Water Damage to Wall and Insurance Claim

Chloe_G

Yesterday I discovered the corner of the wall of one of our bedrooms was soaking wet and covered in black mould.  The neighbour's downpipe is blocked and overflowing and rain has come through the wall.  Also some clothes in the wardrobe adjacent to the leak have mould on them.

I phoned the insurance company who said I could claim but I would have to pay £200 excess.   I'm just wondering if it's worth claiming.  The other issue is that the other end of the same bedroom exterior wall has also got damp on it and the wallpaper has started peeling off.  We had the roof checked by two roofers recently who said there was nothing wrong with it and they didn't think a roof defect was causing the damp, so we thought it was condensation.  I am now wondering if the downpipe leak could have caused the damp at the other end of the wall (travelling under the render) or is this unlikely and the water wouldn't travel that far?  Just thinking that if the leak has caused all the damp damage it would be worth claiming but if it's just for one area we might be better off just letting it dry out and redecorating ourselves.

If I did claim, is it likely that the insurance would pay for someone to redecorate just the corner of the room where the leak is?

Thank you.

Bendy_House

Hi Chloe.

I don't think we can answer that from this side of the screen. Photos might help.

Is it likely that an overflowing gutter has caused damp to a completely different part of a wall? I'd say, no, not 'likely', but always possible.

If there isn't actual 'damage' to your wall from the gutter, I personally wouldn't bother making a claim. Once the gutter is fixed and the wall dry, it will 'just' be a case of redecorating - sanding, sealing with Zinsser or similar (to prevent stains coming through), and painting. £50-worth of materials, and a bit of work.

I presume the gutter has been cleared, and steps will now be taken to ensure it's kept so? If all this water is coursing over from the neighbour's side, and because the neighbour's DP is blocked, then they are liable for sorting it and keeping it clear (tho' not for the actual damage in this case, unless they have been 'negligent'. 'Negligent' would include you having pointed out the gushing water, and them not doing anything about it, and subsequent damage being caused.) Obviously, check this 'nicely', and maintain good relations. If any part of the gutter is shared, then consider making this a shared cost now and going forward.

DullGreyGuy

Chloe_G said:

If I did claim, is it likely that the insurance would pay for someone to redecorate just the corner of the room where the leak is?

Unless you have Matching Set cover they are only liable for the damaged area and would only redecorate that area on a best endevours basis (assuming matching wall paper isnt available etc)

eddddy

Damage caused by lack of maintenance is unlikely to be covered by buildings insurance.

I suspect that what your insurer might mean is that you can make a claim, and they'll send out an assessor as part of your claim (and your £200 excess will go towards the cost of the assessor).

But the assessor is likely to report that the damage was caused by lack of maintenance - so they won't pay for any repairs.

And that will be treated as a claim, which you'll have to declare for 3 to 5 years, probably resulting in increased premiums.



Tbh, simply by phoning the insurers, this could have been recorded as "an incident reported to the insurance company which may or may not give rise to a claim."  (See: https://www.uk.experian.com/insurance/cue/shared/html/cue_mnu_overview.htm.)

So it may be recorded on the CUE database, which all home insurers have access to - so they might increase your future premiums as a result.

In general, it's usually best not to contact your insurers about "incidents" unless you're pretty sure that the damage will be covered, and you're pretty sure that you're going to make a claim.


Here's a news story about somebody who fell into this trap: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/sep/30/insurance-query-higher-premiums

diystarter7

Hi OP
We've never claimed on building insurance but investigated it once about 20 odd years ago. Don't hold me to it but they will only make good the corner and from what you said, IMHO, once the down pipe is sorted the problem may go away. The excess is there and if you claim, your next premium may be higher.

Chloe_G

Thanks all.

@eddddy -Thank you, after I had phoned I immediately regretted it!

Chloe_G

Bendy_House said:

Hi Chloe.

I don't think we can answer that from this side of the screen. Photos might help.

Is it likely that an overflowing gutter has caused damp to a completely different part of a wall? I'd say, no, not 'likely', but always possible.

If there isn't actual 'damage' to your wall from the gutter, I personally wouldn't bother making a claim. Once the gutter is fixed and the wall dry, it will 'just' be a case of redecorating - sanding, sealing with Zinsser or similar (to prevent stains coming through), and painting. £50-worth of materials, and a bit of work.

I presume the gutter has been cleared, and steps will now be taken to ensure it's kept so? If all this water is coursing over from the neighbour's side, and because the neighbour's DP is blocked, then they are liable for sorting it and keeping it clear (tho' not for the actual damage in this case, unless they have been 'negligent'. 'Negligent' would include you having pointed out the gushing water, and them not doing anything about it, and subsequent damage being caused.) Obviously, check this 'nicely', and maintain good relations. If any part of the gutter is shared, then consider making this a shared cost now and going forward.

I told him yesterday morning but water was still overflowing when I got home yesterday.

Bendy_House

Chloe_G said:

I told him yesterday morning but water was still overflowing when I got home yesterday.

I wouldn't worry about the insurance phone call - you were only enquiring. If there's any suggestion of this being logged as something that could affect your premiums, then escalate it - it would be a nonsense.

"I presume the gutter has been cleared, and steps will now be taken to ensure it's kept so? If all this water is coursing over from the neighbour's side, and because the neighbour's DP is blocked, then they are liable for sorting it and keeping it clear (tho' not for the actual damage in this case, unless they have been 'negligent'. 'Negligent' would include you having pointed out the gushing water, and them not doing anything about it, and subsequent damage being caused.) Obviously, check this 'nicely', and maintain good relations. If any part of the gutter is shared, then consider making this a shared cost now and going forward."

I think, reasonably, you need to allow them more than one day. If the fellow cannot DIY it, then they'd need to get someone in, and that can easily take a week or more.

Did you explain that the water was coming through and causing damage? Was they bovvered? What was the response?

And, is there any way that this could be a 'shared' responsibility? Is the water coming entirely from their guttering?

DullGreyGuy

Bendy_House said:

Chloe_G said:

I told him yesterday morning but water was still overflowing when I got home yesterday.

I wouldn't worry about the insurance phone call - you were only enquiring. If there's any suggestion of this being logged as something that could affect your premiums, then escalate it - it would be a nonsense.

Home insurance increasingly asks about claims or incidents whether claimed for or not... whilst most people "forget" to mention the incidents when there is an official record from a phone call its becomes dangerous to do so. You can escalate it all you want but unless you want to claim it was a joke and the incident didnt happen you'll not be getting anywhere. 

[Deleted User]

It’s madness that you now can’t phone an insurance company for advice without it being seen as making a claim. Surely that’s a money making thing if they raise your premiums just for enquiries. 

eddddy

Deleted_User said:

It’s madness that you now can’t phone an insurance company for advice without it being seen as making a claim. Surely that’s a money making thing if they raise your premiums just for enquiries. 

Yep - but I think that the insurance company would argue with that on 2 points...

They'd have to employ extra advisers, if they wanted to provide 'free' advice to policyholders. So that would push up their costs, and therefore their premiums. Some people will go to comparison sites and choose an insurer because they're £1 cheaper than another insurer. So adding a pound or two to premiums in order to pay for the extra advisers might lose them business.


Also, insurance companies claim the following...

• A ) People who repeatedly phone to say "Can I make a claim for x, y and z?" would seem to be keen to make small insurance claims whenever possible.

• B ) People who never phone their insurers to ask that kind of question would seem much less keen (and less likely) to make small insurance claims - for example, they would rather pay for smaller repairs themselves rather than getting insurers involved.

So the insurance companies would say that people of type A above are higher risk, so they want to charge them higher premiums.