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Subsidence in a home is a fact of life, not that every home is going to be subject to subsidence, just that when it does occur it is considered to be a catastrophic event. It has the ability to place at risk the most valuable asset that anyone can own, their home.

Far-reaching site investigations will have to take place, if your home should ever be so unfortunate to suffer from the effects of subsidence. The insurance company will require these in-depth investigations to prove that subsidence is indeed the cause. They will need to undertake soil testing, make trial holes and conduct drainage tests and this type of testing may even take months or years to complete. This can be completely distressing as you are living in a home that is virtually falling down around your ears. You start to feel like the three little pigs with the wolf blowing your house down and are unable to do anything about it.

There are several questions you have to ask yourself and many issues to be addressed:

* How long am I going to have to live with this mess?

* Who is the one going be that decides what work is required and how is it going to be carried out?

* Is it absolutely necessary that I use the contractors, surveyors and engineers that are affiliated to the insurance company?

* How are you going to be able to assess that the work being carried out is being done correctly?

* Who is going to deal with the insurance company on your behalf; deal with the telephone calls, insurance claim, loss adjuster, engineers, suppliers and contractors?

This is a huge responsibility and unless you as the homeowner really know what you are doing and are prepared to put up with additional stresses, becomes a monumental job.

There is one way of ensuring that everything gets taken care of to your best benefit and this is by appointing a claims consultant, also known as a loss assessor. A loss assessor will deal with all of these aspects on your behalf, to ensure that your interests are taken care of.

The insurance company, as a matter of course, appoints a loss adjuster and regardless of how friendly or helpful he may appear to be, he works for the insurance company and takes care of their best interests.

Some insurance companies have reported an increase of 3005 in claims resulting from subsidence since last year's record summer and they are becoming very reluctant to pay for strengthening the foundation of a home. This is known as underpinning! Instead they are more and more opting for patching up and cosmetic repairs while hoping for the best.

In circumstances such as these it is more than vital to appoint a loss assessor to handle any insurances claims that stem from subsidence. Engaging a specialist will be the only way to ensure that correct repairs are undertaken on your home for any damage caused by subsidence. One thing is certain you don't want the insurance company patching your precious asset up two or three times before finally agreeing to fix it correctly.