The other day we started to suspect there was a leak under the concrete floor of our kitchen extension (damp smell, concrete behind plinths looks damp, lifting skirting, peeling paint). We phoned insurance company for advice. We have "trace & access" cover which the person we spoke to advised meant they would pay for the leak to be found and accessed so it could be repaired but we would have to pay for the repair itself. They would then pay for any damage caused by the plumber while carrying out the repair such as if he ripped up the flooring plus any damage caused by the leak, such as to decor. We repeated this back to her to check our understanding and she said "correct". We then agreed to find a plumber/leak detection company and send them the bill.
After phoning round, we found and booked a leak detection company for a few days time who said they would provide a full report for the insurance. They will be using non invasive methods such as thermal imaging to locate the leak, assuming there is one. Not cheap but at least we're covered for it, or so we thought!
In the interests of keeping the insurance company updated, we called them back to let them know to expect the bill. We spoke to someone different who said we'd misunderstood her colleague and that they will not be paying the leak detection company's bill, only for any damage caused by the plumber/water as above. We tried arguing but she was having none of it!
This doesn't sound right. I've done some googling and still feel the original explanation makes sense, for example:
www.pinpointtraceandaccess.co.uk/2020/12/trace-and-access-insurance-claims-explained-in-10-minutes/
Who's right here? Anyone have any experience?
Thank you 😊