Subsidence and Insurance claims

Where trees are implicated in a claim for damage to a building, Chaucer Landscape Management will conduct a detailed assessment of the trees and the evidence put froward by the claimant to provide objective advice on the best course of action. Advice can also be provided if a property owner has concerns over the potential for a tree to cause damage.

SUBSIDENCE AND INSURANCE CLAIMS

Trees within close proximity to buildings are often cited as being the cause of structural damage. This can arise through direct contact between any part of the tree and buildings, or if the building is located on shrinkable clay, as a result of indirect damage as tree roots dehydrate the soil, causing levels to fall (the opposite effect is sometimes seen as 'heave' when a tree is removed, and soils rehydrate).  

All too often, a much-loved tree will be identified as the culprit, sometimes without any basis in fact.  Before a conclusion is reached, an appraisal of the damage should be conducted to draw conclusions as to the cause.

Chaucer Landscape Management will conduct a thorough, objective investigation of suspected tree related damage on behalf of insurance companies as well as for tree owners.

• Insurers’ reports:  I provide the arboricultural expertise required to assess the likelihood of vegetation related subsidence having occurred.  Investigations are carried out and the resulting findings used to determine whether surrounding vegetation is likely to have been an influencing factor in the cause of damage.

• Tree owners’ reports: I will analyse all submitted evidence implicating a third party’s tree in an insurance claim, ensuring that the correct investigations have been carried out and that the results from investigations have been correctly interpreted.