Not covered by insurance - is this right?

[Ruu]

Our rainwater pipe and soakaway is jammed solid with roots and soil and will need cleaning or a whole new soakaway installing.
We have general buildings and contents insurance. We've been told that it comes under 'accidental damage'. I didn't tick the box for this extra bit of insurance and we're not covered.
Thanks.

You're supposed to maintain the drainage. You haven't, there's a problem, you've caused accidental damage.

Without meaning to sound too harsh, you can't expect not to maintain your property in the expectation that the insurance will pay out when the neglect causes damage. TBH I'm surprised that they are implying that they might have covered you if you'd ticked the accidental damage box.

That is 'general house maintenance' not an insurance event.

We've not long moved in and it looks like years of stuff. You live and learn!

Of course it needs cleaning, the reason it is jammed is because you haven't cleaned it. Insurance is not intended for such things.

Was it by any chance checked on your survey when you bought the house?

No the survey didn't pick it up.

I assume you don't have home cover with British gas or a water board that may cover it .

Do you know what kind of material the pipes are made out of?

That's just general maintenance.

Most policies provide cover for damage to drainage systems, under the section ‘accidental damage to underground services’. The significant majority of policies provide this cover as standard, however recently some insurers have started to offer policies in which property owners are asked to select accidental damage as additional cover.

From UKDP website, a claims management company that specialises in drainage issues.