Buildings insurance for privately owned flat within block of flats

Nmk

My sister owns a flat within a block. The management company have supplied a copy of the buildings insurance documents and I currently have contents insurance which is due for renewal at the end of this month.

She I moved into her flat just under 1 year ago and subsequently found that there had been water damage (while it was unoccupied) which ultimately lead to her having a new fitted kitchen and decoration in the kitchen and an adjoining bedroom. This had to be done at her cost as she was told by the management company that the buildings insurance only covered communal areas in the instance of a water leak.

Since she only have contents insurance currently (taken out shortly before she moved in), I have suggested that she try to plug any gaps in her insurance to ensure that she has cover for damage to any fixtures and fittings (and other areas that we may be unaware of) that do not appear to have any cover currently including potential damage to neighbouring properties.

We are aware that she can take out building insurance for the property (her flat!) as a whole but are equally aware that this may cause issues with overlapping cover with the owners of the block.

I would appreciate any comments and advise on how to get a quote that will not conflict with the current buildings insurance arranged by the management company 

Thanks and kind regards

eddddy

Nmk said:

This had to be done at her cost as she was told by the management company that the buildings insurance only covered communal areas in the instance of a water leak.

Have you read the insurance policy to see if that is true?

Does the lease say that the freeholder doesn't need to insure against water damage within flats?


My recollection of a tribunal case was that a freeholder should insure the buildings against all the normal risks that a homeowner would insure against. (And a homeowner would normally have buildings insurance cover for escape of water.)

Perhaps the exception would be if there had been a lot of 'escape of water' insurance claims in that block. Insurers might refuse to provide further cover, or charge an astronomic premium.

But if there is a history of  'escape of water' insurance claims in the block, even if standalone 'escape of water' policies exist, the premiums might be astronomic.

bouicca21

Well I had damage to my flat caused by a leak.  Buildings insurance did not cover the repair to the pipes but it did cover the damage to the flat as it was ‘consequential’.  The repair to the pipe was small change - the repairs to my flat were mouth-wateringly costly. 

I find it difficult to understand how buildings insurance can distinguish between a leak in a communal area and elsewhere.  My lease actually requires the freeholder to have buildings insurance.

I suspect the management company simply don’t understand the difference between the cost of repairing the pipe and the cost of rectifying the damage.  Did an insurance assessor visit?

macman

Since a water leak in a private flat could still potentially cause catastrophic damage to the entire block, I find this unlikely in the extreme. 
I'd be asking for a copy of the buildings insurance policy. 

NameUnavailable

The management company are not being honest with you. Ask to see a copy of the policy.