drains cover advice needed please

ih8stress

Looking to renew my house insurance (no particular company chosen yet) and would like drains, pipes, cables etc. included but am confused by the definitions.
Some policies list drains as covered for 'accidental damage' eg.


"Cables, Pipes and Tanks
Accidental damage for which you are legally responsible to
any cable, underground service pipes, drains or underground
tanks servicing the home.

Exclusions:
The cost of clearing blocked drains unless the blockage is caused
by damage to the fabric of the drains insured by this section.
Damage caused to pitch fibre drains and by any inherent
defect in the design, construction or installation of the drains."

But policies also say wear and tear is excluded and I am unsure as to which category would apply.

Obviously this is for potential problems so I could not predict in advance if a drain/pipe were to be blocked, collapsed, cracked etc. or the possible cause, tree root, wear and tear etc.

So basically, I suppose I am after insurance that covers for all eventualities..

Can someone please point me in the right direction?

Thanks.

ih8stress

bumping this, please

Debt_Free_Chick

ih8stress wrote: »

But policies also say wear and tear is excluded and I am unsure as to which category would apply.

Yes, wear & tear is generally excluded as you are expected to see to normal maintenance.

Are you saying that you want to just ignore/neglect everything and buy insurance to cover it?

Obviously this is for potential problems so I could not predict in advance if a drain/pipe were to be blocked, collapsed, cracked etc. or the possible cause, tree root, wear and tear etc.

Given what you've quoted, you would be covered for a blockage if it were a direct result of an insured incident to the drains. You would not be covered for a blockage that arose out of neglect e.g. someone shoving stuff they shouldn't down the loo. And you would not be covered if you neglected to see to normal, routine maintenance.

Why do you want cover for wear & tear? Are you not prepared to undertake normal routine maintenance?

ih8stress

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

Yes, wear & tear is generally excluded as you are expected to see to normal maintenance.

Are you saying that you want to just ignore/neglect everything and buy insurance to cover it?

"Of course not. I was just trying to find out what the standard cover actually stands for with regard to drains and pipes."



Given what you've quoted, you would be covered for a blockage if it were a direct result of an insured incident to the drains. You would not be covered for a blockage that arose out of neglect e.g. someone shoving stuff they shouldn't down the loo. And you would not be covered if you neglected to see to normal, routine maintenance.

"I don't go around shoving stuff I shouldn't down the loo, sinks etc. and do regular bleaching etc. The whole point is that I do not know whether any 'incident' to a drain/pipe would be classed as wear and tear or accidental da_age (sorry the keyboard is sticking on certain letters).



Why do you want cover for wear & tear? Are you not prepared to undertake normal routine maintenance?

"Yes, I do look after everything as best as I can. I just want to find out what accidental da_age actually covers eg. if an underground pipe cracked, would it be classed as accidental da_age or wear and tear? The only thing I've been able to glean fro_ policies is that if tree roots are involved then this is classed as accidental da_age but not sure what it would be if no trees were nearby.

I was wondering about cover for wear and tear as well as accidental da_age purely on the basis that these ite_s will wear out with age"

Treacle1983

most policies will cover you from cracks/tree root damage etc..

as it is an unforseen occurence - althougth gradually happening over time - it's not something you would be aware of until it was too late - eg: leaking/blocked.

you should also find that drains are covered as a standard buildings peril and that no buildings extension on a policy is needed.

I have previously worked for Barclays household claims, woolwich claims, zurich, aviva, and your-move.

All of these would cover damage to drains as standard.