Home Insurance claim denied- help please!

SarahB1

I have had an issue with foul smelling drains that has been caused by a belly in the pipework which is holding water, restricting flow and causing blockages (this is all happening under our kitchen floor!).

I have made a claim on our Insurance which has been declined as "the most likely cause of damage would be point loading from the above property which is not covered under the terms of the policy".

The insurer has said that "accidental damage would be a sudden, identifiable external force and there is no evidence of this".

I have checked my policy and loss / damage caused by Subsidence, heave or landslip is covered under the policy, however "normal settlement, shrinkage or expansion" is not covered (the house is approx 25 years old).

Any advice on how to proceed with the insurers would be appreciated !

DullGreyGuy

Have you had anyone out to diagnose the cause of the problem?

Other than subsidence home insurance is there to deal with events and isnt a maintenance contract or to cover the ultimate aging of the property. Subsidence is the exception but having that term associated with your property will knock thousands off its value and make all future insurance difficult to buy.

As a consequence insurance doesn't cover general wear and tear, gradually occurring issues (other than escape of water), poor design or workmanship (the later two often would predate the insurance and so has multiple reasons for not being covered.)

On the basis the insurer has declined the claim you can either complain with no evidence to support your case or get someone out to find the cause and if its something covered by the policy then complain then with your evidence to back it up. 

I'd be cautious of trying to play the subsidence claim unless the repairs are going to be very expensive or your engineer thinks the pipe is just the first part of a wider subsidence issue. 

SarahB1

DullGreyGuy said:

Have you had anyone out to diagnose the cause of the problem?

Other than subsidence home insurance is there to deal with events and isnt a maintenance contract or to cover the ultimate aging of the property. Subsidence is the exception but having that term associated with your property will knock thousands off its value and make all future insurance difficult to buy.

As a consequence insurance doesn't cover general wear and tear, gradually occurring issues (other than escape of water), poor design or workmanship (the later two often would predate the insurance and so has multiple reasons for not being covered.)

On the basis the insurer has declined the claim you can either complain with no evidence to support your case or get someone out to find the cause and if its something covered by the policy then complain then with your evidence to back it up. 

I'd be cautious of trying to play the subsidence claim unless the repairs are going to be very expensive or your engineer thinks the pipe is just the first part of a wider subsidence issue. 

Many thanks for your reply - and yes, great point re: subsidence.

The cause of the problem is effectively settlement / movement under the pipe