Policy Expert - any experience of claiming with them and what to expect

jojowig

Good Evening,   

I moved into my property Jan2024 and my ceiling developed a crack a couple of weeks ago in my living room- previous owner installed an ensuite above this area.  The ceiling has subsequently come down(lathe and plaster - very messy).  There was a crashing sound and the ceiling came down with water then falling and also showing elsewhere on the the ceiling.   Claim was made at end of August and Insurance co offered one date for surveyor to call which did not suit.  I requested it to be rearranged.  The surveyor later arranged to come out on Thursday last week but in the background insurer cancelled the claim without notifying me.  When I called they reopened the claim and surveyor came out.  I'm not getting a good feeling after their initial handling of the claim.

Surveyor came today and advised whilst here he did not believe the claim would be covered as the previous owners had repaired the ceiling previously in the area where the crack appeared.  He also advised if they did cover it then they will only cover the ceiling coming down and will make a single offer - the ceiling falling has damaged my carpet and also artwork on the wall.  Daily there are still bits falling from the ceiling.   I was hoping the insurance company would carry out repairs as I don't have the energy to deal with everything that has gone wrong with the house.    I have no experience of claiming so not sure what to expect.   

What should I expect?  Has anyone got any experience dealing with Policy Expert?  Any advice on how to deal with this situation?  Any advice appreciated?

Annemos

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/businesses/complaints-deal/insurance/home-buildings-insurance/gradual-damage

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/businesses/complaints-deal/insurance/home-buildings-insurance/accidental-damage

There is information on the Ombudsman website above. Also some cases are described. 


I went in to the section for Businesses above. I often find that very useful, as it describes how Insurance Companies should be acting in scenarios. (The Consumers section is also there and describes what we can claim for.) 


https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/insurance/home-insurance


I don't know enough about it myself to be able to judge where you stand in your case. 

(Insurance policies can have exclusions for things like "Gradual Damage",    "Poor  Workmanship/ design/ construction",     "Wear and Tear" etc. ) 

hunnybuns66

I can only give my personal experience with them and the claim i made in 2023. 

Firstly what level of cover did you have? Mine was silver, that tells you what you should expect claim wise. Secondly did you know about the sellers having this issue and did you disclose it before taking out the policy? 
Is it still ongoing or now resolved?

I had a burst pipe and only noticed as i had a large water bill and was contacted by the water company as it was a very large leak. I contacted PE and they sent someone out who could not detect it and thats where it went wrong. From then on i was told i would have to get it fixed myself and upload my invoice on the portal, it cost me thousands so no good using them if you cannot afford to pay then wait to get paid out. They did put dryers in and said they would pay back electricity used. To cut a  very long story short if your prepared to get your own quotes and pay for works to be carried out from your own pocket they are very good. They did awnser all of my questions on the portal swiftly although i had to call once as it wasn't detailed enough to which i did recieve an apology by my case manager.
I did get paid out for everything, plus the cost to re- new my block paving after getting a quote which they accepted was fair. I was told i didn't have to get it replaced if i didn't want or any of the kitchen items they paid out for but would not be able to claim the vat on the invoice as i obviously had not had the work carried out.

To be fair i did continue my policy with them and still do. It's just a case of knowing your policy wording and your level of cover. If you can't or dont like doing things through an app its probably not a good idea using them as waiting times on the phone are crazy.