Andrew May wrote:
Just been told by my insurance broker that no insurance company will
give subsidence cover within five years of underpinning being performed.

So how do developers cope who buy a property that needs considerable
work including some underpinning and then sell on when finished if their
purchaser cannot get subsidence insurance and hence probably a mortgage?
I cannot see any building society being prepared to lend on a property
that is not insured if it starts to fall down.

There must have been several episodes of Property Ladder that require
underpinning but sadly this is the sort of issue that they don't address.

AIUI typically the underpinning company will provide a guarantee so you
will have some kind of certificate which you can provide to the mortgage
company. This was certainly the situation in the house that I lived in
which had been underpinned (it had been built on a slope which was cut
away and the ground had started moving under the house).

For instance - see he
http://www.roger-bullivant.co.uk/pro...erpinning.html

"We carry out work for all the major insurances companies; we also
carry out domestic and commercial underpinning for example barn
conversions and retro-fit basements. All our underpinning works carry a
12 year insurance backed guarantee."