Trace and access covered on insurance but who does the work?

samnwood

Hi all - long time lurker first time poster so I hope this is in the right place!

I woke up this morning to find a nasty wet patch down the wall with all the carpet damp at the bottom. I have spoken to Direct Line and they have confirmed I have trace and access cover.. but the issue is now who do I call to sort it?

I've had a look on the internet but there aren't many people I can see? Also, do you have to pay the company that come to trace the leak or will they talk to direct line for me?

Could anyone point me in the right direction?

Thank you Sam

Sa-ra-ra-ra

Hi Sam,

In my experience, you can get any contractor to do the trace and access works for you, and I'd suggest a plumber in this case. The trace and access cover will pay for the time it takes them to find the source of the leak and the cost in reinstatement if you've had to cause damage to any existing fittings to get to the leak (i.e. removing tiles to access pipework, pull out bath units... things like that). It won't cover the cost of fixing the leak - so get your contractor to itemise the bill, including their hourly rate, so that it clearly shows 'fixing the problem' and 'trace and access works' separately.

I hope this helps!

.Jay

Hey Sam Welcome to the MSE forums.

As Sa-ra-ra-ra said above, a lot of people will do trace and access however there are some companies that are more specialised to cover it than others. I had a problem in my bathroom several months ago with the floor tiles popping up. I had a plumber in that took tile after tile up to find the leak but never found it. In the end he gave up and recommended that I get someone in that can do thermal imaging so that's definitely worth checking out.

In the end I used https://www.traceandaccess.co.uk that sent a technician over the same day, found the leak and arranged a drying company to dry everything out as needed. They sorted it all on my insurance (also Direct Line) so I didn't pay a penny out. They may be worth a call?

If you want any more info on the insurance process just let me know

samnwood

Thanks both for your help!

I'll make sure that the bill is totally separate. I've just spoken to Dave from Trace and Access as suggested Jay, he is going to call me back within the next 10 minutes to arrange someone to come over in the morning. I asked if I need to remove any of the carpets etc but apparently they do all of that for you. He mentioned they use none destructive leak detection methods? Not sure what he meant but heyho.

I'll let you both know how I get on! Thanks again.

Sam

l0u1se

Usually means they will try to be as less evasive as possible, like using sound detection to find the leak area rather than ripping your whole house apart.
Best of luck

FlameCloud

Sound detection, thermal imaging, pressure testing. Variety of ways.

I wouldnt be overly keen on letting them bang in a dehum. Alot of insurers are really cracking down on their use now.