LV= General Insurance is compelling a family with three small children to reside in a deteriorating home due to budget reductions and prolonged delays in addressing their claims.
The family submitted a claim in 2023 for subsidence issues affecting their extension and conservatory. Rather than approving the necessary repairs suggested by independent specialists, LV= has spent years delaying the process and offering insufficient, cosmetic fixes.
After three years, notable cracks have appeared in the interior walls, leading to a radiator detaching. Despite providing evidence to LV= regarding the situation, the family feels ignored as their home continues to deteriorate.
In the meantime, LV= has dramatically increased their annual insurance premium from £400 to £2,500, leading the family to believe they are being penalized for making a claim.
Claims related to subsidence are on the rise, largely due to recurring droughts causing soil contraction. The presence of nearby trees exacerbates the issue, and despite following LV=’s advice to have several trees removed, the problem persists.
An independent surveyor, engaged by the family in May after reaching a stalemate with the insurance provider, determined that the damaged extension required either underpinning or a complete rebuild. However, there has been little advancement in resolving the case since then.
LV= has recently indicated that it received a quote for the underpinning work last February, but the repairs were not executed. The company has since admitted that the cracks have worsened and a full rebuild is now necessary.
According to LV=, repairs will commence once the designs are finalized and the necessary approvals from the council are obtained. The company attributes the subsidence and the resulting delays to an eucalyptus tree owned by a neighboring property, whose owner has refused to remove it.
A spokesperson for LV= stated, “LV= General Insurance takes this claim very seriously and understands the frustration regarding the lengthy resolution process. Subsidence cases can take time since the primary focus is to address the cause of the movement—in this instance, the removal of the tree—before permanent repairs can be made.”
LV= is currently reassessing the increase in the family’s premium through its complaints procedure.
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