Is it worth claiming on my home insurance

Rambosmum

Moved in to new house 14 months ago (owner occupier). Have home and contents insurance.


We found there was a leak coming from the bathroom in to the hall below. This was the only working bathroom (it's an en suite, main bathroom also leaked but more obviously so and in to the kitchen so we didn't use it). We had the leak repaired (resealed shower tray and plug hole), thought it was fixed. A few months later the ceiling collapsed.


We now have a hole in the ceiling which has exposed the pipes in the bathroom above and showed the leak is from the pipes and from somewhere "behind the scenes" 2 plumbers have essentially told us the installation was bad it needs ripping out.


We have 5 years no claims. Is it worth claiming? The whole bathroom is likely to need replacing (estimates at around 3k for labour and suit) and the hole needs patching and plastering and floating out to meet the rest of the ceiling. Then there's the mess. We've obviously cleaned up the lath and plaster that fell but the soot that was between the floorboards and ceiling is proving much harder and has ruined the wallpaper (embossed so it's caught in the embossing).


I'm cautious about claiming due to the costs, and we have now had the main bathroom done so at the end of this week won't need to use the en suite. We can't afford to redo it ourselves so it would leave us with only one loo.

bigisi

What's the point in having insurance if you're not going to claim when the exact type of situation it is for arises?

Surely you've answered your own question if you "can't afford to redo it" yourselves?

It's like writing your car off and not claiming because you might get a rise in premiums - crazy!

Rambosmum

bigisi wrote: »

What's the point in having insurance if you're not going to claim when the exact type of situation it is for arises?

Surely you've answered your own question if you "can't afford to redo it" yourselves?

It's like writing your car off and not claiming because you might get a rise in premiums - crazy!

But I'm wondering if the rise in premiums would outweigh what we would get back. There has to be a sliding scale of when it is worth it to claim.


And "can't afford it" is relative really. We have 3k in savings but I'd prefer to keep it for something more emergency.

paddyandstumpy

First of all consider what your eacape of water excess is, as you'll be liable for this.

I doubt your premiums would increase by £3k over the next 5 years as a result of just the one claim, but you can do dummy quotes (using false data) online to see the impact a claim will have on your premiums.

Rambosmum

paddyandstumpy wrote: »

First of all consider what your eacape of water excess is, as you'll be liable for this.

I doubt your premiums would increase by £3k over the next 5 years as a result of just the one claim, but you can do dummy quotes (using false data) online to see the impact a claim will have on your premiums.

Excess is £250 and quotes jump up £70 for the next year. So over 5 years would likely cost us £600 ish including excess, so may well be worth it!

timjim

The insurance company will only pay for repairs, they won't pay to replace the bathroom suite!

Rambosmum

timjim wrote: »

The insurance company will only pay for repairs, they won't pay to replace the bathroom suite!

Except the bathroom suite (or significant part of it - toilet cistern, maserator, shower tray and shower unit) are the problem. More than one plumber has said it's a total refit (including one who had no personal interest in the job). It can't be repaired without being replaced. We would need to pay for the sink (about £60)

eddddy

Rambosmum wrote: »

Except the bathroom suite (or significant part of it - toilet cistern, maserator, shower tray and shower unit) are the problem. More than one plumber has said it's a total refit (including one who had no personal interest in the job). It can't be repaired without being replaced. We would need to pay for the sink (about £60)

You need to read your policy carefully.

Your bathroom suite hasn't been damaged by an escape of water, so your insurance is unlikely to cover it.

In fact, it sounds like all the damage was caused by poor workmanship by whoever installed the bathroom, so your policy might not cover any of the damage.


As you can imagine, it would be a ridiculous situation if homeowners could get a cheap, botched plumbing job done - then when it leaks, expect their insurers to pay-out to re-do the job properly.