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Thermal movement

Hi,
Can anyone advise me about insured peril rules. I have recently had a major leak through a bedroom ceiling, above is a flat roof. There has been extensive damage inside that my insurance company will pay for under my accidental damage cover. However my roof is not covered, the loss adjuster has been out to my property and without looking at the roof has said the damage was caused by thermal movement. Basically the sun has heated the felt and it has cracked. There is no mention of thermal movement in my policy booklet. My first question is; should there be a specific exclusion listed for this ?
I have asked the insurance company to guide me to the section where it states thermal movement is excluded. The advisor guided me to the accidental damage section of the booklet where it states damage by weather is excluded. My second question is; if I didn't have accidental damage on my policy could this exclusion apply to my claim ?
I have looked at other companies policy booklets online and they specifically list Thermal movement as an exclusion. So my final question is; if thermal movement is not listed in the main body of an insurance policy have I got the right to argue my claim ?

I cannot have the work done inside my property until I have replaced my roof est cost £1200

Comments

  • rs65
    rs65 Posts: 5,682 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I’ve never come across the term but it sounds like natural ageing of a flat roof. Probably falls under wear and tear or maintenance exclusions.

    Perhaps some insurers use the term ‘thermal movement’ for clarity. Damage by weather can be excluded under the AD section because specific weather events are covered under the normal perils section.

    I can’t help feeling that they are correct that it’s not covered but maybe not explaining it well.
  • Thanks for your advise, it is very confusing trying to work out these policies, they are paying for the internal damage but not the external quoting the exclusion in the AD section, surely if they will pay for one then they should be paying for both or neither.
  • InsideInsurance
    InsideInsurance Posts: 22,460 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    No, often insurers will exclude one thing but pay for the resultant damage.

    Your standard policy is a specified perils cover, effectively everything is excluded unless it is explicitly stated as being included. Arguably there is no need for them to list any exclusions unless it is a subset of a covered peril (eg Theft being covered but them then excluding Theft when there is no sign of forced or violent entry)

    The high end policies from the likes of Chubb and Hiscox are All Risks policies, ie everything is covered unless it is explicitly excluded, and so here they have to have something that says isnt covered otherwise by default it is. The rest of the cover is massively better two but they only cover high value properties and their premiums reflect the premium nature of the cover.

    I've never heard of thermal movement either but it sounds like just saying that the fact the roof expands and contracts as it heats up and cools down has eventually caused it to perish. With a standard policy this isnt covered as it isnt one of the insured perils (storm, fire, flood, theft etc) but also would be explicitly excluded under both wear & tear and the clause over gradual deterioration.
  • Thermal movement is a common problem, along with blistering, standing water etc. Thermal movement is more or less defined as repeated cycles of heating and cooling causing flat room materials to expand and contract. The materials used should be equipped to deal with these movements without cracking under the pressure to avoid water ingress.

    It is not something which happens immediately but over a period of time, not a sudden and unforeseen event which is generally what is considered by an insurer when assessing a claim.
    Dependent on the age of the roof and if it's still within guarantee, perhaps you could consider speaking to whoever fitted it?
    Even a well constructed flat roof doesn't last forever, regrettably.



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