Plumbing in flats - can anyone help?

Nelly77

I live in a two storey flat building on the first floor. I have a mortgage on my flat but pay maintenance to a company who looks after the ground rent, insurance, lighting etc.

Yesterday I noticed the water wasn't going down the plughole when I was showering so assumed I had a frozen pipe (I had recently cleared the plughole of the usual build up). I called my 'landlord' to see if they knew a plumber to send out to me as this was an emergency. They ummed and aahed questioning whether this would be something I would pay for or they would. So my first question is why would I pay for a policy they provide? If that's the case, surely I should get my own building insurance?

Admittedly, they contacted their plumbers and they were round within 15 minutes which was impressive and confirmed my thoughts on the frozen pipe (in fact, they insisted I went outside to view the frozen fountain!) However, I had noticed for a week or so that my bathroom floor is starting to come up and buckle, and just yesterday after my shower, noticed I had a small puddle on the floor which when I applied pressure on it, would produce more water. I told the plumber this and he said that would have happened way prior to the frozen pipe. But my question is, surely there is still a plumbing issue that needs to be resolved? He said that the insurance company would pay for any damages but not the leak itself and the only way to find out where the leak was, if there was one, was to pull up the floor and the bath panels which he seemed unprepared to do. Am I to do this, only to be told by the insurance company that a professional should have?

I live on my own and don't have any building insurance per se as it is part of the maintenance I pay monthly. I am always a little dubious of my maintenance company/landlord as they never seem to want to resolve any issues without us having to foot the bill. Surely a leaky bathroom leaving small puddles is down to pipework rather than 'where I get out of the bath each day'? Hardly, especially as I have a bath mat!

Can anyone offer any advice please?

ormus

the fees you pay are for the common parts of the building, not your own property/flat.
anything inside your flat is your responsibility.
btw
buildings insurance rarely covers general maintenance.
also its not worth claiming on any insurance for smallish jobs. similar to your car.
the excess and next years rise in premiums, should warn you off.