Insurance Retaining Wall Claims in Christchurch
Top Retaining Walls Christchurch documents and repairs retaining wall damage that is going through an insurance claim. We photograph the damage as found, write a plain description of the failure mechanism, and quote the make safe work separately from the permanent repair, which is how assessors expect to see it.
- Damage photographed before anything is touched
- Failure mechanism described in writing
- Make safe quoted separately from permanent repair
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Four quick questions. Most quotes come back within a couple of days.
We are not brokers or loss adjusters and we do not advise on whether to claim. That depends on your excess, your policy wording and your claims history, and it is your decision. What we can do is make sure the evidence exists and that the quote is structured so an assessor can work with it.
What insurers look at on a retaining wall claim
Sudden versus gradual
Most policies respond to sudden damage and exclude gradual deterioration. A wall that collapsed in a storm and a wall that has been slowly leaning for eight years sit on different sides of that line, and the description of the failure is what determines which.
Cause
Whether the wall failed, the ground moved, or a third party did something. Each leads somewhere different.
Was it consented
An unconsented wall over the threshold complicates a claim. It is worth knowing before you lodge rather than after.
How we document retaining wall damage for a claim
Photographs from multiple angles before anything moves, including the ground above and below the wall. Measurements of the displacement. A written description of what we observed and what it indicates. Where we cannot determine the cause without investigation, we say that rather than guessing in a document somebody will rely on.
Make safe and permanent retaining wall repair, quoted separately
Make safe work stops further damage and is usually treated differently by insurers. Propping a wall, removing load from behind it, or fencing off an area are all make safe.
We quote it as a separate line with its own scope, because combining it with the permanent repair is a common reason a claim gets queried.
Retaining Wall Insurance Claims at a glance
- What we provide
- Photographs, measurements and a written failure description
- Quote structure
- Make safe separated from permanent repair
- Usual policy line
- Sudden damage covered, gradual deterioration excluded
- Complication
- Unconsented walls over the threshold
- What we do not do
- Advise on whether to claim, or act as a loss adjuster
- Honesty
- Where the cause needs investigation we say so rather than guessing
Retaining Wall Insurance Claims in Christchurch: common questions
Will my insurance cover a failed retaining wall?
It depends on the cause and your policy. Sudden damage is often covered, gradual deterioration usually is not. We document it properly either way.
Should I claim?
That is your call and it depends on your excess and claims history. We do not advise on it.
What do you provide for the claim?
Photographs, measurements, a written failure description and a quote with make safe separated from permanent repair.
Does it matter if the wall was unconsented?
It can complicate a claim, and it is worth knowing before you lodge rather than after.
Are retaining walls covered by house insurance?
It varies considerably between policies, and some cover them only to a specified limit or only where they support the house. Sudden damage is more often covered than gradual deterioration. Read your policy wording rather than assuming either way, and check whether the wall is named as a specified item.
What should I do before touching a damaged wall?
Photograph it from several angles before anything moves, including the ground above and below the wall, and keep the originals with their timestamps. If make safe work is genuinely urgent, do it and photograph before and after. Insurers deal with make safe differently to permanent repair, and evidence taken afterwards is much weaker.
Do you deal with the insurer for me?
We provide the evidence and the quote in the form assessors expect, with make safe separated from permanent repair. We do not act as a loss adjuster or advise on whether to claim, because that depends on your excess, your policy and your claims history and it is your decision to make.
Recent Christchurch jobs
Boundary wall between us and the neighbour on a new build. Sorted the levels, the consent question and the fence on top in one job. Turned up when they said and left the site clean every night.
Builder here. I use them on subdivision work because the paperwork comes back complete. PS1 up front, PS4 at the end, no chasing.
Wall failed after the big rain and took part of the bank with it. Made safe within two days and rebuilt a month later with real drainage behind it.
Terraced the back lawn into two levels. Fast, tidy, fair price, and the drainage was done properly.
Get a price for retaining wall insurance claims in Christchurch
Free site visit, a fixed written quote, and a straight answer on what the wall actually needs.
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Four questions and you are done.