Covered by home insurance?

Dinah93

Our shower tray recently dropped in one corner, so we've taken the surround down and lifted out the tray. All the boards underneath are completely and utterly rotten, as in you can crumble them with your fingers. Clearly water has been leaking for a while. Is this anything we can claim on insurance for does anyone know?

phatbear

You want someone on here to tell you whats in your insurance policy?

thescouselander

I suspect not as this probably falls under the definition of gradual deterioration which isn't usually covered. I'd have thought if it's just the boards that need sorting the repair bill won't be much more than your excess anyway.

Dinah93

Reading my policy summary was the first thing I did. It's unclear in my opinion as escape of water is covered, but maintenance is not. From experience I know calling to ask the insurers opens a claim even if it's a clear no, I would rather not have to declare that to insurers if it's never going to be covered.

It's the joists as well as the boards, which extend under the wall into the kitchen (bungalow). The shower base is cracked underneath from where the tray dropped. All the flooring in there is travertine tiles which we've had to break to get to the problem, and we'll have to break a lot more of to take out the joists. This is not going to be a small job in any world, a large amount of the bathroom and hall floor outside bounces when you walk on it since we've taken out the stabilising aspect of the tray which it seems was holding the floor in position.

When we have gone under the house the shower has never been plumbed into the pipe leading to outside correctly, there was a gap between the two, so some water will have gone into the mains drain, but a substantial amount has just formed a massive pond under the house.

Davesnave

Dinah93 wrote: »

Reading my policy summary was the first thing I did. It's unclear in my opinion as escape of water is covered, but maintenance is not

The escape of water hasn't been sudden; it's gone on over a period of time and is therefore a maintenance issue IMO.

iamlucky18

Davesnave wrote: »

The escape of water hasn't been sudden; it's gone on over a period of time and is therefore a maintenance issue IMO.

I agree with DAVE on this one. Policies usually cover escape from pipes and sudden damage rather than deterioration over time. In my experience, policies cover "unusual" risky things such as falling trees, floods, damage from lightening etc. even if the risk is extremely low. As a result you have to get other types of damage rectified by builders etc.

That's my opinion and experience anyway.

phill99

As somebody that undertakes repairs for insurance companies all the time, this is very likely to be covered. It is a standard escape of water. Call your insurers on Tuesday.

missile

I had a leaking pipe under my bath.
Repair to pipe was not covered as this was considered maintenance. Consequential damage to the flooring, carpets and decoration was covered by my insurance.

bouicca21

I have just had extensive repairs carried out as a result of a leaking pipe. As Missile said, the actual repair to the pipe was not covered, but the buildings insurance covered all the consequential damage, minus my excess of course.