Direct Insurance advice needed

99revenge

Hi all i need urgent advice, I have a water leak, my insurer is above.
They originally advised me to find a plumber to FIND the leak.
They said they would reimburse me for this. The chap said if cause of leak was accidental damage or other damage they would fix it, if it was wear and tear it was my responsibility.
OK, I rang a company recommended by family. He said that this was wrong practise. If there was a dispute with insurance I might be landed with the bill. His coming out fee to look £200-600. He told me to ring back and give them his details for them to instruct him to do the job, this was correct practise.
Naturally i was horrified at this cost as i can't afford it. Rang them back and told them what company told me to do. They have NOW instructed a different company to come out.
I would like to know is this information correct because my policy
makes no mention of it.
Does anyone know how much it will cost to actually fix this leak if my responsibility. The leak is under my kitchen and they have not said who foots the bill if my kitchen is ripped up, just that they cannot say at this time but a building contractor will be appointed.
Needless to say i am very worried, thought insurance was for peace
of mind. Any advice, comments thanks in advance. I have building and contents with them.

bouncydog1

Insurance is for peace of mind, to cover the unexpected happening. But you can't cover damage through wear and tear under the policy. So if your pipe has been damaged accidentally the insurers will pay - if it is old and the joint has failed then they won't.

I think that some policies provide cover for the cost of tracing leaks but not the cost of repair if it is not damaged by an insured peril.

It will depend on what the cover under the policy says. If water has escaped from the pipe and damaged your kitchen, even if the pipe failed because of age, then the damage caused by the escaping water should be covered but not the cost of repairing the pipe.

As for how much the plumber will charge - that will depend on how many hours they have to spend finding where the water is coming from.

99revenge

I have received a call from them they will be coming out on Wednesday.