you have subsidence cover and it is established that you have suffered (not about to) subsidence, then you will be compensated for the whole works. If subsidence is just anticipated, then the policy will not react. In addition, now that you have identified an issue, the onus is on you to take action to prevent future loss.

Subsidence is extremely difficult to prove. More often than not, damage is as a result of insufficient foundations, general settlement, poor tying in of extensions to the existing structure or subterranean water flow