electric socket gone, lost freezer full of food can we claim off housing?

donny909

Well we seem to be getting all kind of bad luck at the moment. The latest is we have just realised we have lost a full freezer full of food. This is due to the socket having failed.

Now is basic terms we are in a housing assosiation property and call them. They claim they wont come out to repair the socket, they wont come out to verify the loss of food and we cannot put a claim in to the housing to replace the food due to failiure of the socket.

The housing has said we would have to claim off our home contents insurence (which we dont have) as it's not there responsability. It's not the first time sockets and electrics have failed and tripped the fuse. But the housing assosiation are certain we as tennents have no right of claim for loss of food against them.

Anyone know if they are right or can we claim and they are possably fobbing up off the the point where we will have to throw the food out and then no proof of loss of food?.

slipthru

I don't think you can hold the housing assosiation responsible for the lost food due to the faulty socket.

They should however fix the faulty electrical socket.

julianashcroft

Is it a faulty socket or is it a faulty appliance, causing the fuse to blow?

pinkteapot

It's consequential loss which they are bound to say isn't down to them in their T&Cs. They are correct that home insurance would cover it. If the electrics were faulty and caused the house to burn down, they wouldn't cover all your stuff that was destroyed either.

donny909

julianashcroft wrote: »

Is it a faulty socket or is it a faulty appliance, causing the fuse to blow?

The freezer is confirmed as working as plugging it into another socket powers it fine. The housing did ask if there was problems with that socket in the past. Which there was'nt. But another socket in the kitched has failed a year or more ago. 1 of the sockets in the living room keeps causing the lamp light to blow\short life. The lights in the kitchen ceeling blow on a regular basis and trips the fuse box and means replacing the halogen bulbs. 1 of the lights in the bathroom has blown that many times that we have got fed up with replacing them as it keeps tripping the fuse box.

Not that any of the other electrical problems are relevent to this issue?.

Well if there is no claim possable then fair enough.

donny909

Been told elsewere that we MAY have a right of claim due to occasional electric problems (partly listed above) that have been listed and reported to the housing over the last 3 years or so. Apparently as they have only ever replaced (or plastered over the problem) problem parts than properly investigating the cause of electrical problems there could be a claim on that basis. As they cant fairly say there is no claim when there is a reported record of problems with the electrical problems in the house that have never been fully investigated beyond the replacement of parts that then often fail (like the freezers socket) in a different part of the electrical system and or socket.

Any thoughts on this claim therefor?

keystone

All of your previous electrical problems are relevant because the electrics need attention and that IS the housings responsibility and TBH it don't sound particularly safe.

If you don't have contents insurance thats your problem because thats what you claim under when you lose a freezer ful of food.

Cheers

McKneff

You would also claim off your household contents insurance if your house went up in flames and you lost everything.
Contents insurance can be bought for as little as £1.50 a week, cheap price to pay for peace of mind.

And if all these things with the electrics are happening I would be sitting on the council steps with a banner, shouting and bawling till they did something about it, its dangerous !!!!!!.

geri1965_2

It's a good idea to have contents insurance for the reasons mentioned.

However, you can claim against the HA for the loss of your freezer food if they have been negligent. It will really come down to when you reported electrical problems, what they did about them and whether this latest incident is related to the original problems and their lack of action. Possibly only an electrician would be able to answer that.

baldelectrician

Tell them you want someone to check the fixed wiring as you are having nuicsance tripping

The lights going will probably be the brand of lamps.

Decent lamps have internal fuses and don't make the consumer unit trip