What is subsidence?

Subsidence is when a building’s foundation losses support and sinks into the ground.

Its main causes are:

• Changes in the normal water content of the subsoil under the foundation (particularly clay), due mainly to the effect of trees planted too close to buildings.
• The makeup of the ground such as man-made, reclaimed land, or peat
• Poor design or construction of a house or its foundations
• The house is not designed or built to suit the soil conditions.
• The location of the site (eg on a steep slope)