Home Insurance: Is this a "Trace & Access" issue?

gutovicky

Hello Forumites
Please forgive me..  I've already posted some/all of the following, but possibly in the wrong category.   ...was not sure where to post for the best...

A large damp area has appeared on the carpet in the middle of my lounge.
At first, I thought all the recent heavy rain might have broken through the property's DPC   [....assuming it has a DPC; bungalow, built 1970].

Next possibility:  my radiator feed & return pipes are all buried in the concrete floors, so possibly/probably some of these have developed leaks....

1. Does anyone have experience of asking for/receiving the "Trace & Access" benefits of their Home Insurance policy??

2. Do you think that there is any chance at all that my (reputable) Home Insurance provider would help me with the cost of re-routing radiator pipes to stop this leak into the concrete slab??      ......that's assuming the pipes are causing the leak...

Thank you for your time.
Cheers, Vicky

DullGreyGuy

1) Yes... lots of people claim on Trace & Access if they ahve the coverage on their policy

2) No... they will pay to  access it and fix any damage the water has caused. They wont assist with loss prevention activities like rerouting piping 

gutovicky

Thank you DullGreyGuy,

1)  yeah, I do have the 'Trace & Access' cover in my policy..
But I was just wondering how it worked...   
Do I, the householder, have to pay for the T&A initially, and then reclaim from the Insurer?   
Are there any circumstances where the insurer does come in and do the T&A work - but then charge you for it retrospectively? 

2) What if I take pre-emptive action and fit the new radiator pipes (that I believe I need) and only THEN claim to rectify damage the water may have done to the floor slab?   Or do I claim for this under the 'escape of water' cover? 

For instance, I'm concerned that if the Insurer does a T&A and find that it is the radiator pipes in the slab that are causing the leak - could they then say that maintaining the CH & associated pipework is an issue that the householder is responsible for - and then charge me for the T&A work they did!!

Sorry to be so nervous - have never claimed on Home Insurance before... and am trying to avoid extra costs or increased premiums down the line...

Thanks for any hints you can pass on.
Vicky

DullGreyGuy

1) It will depend on both the insurer and your location. Some have an extensive network of preferred suppliers and will appoint one of them if they are available. Others will ask for 2 quotes and then confirm you can go with the lower one.

If they approve work then the only way they'd then not payup is if an indemnity issue comes to light (but then generally it will stop work and they will pay for the work up to that point) or you expand the scope of the work beyond what they agreed to in which case they'd pay the proportion related to what they approved. 

2) It is possible that they find the cause of the leak is not a covered peril and so the T&A is the only part of the claim covered and you'd have to deal with the water damage, repair and reinstatement but they wouldnt then charge you for the T&A. 

TSx

Just as a counter point, I've worked for insurers where Trace & Access cover is only invoked if there is a valid claim under the Escape of Water section.

This means that for any claim to be paid there has to be both damage caused by the water (not just damp which would dry out) and the water must have leaked from a fixed domestic water installation - so radiator pipes would count.

In principle, this means if the damage is found to be a leaking pipe but the only damage is damp (which would dry out naturally but for the leak) then they may well refuse to cover the claim at all.

Other policies place the Trace & Access cover under a seperate section of policy, independent of the Escape of Water section.

The only way you can be sure of how your insurer will deal with this is by speaking to them.

gutovicky

Thank you DullGreyGuy & TSx - useful info...

From my Home Insurance policy, the Insurer will cover loss or damage caused by the 'escape of water' - including from the property's heating installation - as long as it is a sudden & unexpected escape of water.. [there is a £300 excess to pay].

The policy also says that the insurer will cover all necessary & reasonable costs that I (the policyholder) may incur in 'tracing and accessing' the source of the damage, up to the limit of £5000 per claim...  [there is a £350 excess to pay on a Buildings claim].

So, yes, the 'escape of water' & the 'trace & access' benefits of my policy do seem closely linked in this situation.
It also sounds like I would have to get a local firm to trace & access the source myself, then reclaim the cost of that.

I suppose I am at least 80% sure that this damp is from old copper pipes that are buried in the concrete floor [carrying water to & from the radiators] - in which case they have possibly been leaking slowly for some time - so would I be covered ??  In other words, is this a slow deterioration of the pipework that I should have been prepared for??

On the other hand, there's a chance that the damp could be caused by 'external factors' during/after the heavy downpours of rain we had a week or two ago - eg: local water-logging & drains being overwhelmed.  That comes under a different section of the policy: 'Loss or damage resulting from Flood'.  'Trace & access' does not seem to be mentioned here...


The bottom line is, I am very cautious about contacting the Insurer because of 2 possible outcomes:

1. They may reject my claim from the outset but still record that the property has a problem with damp/water ingress - which then subsequently increases my annual insurance premiums!
or
2. They may accept my claim, BUT when they visit the property they may judge it NOT to be in a "good state of repair".  They would then reject my claim - or worse, they may label me a "liability", which would again affect my insurance premiums in the future. 
Please note: I have to admit that there are repairs outstanding to the property's roofline - (so nothing to do with the present issue, but looking quite untidy whilst awaiting repair!).

So I'm a bit fraught, not knowing quite what to do for the best....  Can anyone offer further insight or suggestions??

Thank you for your time!
Cheers, Vicky

TSx

You don't need to worry about number two unless you're living in a house that's literally falling down around you - I've dealt with thousands of building insurance claims and it's never been an issue.

The Financial Ombudsman publish guidance around damage which you wouldn't have noticed (https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/businesses/complaints-deal/insurance/home-buildings-insurance/gradual-damage) - essentially, providing you didn't notice the damage sooner, you would be covered even if the leak itself occurred gradually.

Normally a leak to the heating system would be accompanied by a reduction in boiler pressure, have you noticed that at all?

Personally, I would get someone local to determine the cause of the leak and then decide what to do (try to find a decent local plumber who offers leak tracing rather than searching online for trace and access services as it's likely to be a lot cheaper than the national firms).

gutovicky

Yes, maybe I will try to get a local firm to investigate....  thank you TSx.

In the meantime, I have decided, in my head, that it is the DRAINS that have failed (surface water)...
Although I've had the CH on when its been cold lately, the damp patch in the lounge is NOT growing and seems to be drying out...  (no rain for a week).

There's another thing that's worrying me..
It's now 2+ weeks (?) since the heavy rainfall which caused the my damp problem (dampness penetrating into the property, through the slab floor!)....
If I eventually turn to my Home Insurance provider for help, could they now turn round and say I should have contacted them straight away??
Am I running out of time to contact them with this 'emergency' (a flooding or an escape of water issue) ??

Thank you for your time everyone.
Vicky