Do buildings insurance policies normally cover underground water supply pipes?

M22saver

Hi,

I've posted a general rant about my water supply pipe problem in the Utilities branch but I thought I would ask the above question here in case any of you are insurance 'experts'!

I face the prospect of fixing a leaking underground supply pipe at my own expense. I live in an apartment and pay a service charge - which includes buildings insurance - to a management company.

Phoning up the company today, they reckon that the insurance only covers 'accidental damage' and that, with the leaking underground supply pipe, I'm screwed!

Really confused as Homeserve (a domestic utility insurance company) only offer their special 'supply pipe insurance' to house owners. I phoned them up and they said that flat owners are excluded because of the service charge we pay that should cover things!!

Confused and really worried here so any advice or reassurance would be most welcome.

Cheers
M22saver

FlameCloud

What, exactly is the matter with the pipe?

ben500

M22saver wrote: »

Hi,

I've posted a general rant about my water supply pipe problem in the Utilities branch but I thought I would ask the above question here in case any of you are insurance 'experts'!

I face the prospect of fixing a leaking underground supply pipe at my own expense. I live in an apartment and pay a service charge - which includes buildings insurance - to a management company.

Phoning up the company today, they reckon that the insurance only covers 'accidental damage' and that, with the leaking underground supply pipe, I'm screwed!

Really confused as Homeserve (a domestic utility insurance company) only offer their special 'supply pipe insurance' to house owners. I phoned them up and they said that flat owners are excluded because of the service charge we pay that should cover things!!

Confused and really worried here so any advice or reassurance would be most welcome.

Cheers
M22saver

Homeserve are merely facilitators of the claim who is your policy underwritten by?

zzzLazyDaisy

Is this leaking pipe only affecting your flat, or all the flats in the block?

How do you know the pipe is leaking? Poor water pressure?

Normally the householder is only responsible for leaks in pipes within their boundary. But since you live in a flat, any leak outside your flat is on communal land and the responsibility of the maintenance company.

ben500

I'm with zzz on this one, you need to find out who is underwriting the policy and approach them directly, the staff at Homeserve will have fleeting knowledge of the policy wording and may well be mis-applying endorcements.

M22saver

FlameCloud wrote: »

What, exactly is the matter with the pipe?

It is leaking.

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Is this leaking pipe only affecting your flat, or all the flats in the block?

Only my flat as it is the single supply line running from my water meter to my flat.

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

How do you know the pipe is leaking? Poor water pressure?

Water meter is spinning around when no water is being used inside my flat. United Utilities have performed leak tests and confirmed that the leak is not on their side of the meter (i.e. mains pipe or the meter itself) and have told me the leak is occurring somewhere on the supply pipe that runs from the meter to my flat.

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Normally the householder is only responsible for leaks in pipes within their boundary. But since you live in a flat, any leak outside your flat is on communal land and the responsibility of the maintenance company.

Thats what I'm not so sure about - I hope you are right of course! Do you think I need someone with a legal brain to go over the particulars of the buildings insurance cover (if I can get the reluctant-to-help management company to release them to me!)

ben500 wrote: »

... the staff at Homeserve will have fleeting knowledge of the policy wording and may well be mis-applying endorcements.

Sorry for the confusion by mentioning Homeserve. They have nothing to do with my insurance policy ... just whilst Google searching the problem one day I came across their website. They say they do insurance cover for pipes but not for people in flats. I actually phoned their sales team up and asked why this is ... they said its because "people in flats pay a management company a service charge which includes insurance".

My overall question is ... should buildings insurance policies included in service charges cover water supply pipes ... and is my management company incorrect in saying that buildings insurance only covers 'accidental damage'.

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far.

FlameCloud

If it is just leaking, you need to proved where and how it is doing so. There is evidently something wrong with the pipe for it to leak. The cause of that leak will depend on whether the management company is correct in their assertertion.

something would have to have happened that is an insured peril for the pipe to leak for it to be covered. Age and wear and tear would probably not be one of them.

lisyloo

As FlameCloud says insurance policies only apply to certain events.

Buildings insurance policies don't usually cover a householder for general maintenance and wear and tear.

What does your sevice charge cover in terms of maintenance and wear and tear.
Should it cover this? (whether insured or not).
Do you have some documentation detailing what the payment of your service charge covers?

LittleVoice

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Normally the householder is only responsible for leaks in pipes within their boundary. But since you live in a flat, any leak outside your flat is on communal land and the responsibility of the maintenance company.

I believe that householders are responsible for the pipes from the point that they leave the common pipe. Therefore this can include pipes under footpaths/roads/land not owned by the householder.

viv0147

I lived in a block of 5 flats all owner occupied we had a similar problem and it cost us £4000 between us to have it repaired as you cam imagine it was a shock to us all the insurance didn't cover where the problem was

tweeter

M22saver, In light of what you say below, don't you need to tell them to turn the supply to your flat off, cos they will charge you for what's being clocked up on your meter or have you/they done that already.

"Water meter is spinning around when no water is being used inside my flat. United Utilities have performed leak tests and confirmed that the leak is not on their side of the meter (i.e. mains pipe or the meter itself) and have told me the leak is occurring somewhere on the supply pipe that runs from the meter to my flat."