Insurance Work Done But Problem Still Exists

chipbeck

I'll try and keep this as brief as possible(doubt I'll manage).

Put an insurance claim in last January for a leak that had affected the shower room/hall/dining room.

Assessor visited and said that as we had only been insured with them for a month he was sure the problem had been around for more than a month(fair comment) and I would therefore have to contact my previous insurers. Turned out that we had been insured with them for over 5 years he just hadn't checked.

By the time we got round to getting the work done it was April. We had a few weeks of drying machines as there was little or no point in fixing a damp house. At the end of the drying period it was apparent that a particular area of plaster in the hall(area was in effect the outside wall to the shower) had not dried. Remedy was to get rid of the existing plaster and replace it.

By the end of July we had the dining room refloored and decorated, the hall stairs and landing decorated and a new shower room. Ok it took an age but I was happy.

Last week my wife thought the area of 'new' plaster in the hall looked damp. Being a reasonable bloke I contacted the guys who'd carried out the work to check it out. I went down this route as they were a great set of lads and I didn't want to get them or their boss in touble with the insurance company.

The boss came out and confirmed that the plaster was indeed damp again. He then arranged for one of his guys to come out in order to find the source. Guy came out and couldn't find it.

Result is that the boss rang me to say that HE has had a word with the insurers and between them they have agreed that the problem was not caused by the work they carried out. This being the case I need to pay someone to come out and identify were the problem lies then I need to submit a new claim, meaning of course I will have to pay the excess again.

In summary can I be expected to believe that they were prepared to carry out all this work based on an assumption that the initial problem was the shower feed (because it always is).

Any advice would be gratefully received.

huckster

There was a very similar post recently. It was found out several months later, that there was a crack in the shower tray, which was only visable and let water though when there was someones weight on it. I think they had to get underneath the tray, as the crack was near to where the waste pipe was.

The trouble is that if you can't find an issue that relates to the first claim i.e. something not picked up which should have or work done issue, you will have difficulty in Insurers not making this a second claim.

It is worth checking all other pipework in the house and the roof space to see if any water is coming through. It can be quite surprising how water travels in a house. A relative had a leak on one side of the house, that appeared on the other side.

chipbeck

Thanks for the reply.

I don't for one minute think the guys have caused the problem, they've just not found it the first time. Too much of a coincidence that the same square yard of plaster is involved. I'll bell the insurers in the morning.

chipbeck

Assesor agrees its too much of a coincedence and is sending the bulder back to sort it.:j