Water Damaged Boiler Insurer Refused Claim

sophietb

Any suggestions pleae?

We had our boiler serviced today and they found a leak from a faulty joint in the pipework above. The resulting corrosion has penetrated the boiler causing a hole in the combustion chamber . Result the boiler has been condemned.

I spoke to our insurers today as I thought this would be covered as accidental damage (our insurance policy states "escape of water from...to fixed water tanks, apparatus or pipes") only to be informed it was down to maintenance ( i.e should have been put right before it caused the hole) and "not their problem".

Any idea where I stand on this. Our boiler is housed in the garage, six foot off the ground and the pipes are lagged - we didn't see the problem until the service

starrystarry

Hi Sophie,

I'm not certain but I would have thought the accidential damage cover would kick in if your boiler suffered an "escape of water" etc as a result of an accident of some description, like something falling onto/crashing into the boiler and damaging it, rather than something that's just a maintenance issue. The leak hasn't been caused by an accident by the sounds of things, so you're not covered.

You might be covered if the leak itself damaged anything, such as flooring, but I guess that's not the case if it's in the garage.

sophietb

mmm...it's the the leaking pipe that has caused damage to the boiler. If the pipe hadn't leaked the bolier would be fine. To my way of thinking it's like having a leaking pipe under the upstairs floor boards and the living room ceiling falls on to the floor. That would be classed as accidental damage even though the pipe may have been leaking for a while. I appreciate that I can't claim for the pipe to be fixed but thought I could claim for the damage it had caused

starrystarry

Not sure, sorry. I'm not an expert on home insurance, but I'm sure someone will come along soon who can give you a proper answer.

Kittian_the_Blue

OP
You are right in your understanding of the policy - The claim you are making is for Escape of water (not accidental damage, which is a different peril) and if you could have not been aware of the leaking pipe (due to the lagging) then the damage to the boiler should be covered. Only if you could have been aware that the pipe was leaking into the boiler could the maintenance argument be used.
The person you spoke to at the insurance company is talking rubbish - suggest you give them a call again and if they say the same again raise a formal complaint - using the information in your policy booklet.
Which insurer was it by the way?

sophietb

Thanks for that.
The insurer is Prestige (through Quoteline Direct)
We plan to phone them again in the morning and speak to the claims manager

jamma_2

Hi Sophietb

How did you get on with your claim? I find myself in a similar situation, a water leak from the flat above has damaged my boiler, been told that I need a new boiler asap. :eek:

Vickib23

If the damage is caused by wear and tear or faulty workmanship then it is automatically declined. No one covers this.

sugared_honey

Thats correct Vicki but as op states, the damage is caused by a leaking pipe. If the insurers are happy that this could not have been noticed prior to your boiler service (and obviously if a plumber repairs said pipe you will have this evidence too). As Kittian says, this should be an escape of water claim.

FlameCloud

Vickib23 wrote: »

If the damage is caused by wear and tear or faulty workmanship then it is automatically declined. No one covers this.

That is not correct- you would exclude the item which has caused the problem but deal with the additional damaged caused.

Some insurers now however word their EoW exclusions very carefully, excluding situations like this where a leaking pipe has damaged a boiler (the current Halifax policy for example).

dacouch

FlameCloud wrote: »

That is not correct- you would exclude the item which has caused the problem but deal with the additional damaged caused.

Some insurers now however word their EoW exclusions very carefully, excluding situations like this where a leaking pipe has damaged a boiler (the current Halifax policy for example).

Halifax love their small print