Being asked to pay my excess twice

spence968

Hi all, would appreciate any advice.

I've recently moved into a property which is managed by a management company. Our building's insurance is provided through Zurich, and monthly payments to the management company of the ten properties.

I have had a leak in my bathroom which was first noticed after tiles started to come off the wall. A plumber investigated and found two separate leaks at the shower. One at the main valve and another at the site where the shower pipe comes out to the shower head. The two leaks are 20cm apart, on the same wall, involve the same shower and the repair work will involve removal and retiring of one shower unit, as well as installing a new shower.

My management company says that because there are two separate leaks in my plumber's report they have to submit two claims, both with a £250 excess! I strongly feel this is a money making scam, with one repair job being required and totally unjustified. I could understand if the leaks were in different parts of the house from two sites, with two different repair jobs, and subsequent higher repair costs.

Any legal people out there have any advice, or anyone else had this happen to them before?

Blibble

Did the leaks occur at the same time and as the result of the same event? What cause does your plumber's report cite for the two leaks occurring?

spence968

The report says that there was damaged plastic and unrepairable. The shower is a second shower in the house and has been there for 15 years. Due to occupants of single people and couples, this shower has rarely been used over this time period, with the ensuite shower being used. The first thing I noticed a couple of months after moving in was the tiles coming off the wall. Impossible to say if they both occurred at the same time, or at different times.

I just can't get my head how the insurance company will processes it-

Leak 1-excess 1-repair cost 1- fulfill insurance and cover repair costs.

Leak 2- excess 2- repair costs, NOTHING (as site of damage the same).

Think I may just have to re-tile my shower twice to make sure I get my money's worth if I'm required to pay two excesses....at the minute, this ridiculous proposal may be the only way to make them see sense.

Don't want insurance to go up with two claims either rather than just one.

paddyandstumpy

Whilst you're trying to make one claim, it's two isolated incidents you're claiming for, hence 2 excesses

spence968

I appreciate what you are saying, but I disagree. There is one piece of damage. By rectifying one leak's damage, you fix both.

How can you be legally asked to pay an excess on a second claim process when there are no repair costs? That's the point of an excess; you are liable for the initial/minimum cost of repair. There are no repair costs for the second leak, and paying an excess when there is no cost frankly makes no sense, other than it being a money making initiative.

Lets see if this makes sense; let's use another insurance example, critical illness over. Say I have boney pain and see my doctor, who after some investigation finds that I actually have metastatic lung cancer; it's in my lung and in my bones. The way I see it, my scenario is like asking the insurer to pay my critical illness pay out twice. My critical illness won't pay out twice because I have the same illness in two different places, they'll pay out once. That's the logic in my head.

rs65

spence968 wrote: »

There is one piece of damage.

.....caused by two events.

What I don't understand is why the management company feel the need to submit two claims. Its up to the insurance company to decide if it's one or two.

eddddy

I guess that you could try only claiming for one of the leaks - and say that you will arrange for the other to be repaired at your own cost (which you think will be negligible).