Is it worth making a claim?

whitesatin

I hope this is the right place to put this query.

Basically, we noticed that our kitchen floor was sticky and presumed there had been some spills. It seemed ok for a short while but became sticky again. On closer inspection, we noticed liquid was coming from between the Amtico tiles. This smelled a bit fishy and we realised it was probably the floor under the tiles, maybe chipboard or something. Anyway, it was difficult to get the kick boards off to take a look as one or two were warped. We managed to take one off and found the floor saturated. We got a plumber to take a look and he tracked it down to the pipe to the dishwasher which works fine when using it but when not working, apparently the pressure from the mains was causing the water to come out. I have no idea how long this must have been going on. He said that the actual connection was fine, not damaged, possibly worked loose from the pressure.

We have a £500 excess on our insurance and appreciate that our premiums will probably increase but, thinking about it, I think it could be a big job as there is 4mm of water under the tiles, as an estimate. I really would prefer not to have the upheaval but it is a beautiful floor and would, if necessary, replace it with the same type. The kick boards would need replacement too.

I would imagine that, should we make a claim, the total bill including materials and labour, would be more than £500.

Would just appreciate any thoughts on this, thanks.

fromtheshires

Get the quotes / costings first then decide if the excess and premium increases will be worth the claim.

Have a play on a comparison website using similar details but not yours (i.e. name Mickey Mouse etc) in case the insurance companies use algorithms to try and detect if you are trying to fudge the insurance when you really do apply.

Once you have all the data to hand then you can decide if its worth it or not to claim.

whitesatin

fromtheshires, that sounds like good advice.

Where would we start to get quotes for something like this? Flooring specialists? Would they be able to sort out the flooring under the tiles? Will that just dry out naturally and not need to be replaced? Can you just buy kick boards anywhere? Sorry to be so naïve!

fromtheshires

You ideally need to speak to a tradesman as they can look and assess what needs doing and costs. Unless you have a designer kitchen or looking for specific colours / styles / sizes etc then kick boards be kick boards.