Home insurance rip off......

[Blueistheneworange]

Nothing speaks Christmas more than a floooded kitchen.....or at least that was the message we were getting early on Christmas morning when we came down to what I thought was a leaking washing machine. We cleared up the puddle and went into the sitting room to see if Father Christmas had visited.
When I went back into the kitchen the puddle had reappeared and was growing as we watched.
Many towels later and having disconnected the washing machine and dishwasher we realised the problem was a bit bigger and turned of the mains water to the house.
With no family living close by i was getting desperate about how to feed the family the planned dinner. We managed to isolate the water to the ground floor and decided to crack on getting water from the bathroom and washing up in the bath.
But then the water started coming back on the kitchen floor. This time we realised it was warm so managed to turn off all the hot water to the house. Since then we've managed by boiling kettles to have water for washing.
This morning the insurance company was open so we called to begin the process. As the leak seems to be coming from hot water pipes under the tiles in the kitchen (in the concrete floor) we wanted to make sure we were fully compliant with the insurers policies and protocols as it could be difficult, and expensive, to find the leak, repair it and repair the damage caused by the previous two.
Our insurance have tried to tell us that we aren't covered for any repairs needed to the floor (or kitchen) - that we are covered for the leak to be found and stopped and anything damaged by the water but that we would have to pay for anything beyond that.
We've gone through our policy and can't find anything to support the insurers viewpoint. AIBU to think that the whole idea of the insurance company not funding the cost of the repair and reinstating of the floor is just their attempt to opt out of their committment to us - if that's the case what is the point of anyone having insurance. Does anyone have past experiences and can offer any helpful advice.

Thanks

Crikey - tell us the insurers so we can avoid them!

Sorry, I don't but I'm bumping this for you.

Insurance is such a scam that I do feel for you. Would there be any tips on moneysavingexpert about your rights re policy?

And yes to naming and shaming.

We experienced this kind of treatment recently when the water tank split in the loft. We were told the policy only covered any damage caused by the water.

Bloody useless

What type of insurance is it? Is it the type that insures the house or the type that insures the house contents?

Is it a compulsory insurance that your mortgage adviser insists on?

When our kitchen flooded the repair to the timbers etc was covered by buildings insurance, but we had to claim separately under the contents insurance for the actual flooring. Is it maybe something like that?

I don't think this sounds unusual. At least it is the same as my insurance. I'm pretty sure my insurance has said the same to me. We ended up isolating the leak off the property so didn't need the insurance so it didn't end up being a problem.

Ultimately it's up to the customer to work out what insurance they want. I have jewelley and ive gone to great pains to ensure I'm insured for what I want to be insured for. It's expensive and time consuming. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What sort of insurance is it? You often need the added extras to pay for sourcing leaks and repairing damage. I often read the small print on insurance as it's a flipping nightmare as to what is/isn't covered. It normally states in the policy exactly what is or isn't covered, ask them to direct you to it if its there

Insurers will find and stop the leak if you have emergency call out.

You then REPAIR the leak.

Insurers will then pay for repair to any damage the leak caused.

We had same with water tank burst.
They found & stopped the problem, we paid to replace the tank, they reboarded & redecorated damaged ceiling.

I work for an insurance company and speak about this everyday (hides)! Most policies cover for the resulting water damage caused by the leak and costs involved in the ‘tracing and accessing’ of the leak but not the repair to the leak itself. So if you arrange a plumber and they have to take up some of your floor tiles to find the leak we would agree to pay for the damaged tiles and any other water damage but you have to pay the plumber for the repair they carry out to the pipe work

Missed a bit - Insurers will then pay for repair to any damage the leak caused if you have accidental damage protection

We have (or at least we thought) fully comprehensive building and contents insurance. We also have an emergency trace and fix. The emergency branch of our insurance is telling us to speak to the main insurance people as that's where it's covered but the main branch are sending us back to the emergency element.
I've had a quick look on the Financials ombudsman site and there have been some people on there who've had success with getting some parts paid by the insurance company so long as they got a clear trail showing that any damage caused was essential in getting to the leak to stop it.
I just don't understand how if we hadn't been responsible and shut down the hot water system the insurance would pay for all the damage but because we have done that they won't cover taking up the floor to plug the leak so that we can have hot water. I just want a shower....

We do have accidental damage cover...does that mean the telephone operator got it wrong?

ET would the insurance cover damage caused by the plumber taking up the floor to access the leak.

You may have to claim off both building and contents insurance as they cover different things

I work in insurance claims for a large firm of loss adjusters.

You don't need AD cover for the resultant water damage- it would be classed as escape of water if it's from a burst pipe, which is covered as standard under your buildings and or contents policy.

You are responsible for having the leak fixed.
If you have trace and access cover it will cover you for any damage caused tracing the leak, and then to put it back as it was before.

Your policy then covers you for the resultant water damage.

I'm a little confused by your original post, but I do have a splitting headache, so apologies if I'm asking a really obvious question.

What are they saying they won't cover?
And who are your insurance underwriters?

I was told trace and access only applied if the leak had caused damage already. That was easily solved by throwing a few buckets of water on the wall and phoning them back (not really, but wtf stupid clause is that?)

Blue - all the policies that I deal with would cover the cost of taking the floor up to trace the leak BUT only if there is also water damage to your property. Unfortunately sometimes when customers take quick action to stop there from being water damage this has the effect of meaning the customer cannot claim for the tracing costs.

Meant to add, as other posters have pointed out, you would only be covered for trace and access if there is also water damage.

If you look carefully there probably is water damage of some kind

There is definitely water damage....over two hundred litres of water from the cylinder had emptied out into the kitchen.....the plinths to all the kitchen cupboards are blown, there is a water make several inches up the plaster along two walls of the kitchen under the units and the concrete floor is full of water even though we've had the dehumidifier going since stopping any more water coming out. I could see where water was bubbling up under the tiles and through the concrete but that doesn't necessarily indicate where the pipe is, just the weakest point in the floor.
We do have trace and leak cover and also accidental damage ....

It's a well known insurer...not some fly-by-night firm; I don't know if o should name them publicly as yet.

We do have a plumber coming round tomorrow to try and restore hot water to at least some of the house before the new year...thank goodness we do have heating still

A relative of mine went through something similar and the insurance company tried on all sorts of stuff and sent out a very aggressive damage assessor initially.

Eventually they agreed to pay for all of the damage to the house (it took over a year to rebuild), and replace almost all of their possessions, and pay for 12 months of rent for alternative accommodation.

She did have to fight hard - and she had to provide a list of everything that was damaged, and a replacement cost. You can imagine the size of the spreadsheet.

It was a miserable experience and initially she had to make it very clear that she was not going to be bullied.

Good luck!

Takes notes. Hope you are getting this sorted OP.