Rain Brought Ceiling Down

mirry

My sister is really upset because her bedroom ceiling has just collapsed due to the felt roofing on her bay letting the water in.
Apparently her carpets really heavy with water and shes concerned that her downstairs ceiling could collaps now.

Shes phoned her insurance firm who say they arent covered for rain damage....shes devastated.

Now she needs someone to stop the rain come in and cant find anyone..
who can come quick any help much appreciated.

gazza975526570

unfortunately these kinds of roofs are not made to last
approx lifespan of 10 years.
Therefore they need to be maintained, ie replaced when they show signs of damage. They contract due to differing weather conditions. Your insurers will only cover "storm" damage in this scenario. Ie there has to be defined "storm" conditions and simple rain ill have just highlighted a defect in the roof.

To help - i would suhhest the yellow pages/talking pages for a local reputable roofer

courtjester

Mirry - that's not right. I would follow up with the insurance company.

It's fair to say that the roof has not been damaged by storm - flat roofs as said previously have a limited life and in almost 100% of cases, their failure is due to either age or poor quality installation. the cost of replacing the roof will not be covered.

HOWEVER - it is common practice for insurers to consider the WATER DAMAGE due to the ingress of rain through the roof which has failed suddenly - as this is valid damage due to accident, not wear & tear. Although in principle if the roof is not covered, then consequent damage isn't either, insurers should look upon such circumstances reasonably and accept a claim for the internal damages (excluding the roof).

So you can't expect any recompense for the roof repair which you must sort out yourself asap. But try and pursue a claim for the ceiling replacements (plasterwork + redecoration) and on your contents cover the damage to the carpet. Note if you act quickly, it may be possible to save the carpet if it is a good quality carpet with separate underlay (rubber-backed carpets don't respond well to drying and cleaning). Contact a local disaster company like Servicemaster or similar in your Yellow Pages.

bookgirl_2

courtjester wrote:

HOWEVER - it is common practice for insurers to consider the WATER DAMAGE due to the ingress of rain through the roof which has failed suddenly - as this is valid damage due to accident, not wear & tear. Although in principle if the roof is not covered, then consequent damage isn't either, insurers should look upon such circumstances reasonably and accept a claim for the internal damages (excluding the roof).

True - however some companies only accept this if there is accidental damage as an extension to the policy. Lloyds TSB also have a policy of specifically excluding water ingress related to storm. Certainly challenge it, but check your policy booklet for exclusions.

courtjester

bookgirl

Good point. The question of having "accidental damage" cover is relevant as it would definitely cover the internal damage due to water ingress - accidental damage extensions effectively cover ANY cause except causes SPECIFICALLY excluded (normally wear & tear, manufacturing defects, breakdown and nuclear fall-out type causes...)

One assumes of course that as Mirry indicates her insurers say rain damage is not covered, then it is not an "accidental damage" type cover she has.

My earlier post referred to the situation of a standard (not extended) home policy with the normal set of causes (or perils) covered such as "Storm" - with regard to roof problems.

Clearly, individual policies may vary (you mention LloydsTSB who specifically EXCLUDE water ingress which seems a bit bizarre - are you sure you have that right? - but many won't have such a clear exclusion).

The essential point is for mirry to approach her insurers for sympathetic consideration of the water ingress as many insurers will, given the facts, offer all or something in these circumstances for the interior repairs - even though strictly speaking a standard policy does not *technically* cover any of the damage in Mirry's case.

bookgirl_2

courtjester wrote:

Clearly, individual policies may vary (you mention LloydsTSB who specifically EXCLUDE water ingress which seems a bit bizarre - are you sure you have that right? - but many won't have such a clear exclusion).

The essential point is for mirry to approach her insurers for sympathetic consideration of the water ingress as many insurers will, given the facts, offer all or something in these circumstances for the interior repairs - even though strictly speaking a standard policy does not *technically* cover any of the damage in Mirry's case.

I'm certain of it - used to work for loss adjusters who dealt with ltsb claims. We were forever being reminded of this - policy wording specifically excludes loss or damage caused by water entering your home unless specifically covered elsewhere (i.e. as storm, flood or escape of water from fixed domestic installation).

Agree absolutely with your essential point above.

courtjester

>>loss adjusters<< ???

I thought they were extinct. Surely insurance companies just send round monkeys with laptops these days....;)