Home insurance for a house with a history of subsidence.
A previous subsidence claim doesn’t make a home uninsurable — but standard, off-the-shelf cover often won’t take it. Here’s how the specialist market works in 2026, what tends to happen to the premium and excess, and the paperwork that makes cover far easier to arrange.
The essentials in 30 seconds
- It is insurable. A home with a history of subsidence can be covered — usually through a specialist insurer or broker rather than a standard price-comparison quote.
- Expect a loading. Premiums are typically higher and the subsidence excess in particular is large — often around £1,000 or more, separate from your normal excess.
- Paperwork matters. A Certificate of Structural Adequacy after repairs, plus any engineer’s report and underpinning guarantee, makes cover much easier to place.
- Staying put is often simplest. The existing insurer already knows the history; if you’re buying, ask whether the current policy can transfer.
General guidance drawn from ABI and broker-body (BIBA) material on subsidence. Information only — not a quote and not advice.
Premium, excess and the practical impact
Subsidence is priced on the individual case, not a single rate card. Two things usually move once a property has a subsidence history: the premium carries a risk loading, and the subsidence excess — the amount you pay towards any future ground-movement claim — is set high. The figures below are broad orientation only; a specialist underwriter looking at your actual case can often price more keenly than a database-driven standard quote.
| What changes | Typical direction in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Buildings premium | Loaded above a standard equivalent — indicatively in the region of a fifth to a third higher, case-dependent |
| Subsidence-specific excess | Substantial — commonly around £1,000, and sometimes higher, applied only to subsidence/heave/landslip claims |
| Where cover is placed | Specialist subsidence insurers and brokers; many mainstream comparison quotes will decline or exclude |
| Property value | A history of movement can weigh on market value even after full, certified repair |
Indicative directions for orientation only — not a quote, and not a stated average. Every case is underwritten individually.
How to arrange cover on a subsidence-history home
The reason standard quotes struggle is that the online engines screen out declared subsidence automatically. The workable routes all involve a human underwriter assessing the case on its merits. For the wider picture on buildings and contents cover, see the home insurance hub.
| Route | How it works |
|---|---|
| Stay with the existing insurer | They already hold the claim history and the repair record, so continuing cover is often the path of least resistance — especially where a claim was settled and repairs certified. |
| Use a specialist subsidence broker | Brokers have access to underwriters who assess subsidence cases individually rather than rejecting them on a database flag. This is the usual route when a standard insurer declines. |
| Provide the repair paperwork | A Certificate of Structural Adequacy from a qualified structural engineer, plus any underpinning guarantee and monitoring records, is the single biggest factor in getting a workable quote. |
| Declare it fully and accurately | Subsidence is a material fact. Non-disclosure can void a policy or a claim, so it must always be declared — getting a loaded quote is far better than an unenforceable one. |
General guidance only — not a recommendation of any specific insurer, broker or product.
If you’re buying — or selling — the property
- Buying: ask for the Certificate of Structural Adequacy, the structural engineer’s report, and any underpinning guarantee. Lenders generally want these before offering a mortgage on a previously-underpinned home.
- Transfer the cover if you can: ask the seller whether their insurer will let the buildings policy continue in your name — inheriting an insurer that already knows the history can be simpler than starting fresh.
- Selling: subsidence is a material fact you must disclose on the property information form. Repair certificates and a clean monitoring history reassure buyers and their lenders.
- Budget for the excess: factor the higher subsidence excess into your running costs, not just the headline premium.
For how buildings cover is priced more generally — and where postcode risk fits in — see our guide to the average home insurance cost in the UK.
Subsidence-history home insurance FAQs
Information only — not financial advice. Figures are indicative and for orientation, not quotes or stated averages, and subsidence cover is underwritten on each property individually. My Insurance Expert is not an FCA-authorised intermediary and does not arrange or sell policies. Last updated: 2026-07-14