What happens in very extreme droughts?
Droughts can affect the home in other ways, such as cracks opening up due to subsidence caused by the soil becoming very dry. The vast majority of subsidence happens in houses built on clay soil. The cause is clay shrinking as the ground dries up. This movement can cause cracks in your house and you need to look out for ones that are wider at one end than the other. If you spot a crack, get in touch with your household insurance company who will be able to offer advice about what to do. The typical cost of a subsidence claim is £8,000. Most homeowners will have to pay the first £1,000, although some policies have an excess of as much as £5,000. For further advice, go to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors website: http://www.rics.org/ or contact your insurance company.
