Water damage from upstairs flat - should I be out of pocket?

dhamilton90

Hey,

Just looking for some advice since I don't know where I stand here. My upstairs neighbour had a burst pipe which he got fixed immediately, however I am now left with some water damage to my ceiling in 3 rooms (which I had just paid to get redecorated 2 weeks before!). I spoke to my home insurance who said that my excess would actually cost more than it would cost me to get someone out to repaint it etc. Under normal circumstances I think I would discuss this with the upstairs neighbour and came to some kind of agreement as I don't think I should be out of pocket due to damage cause by a burst pipe in his property, but he rents the flat from the council. Do I just need to pay to get the damage sorted or is there a way around this?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

chrisw

I think you will have to pay for it I'm afraid. You could pursue them for the cost of the damage through the courts but you would have to prove they were negligent, and it doesn't sound like they were.

It's not the neighbours fault that you have elected to have a significant excess on your insurance. Large excesses are all very well at keeping the premium down but you pay the price when you need to claim.

rach_k

Is it damage to the structure or just something that can be painted over (with a stain block too)?  If it's just a paint job, I'd just do it myself.  It's probably not worth risking a good relationship with your neighbour.  You could try contacting the council but I doubt they'd offer anything.