Renting - ceiling leaked & now my table warped

maiz

I am in a rented property.


Our oak dining table is in the conservatory. The ceiling has leaked when it rains. The rain and warmth has warped our beautiful oak dining table.


We have told the agent about the leak, the landlord's contractor came out to fix it and said if it doesn't work then the roof would need replacing. The next day, it rained and the leak continued. I contacted the agent again and they asked if the leak has lessened and I said it hadn't.


That was 3 weeks ago. The landlord has not responded.


Can I claim on the landlord's insurance for the damage to my table (purchased £1000 new from an inheritance so sentimental to me)? We have contents insurance but the damage wasn't our fault so I am reluctant to make a claim and be penalised on our own insurance.


Any advice would be appreciated.

Lord_Baltimore

I'm not sure that a landlord is required to have contents insurance for your possessions; they are covered by your own contents insurance.

Also, did your table become damaged after one instance, or repeated instances, of water leakage as this might influence any claim you might make? Your insurers may ask why you didn't move the table out of harm's way.

maiz

There were several instances of rain leaking in. It comes centrally into the conservatory in more than one place therefore unavoidable.

Lord_Baltimore

Even if your landlord has a contents policy, I'm not sure if it will cover items he/she doesn't own. It's a case of finding out what kind of cover he/she has.

BUT keep in mind that insurers, yours or the landlord's, will probably expect claims to be made promptly so don't delay for too long.

specialboy

Why didn't you move the table when you first found the leak?

Eejay

Even if it meant it couldn't be used, I'd have moved the table to keep it safe... or put buckets on it. It's not ideal that the roof is still leaking but if the table is so sentimentally important then surely you'd have made more effort to protect it?

Old_Git

pretend its your own house .Would you have left the table in place knowing you had a leak ?

some people shouldnt be allowed out on their own

maiz

Old_Git wrote: »

pretend its your own house .Would you have left the table in place knowing you had a leak ?

some people shouldnt be allowed out on their own

Ok, that's a bit harsh. If I could explain that we have downsized while we rent and the conservatory is the only place the table would fit and be useable. Yes, we have put buckets and bowls along the table yet the leaks can randomly change direction as there are a lot of beams along the roof.


My reason for posting...I was just wondering how the insurance claim worked. So, if I make a claim on my contents insurance and the leaking roof is the cause, do my contents insurance company claim off the landlord's building insurance?

Old_Git

maiz wrote: »

Ok, that's a bit harsh. If I could explain that we have downsized while we rent and the conservatory is the only place the table would fit and be useable. Yes, we have put buckets and bowls along the table yet the leaks can randomly change direction as there are a lot of beams along the roof.


My reason for posting...I was just wondering how the insurance claim worked. So, if I make a claim on my contents insurance and the leaking roof is the cause, do my contents insurance company claim off the landlord's building insurance?

you claim of your contents insurance .The landlord claims of his insurance to fix the roof .You do not have a claim against the landlord

Money_maker

Surely an oak dining table would warp in a conservatory anyway whether rained on or not?

Old_Git

Money_maker wrote: »

Surely an oak dining table would warp in a conservatory anyway whether rained on or not?

why would it warp in a conservatory ?