Broken drain pipe, Insurance claim

TranceNRG

Hi ladies and gents,
I've already started a thread in another section but someone suggested that I should post it here.

Here's the link to the other thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5562681

Long story short, I've had number of drain blockages in the past so last week I got Dyno Rod to a CCTV drain survey. The report and quote came back yesterday (a lot more expensive than I had anticipated).
I am not familar with the building insurance claims process but I found the following from my policy document

Under what is covered it says:

the cost of repairing accidental damage to
domestic oil pipes
underground water-supply pipes
underground sewers, drains and septic tanks
underground gas pipes
underground cables
which you are legally responsible for

And under what is not covered it says:

We will not pay
a)for damage due to wear and tear or any gradually operating cause
b)the first £100 for every claim
c)for loss or damage to any part of the cables or service pipes within the buildings

The survey report says the following:

"in our opinion the damage has been caused by ground movement"

but they haven't mentioned anything about root intrusion though it was very evident there were roots in the pipe.

I've had no luck trying to get an answer as to whether I have a valid claim or not (I've rung my insurance broker and loss adjuster for the insurance company). This evening I submitted a claims form and the survey report to the loss adjuster but I asked him to confirm whether my insurance premium will be affected if it's not deemed to be a valid claim.

Someone in the other forum said, just making an enquiry could put the premium up

Do you guys have any general advice? Will the repairs be covered by insurance?

thanks.

Quentin

Your "enquiry" will have been noted down on your record as a reported "loss"


You can see if this loss you have reported will affect future premiums by doing dummy quotes now online with and without this loss in your history

TSx

In terms of the claim itself, it is very likely to be covered - ground movement is an external cause so they will almost certainly cover under that section of the policy. They are likely to want to arrange their own company to do the work though - the national drainage contractors tend to overcharge significantly.

TranceNRG

TSx wrote: »

In terms of the claim itself, it is very likely to be covered - ground movement is an external cause so they will almost certainly cover under that section of the policy. They are likely to want to arrange their own company to do the work though - the national drainage contractors tend to overcharge significantly.

Thanks TSx. I was convinced that this wouldn't be covered after reading posts in the other forum.

So do you think damages due to ground movement would be covered under 'accidental damage'?

There was clear evidence that there had been root intrusion yet they didn't mention that as a possible cause of damage.

There have been blockages over a number of years so this problem would have been there for a while. Will they still cover it in that situation?

I've already arranged quotes from a couple of other companies. I was even thinking of asking a couple of local plumbers about replacing the defective section of the pipe, if insurance weren't going to pay.

TSx

You might find it more tricky if there have been issues for some time - have you been with the same insurance company throughout (if you have it makes it easier - if not, you may find they refer you back to your previous insurer). Did any of the previous blockages result in a recommendation to do further investigation?

edit: I've done a bit of research using the ombudsman website and it may not be as clear cut as it appears - the insurer I work for (and the previous one) cover ground movement as accidental damage but the financial ombudsman don't necessarily agree. It would be far better if you could get a report to confirm it is tree roots.

TranceNRG

TSx wrote: »

You might find it more tricky if there have been issues for some time - have you been with the same insurance company throughout (if you have it makes it easier - if not, you may find they refer you back to your previous insurer). Did any of the previous blockages result in a recommendation to do further investigation?

edit: I've done a bit of research using the ombudsman website and it may not be as clear cut as it appears - the insurer I work for (and the previous one) cover ground movement as accidental damage but the financial ombudsman don't necessarily agree. It would be far better if you could get a report to confirm it is tree roots.

They wouldn't know though there have been issues for a while. I've only owned the property for a year and 1st floor flat owner has had it less than that. I think the previous owners ignored the issue and only unblocked it time to time.

To me it seems like it's caused by both roots (roots in the pipe) and ground movement (broken joint) but Dyno rod only included ground movement as the possible cause.

There's another guy coming tomorrow morning to do a free survey and quote so I'll ask him if he can include the root intrusion on the report.

As for your question about insurer, this year the broker went with a different insurance company.

Edit - I am really frustrated with this whole process. My insurance broker has been useless and has not given me any guidance as to what I need to do or whether this is covered. I submitted a claims for to loss adjusters and was going to try and contact the Insurance company again tomorrow but I'm worried that this will increase my premium even if they don't pay for repairs.

rs65

TranceNRG wrote: »

To me it seems like it's caused by both roots (roots in the pipe) and ground movement (broken joint) but Dyno rod only included ground movement as the possible cause.

There's another guy coming tomorrow morning to do a free survey and quote so I'll ask him if he can include the root intrusion on the report.

The report says roots are present but they may have appeared after the break rather than having caused damage.

needmorehelp

Quentin wrote: »

Your "enquiry" will have been noted down on your record as a reported "loss"


You can see if this loss you have reported will affect future premiums by doing dummy quotes now online with and without this loss in your history

I would be a bit wary of doing dummy quotes, no doubt they will bring up different prices as the insurer assumes you want to buy, BUT is anyone certain the dummy quote info such as ground movement, doesn't remain on their systems, and could affect your premium when you really want to renew?

Quentin

needmorehelp wrote: »

I would be a bit wary of doing dummy quotes, no doubt they will bring up different prices as the insurer assumes you want to buy, BUT is anyone certain the dummy quote info such as ground movement, doesn't remain on their systems, and could affect your premium when you really want to renew?

You misunderstand.


If you do dummy quotes as advised they may remain on their systems, but can't affect any future premium.


When you want to actually buy a policy you use your correct details.


(As opposed to using dummy details for dummy quotes!)

xMonsoonx

Accidental damage to drains on home insurance generally covers damage caused by external means (such as roots, ground movement etc) so if Dyno Rod say the cause is ground movement then it should be covered.

One thing to add is that the insurer will only repair to the damaged section. Dyno Rod are notorious for adding recommend maintenance to their quotes which will not be covered by the insurance.

TranceNRG

Hi ladies/gents, thanks a lot for all your input so far.

So here's an update.

I've been in touch with the loss adjuster (he's coming on Monday to see) and from what he said so far so good in terms of insurance covering the repairs. He wanted another quote so I had a couple of other companies come around and give me quotes. both of these quotes were cheaper than Dyno Rod's but I only forwarded one. One of the guys gave me 2 options - one for relining and the other to dig and replace hte damaged part of the pipe (about 9m) with plastic pipe. According to this guy he'd personally go for the 2nd option but I am not sure which one would be better long term. This option is also couple of hundred pounds cheaper.

If the claim is approved, is it up to to me decide how I get the repairs done? Can I choose the option I want? Will loss adjusters/Insurance come and check the work afterwords/ask for proof? And I get the pipe replaced instead of silica lining will that cause problems with insurance?

thank you.

PS: In your opinion what would be the better option?