Insurers won't pay up :-/

[Earthdog]

Any suggestions/experiences please? I (sort of) own a flat which has been rented out for many years. A few months ago, the bath cracked, water leaked out and it damaged the flat below. I obviously assumed insurance would cover this but was informed today by the flats' management company that the insurers considered the bath leak 'wear and tear' so wouldn't cover the damage! I am pretty disgusted, I feel it goes against the spirit of insurance; googling suggests I should fight this decision & one website pointed to some quotes from the relevant ombudsman to use. It is annoying as my own insurer is really good, but because the flat is in a block the management co. deals with it as a whole and just goes for the cheapest quote :-( Thanks for reading my rant..

Ime, you need to appeal/fight to have any insurance claim paid.

I don't think this is wear and tear, but it depends on the cover you have.

Thanks I will fight it; worth a try. Some insurers are good, I don't think one should have to fight! I have never seen the cover unfortunately as the management co have always totally dealt with it. Thanks again.

You have to follow the following procedure to get your complaint looked at by teh Financial Ombudsman.

First step is make formal written complaint to the insurance company. Then second step is take your complaint to the Ombudsman.

It is increasingly the standard practice of many insurers to reject as many claims as possible on any pretext and wait until the customer complains. Many do not complain and the insurer does not pay out - they increase their profits that way.

Had a similar experience with claiming on insurance for my FIL after he became ill and had to cancel his holiday. They paid up once me and DW got involved and threatened to take it to the ombudsman.

Fact is may claims processing clerks are bonused on how many claims thay can reject. He who shouts loudest wins!

I am sure you are right. Why is modern life getting more and more difficult and complicated? Glad to hear you won your battle and thanks for the link. I will definitely give it a good shot. I daren't ask how much I am liable for if this doesn't work...thanks again.

good luck - insurance is rubbish these days imo - i have complained and taken a claim to the ombudsman - 3 years later,sorry to say,nothing and no right to appeal.

Oh dear that's not reassuring! How the heck did it take 3 years? :-0 It does make you wonder what the point is...thanks

sorry - it took at least a year to go through the ins co part of the complaint.hope you have better luck.

The insurers might not have to pay for the replacement of the bath itself, but they should cover the damage caused by the resulting leak.

We had a similar thing a few years back, where the kitchen sink had been quietly leaking onto the floor under the cupboards. The insurance only covered the damage to the floor, not the leaking sink itself.

The crack MIGHT be wear and tear- all we know is that the crack suddenly appeared; that is all that the tenants know. They have not said that anything actually happened, eg that they dropped anything into it..it was reported quickly and I had the bath suite replaced asap within a few days as I couldn't find a matching bath. AFAIK the management co. claimed for the repair to the flat below and a replacement bath (not the whole suite). I am not bothered about the latter, but would hope the actual water damage would be covered. There was no damage to my flat other than the bath crack.. I do indeed need to see the policy wording though not sure how one proves the cause of a bath crack whatever the wording- I would guess the bath has long since gone! I just find it astounding that even though I am insured I could effectively be liable for this sort of damage. Hopefully it wont be much, I have kept my head down and not talked to the flat below yet..thanks.