{Urgent} Lloyds TSB buildings insurance - they won't help

Maxmara

Hi everyone, I'm posting this on behalf of my friend.

My friend lives in a house that was built in the 1930s. She started hearing running water under her kitchen floor about a week ago. Anyway, she got in someone to take a look and they had to dig up the flooring in the house and they found 3 feet of water under the floor in the hallway. They said it will take about £3000 - £4000 to repair. My friend does not have that kind of money.

She called her insurers today (Lloyds TSB) and they said she cannot make a claim as it seems the pipes under the house have just disintegrated due to wear'n'tear. They said no insurer allows for this kind of thing.

Is Lloyds TSB right? I thought this is what buildings insurance was for.
They relunctantly agreed to send around a loss adjuster over the next couple of days who would probably look on incidental damage caused by the leaking water but not the burst pipe itself.

Any advice on what kind of things my friend can ask/say Lloyds TSB to get them to re-consider?

Help!


Thanks
Maxmara

jonesMUFCforever

Ask your friend to get a second opinion.
It would seem wholly unfair IMO for you to be able to keep pipes under your floor in a good condition.
Tell her to phone again and resubmit the claim.

jonesMUFCforever

I have just re- read your posting and am assuming that she has just spoken to someone on the telephone? Is that right?
If so how on earth could that person diagnose the problem without actually seeing it??
As I said previously keep at them and try again.

mattymoo

I agree that a loss adjuster needs to see this but I'm afraid your friend may have a problem.

You see, most insurance policies cover damage caused by the escape of water but they do not cover the cost of fixing the leak. Normally, this is going to be pretty cheap - you put a nail through a copper pipe, plumber replaces a small section of pipe and the water damage is paid by the insurers.

I say an adjuster needs to look because sometimes underground pipes are damaged by tree roots or by subsidence. These should be covered by insurance.

The only other thing worth checking is whether she has cover with British Gas for plumbing and drains or Homeserve.
Homeserve are the firm that sends out mailshots with your utility bills. Their last marketing gimmick was to provide 3 months cover for free in the hope you would then take out a policy. Unfortunately, it is normally regarded as junk mail so I suspect it will have been binned. No doubt there would be a lot of clauses as well.

Finally, she may be able to take on the water company if the pipe involved is part of their supply line to the property.

Debt_Free_Chick

Agree with all the others.

She should simply put in a claim with Lloyds TSB. They will send someone around to assess the claim and then they will advise if they will meet it.

I have to say that damage to pipes underneath the house would be unusual - unless due to subsidence/tree damage.

More likely, with a 1930s house, these are clay pipes and they have simply disintegrated. If this is the case, then sadly, that's wear & tear and is not covered by insurance.

Insurance generally provides protection against an unexpected event - whereas "wear & tear" is simply normal use and, to an extent, largely foreseeable.