New Flat (3 years) - Damp wall...NHBC saying not covered!

Artistxman

Hi all

Great forum...Why didn't I see this until now!

I am out of warrantee period with the builder now. I have insurance with NHBC.

We noticed a damp area with mould on the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom. I phoned the NHBC and they said it's not covered as it is likely to be a pipe leak. I only have a home content insurance (elephant.co.uk)as I thought the building was covered by NHBC.

The damp wall is very small at the moment and there are no visible pipes for me to check. I am worried if we went independently..it's going to be a major work.

Any advice on how to get this problem sorted..I feel it should be done by the builder..but, as always they said it's out of warrantee period. They don't even want to know!

Appreciate your suggestions.

Debt_Free_Chick

Artistxman wrote:

I phoned the NHBC and they said it's not covered as it is likely to be a pipe leak. I only have a home content insurance (elephant.co.uk)as I thought the building was covered by NHBC.

Not everything is covered by NHBC - that covers defects with the actual construction of the building. I think they have a point - that the damp could simply be a symptom of another problem.... that problem needs to be diagnosed and fixed.

To be honest, the fact that the damp is near a bathroom would suggest that the problem is in there and that it could be a leaking pipe - or water leaking from somewhere in the bathroom.

Are you saying you have no buildings insurance at all? Have contacted the landlord? It might be his problem

wymondham

could it be a ventilation problem?

NHBC is not worth the paper it's written on - if you read the fine print it is
not an insurance policy of any kind and only covers the bare minimum - be aware of this.... (this is from a builder friend who says those in the trade treat NHBC as a joke with more leaks than some of their houses!)

nigel75

Our survey on our house which we recently bought had some dampness in the wall between the kitchen and bathroom. I believe this is quite a common problem and not necessary a big hassle to correct. It cost us around £500 to get it put right. Although I wasn't there when the work was done, the company who carried out the work namely Pescon of Canterbury (01227 463248) explained exactly where the dampness was and the process for putting it right.

So in short don't worry too much yet. Not sure where you live but the website https://www.upmystreet.com may help you in finding a local company which does this sort of work.

If you ring the number above (although its probably not in your area), they may be ab;e to give you some help as to what to do. Even if you don't use them they're a very helpful company!!!

Good luck and don't worry.

Artistxman

Thank you for the replies.

Since the post I contacted the maintenance agents..who has a separate insurance thro my maintenance fee. Their insurance company told them that as it's a damp (unless there is a leak)..they can't help me.

NHBC says it's likely to be a leak..and so they can't help me.

The damp patch is well away from the window, 4th floor flat, between the bedroom and my attached bathroom..pipes are all concealed.

I am not sure..what is the best option..I am not too worried as the damp patch is small and happy to go thro' some procedure ..even it delays correcting it.

Thanks in anticipation.

BobProperty

Given that it is the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom, the bets are on a leak in the pipework in the wall. Is the shower on that wall? Or the side or end of the bath?

Artistxman

Corner shower is on the bathroom fixed to the wall..I think the pipe is concealed in that wall.

BobProperty

I'm thinking it's likely to be a leak on the pipework or, and I have seen this one, the water pressure is really good but the shower isn't designed to take it. So a seal on the shower body leaks, especially overnight. I think you will have to ask a plumber round to have a look to confirm my suspicions.

Kzlnd

We have the same problem, our flat is around 3 years old we've had numerous problems. GRRRRRR @ New builds.
We contacted the LL who (as always) passed it on to the House Builder.
We've had two damp and mould patches on the walls, one in the bedroom and one in the hallway/bathroom...

The HB agreed to rectify the problem even though it is out of warranty!
The hallway wall is bending/curved :eek: The carpet, skirting and door frame have been replaced and need replacing again.

They found three leaks; behind the shower connections (they removed tiles to check) and two on bath connections and thought they had sorted it. However the problem is clearly still there and is now worse! :mad: They now think the problem may be the seals around the bath taps etc but they resealed everything when they fixed the other 3 leaks.
There is so much water damage/mould/damp so I really can't see it's just an issue with the sealing ...and I don't believe this from a joiner. The HB keep sending a joiner to do a plumbers work? :rotfl: :rolleyes:
You should certainly check the pipework/connections and the seals, if you're renting, contact the LL again?

hazeyj

Artistxman wrote:

Thank you for the replies.

Since the post I contacted the maintenance agents..who has a separate insurance thro my maintenance fee. Their insurance company told them that as it's a damp (unless there is a leak)..they can't help me.

NHBC says it's likely to be a leak..and so they can't help me.

The damp patch is well away from the window, 4th floor flat, between the bedroom and my attached bathroom..pipes are all concealed.

I am not sure..what is the best option..I am not too worried as the damp patch is small and happy to go thro' some procedure ..even it delays correcting it.

Thanks in anticipation.

I would go back to the NHBC and ask for the claim to be considered again (an appeal). Ask them to send to send someone out to see it again and ask them to explain to you how they they know its a leak. Can they not carry out some investigave work (or you maybe) to ascertain the cause and then look at the claim again?

Debt_Free_Chick

Artistxman wrote:

Thank you for the replies.

Since the post I contacted the maintenance agents..who has a separate insurance thro my maintenance fee. Their insurance company told them that as it's a damp (unless there is a leak)..they can't help me.

NHBC says it's likely to be a leak..and so they can't help me.

The damp patch is well away from the window, 4th floor flat, between the bedroom and my attached bathroom..pipes are all concealed.

I am not sure..what is the best option..I am not too worried as the damp patch is small and happy to go thro' some procedure ..even it delays correcting it.

Thanks in anticipation.

Here's a suggestion. Write to NHBC and the maintenance agents. Explain that the cause of the damp is not known, so it isn't clear where liability lies. However, that you are prepared to pay for a plumber/builder to look at the damp and determine the cause. But that, once the cause is established, if it turns out to the liability of NHBC or the maintenance agents, that you expect them to reimburse the cost of diagnosing the problem, in addition to meeting the cost of repair. Alternatively, either one of them can send someone around to diagnose it, of their own choice, and at their own expense.

The difficulty is that, until you know the cause, you don't know who to claim off. Understandably, neither party is prepared to own up and claim liability, without knowing if it really is their liability.

Your risk is that it ends up being a liability for neither party. Then, you would have to pay for the diagnosis and also any remedial work - but then that would always have been the case, if the problem is not covered by existing insurance.

HTH