Buildings insurance cover for flooding

TuppenceHapenny

My buildings insurance cover seems to exclude cover for flooding if the source is a leak from a pipe in the street. It hasn't happened yet but I wondered if this is normal for buildings insurance.

If it does happen, could I expect the water company whose pipe has leaked to cover the cost of the flooding or would I be left to cover the cost myself?

MyRealNameToo

Do you have a link to the policy book or able to copy/paste the text?

Flood is normally defined as something like "An invasion of the property by a large volume of water caused by a rapid build-up or sudden release from outside the buildings" and therefore would include a burst pipe in the street.

What it often doesnt cover is flooding caused by a rise in the water table, as that happens gradually generally. Normally only impacts those with cellars and then those that havent been tanked properly.

TuppenceHapenny

The policy booklet has a definition of flooding as:

Flood
Sudden release or rapid buildup of water entering Your Home or outbuildings from the outside.

But under the section detailing Buildings cover, it shows the following:

2 Flood.
What is not covered:

…

7 Loss or damage caused by water escaping from a damaged drain, sewer or pipe.

…

user1977

And are you sure it isn't covered under a different section?

(this is why pointing us towards the full policy wording is more helpful!)

TuppenceHapenny

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81921777#Comment_81921777

I'm fairly sure there isn't another section of the booklet that contradicts the section I've quoted, if that's what you mean.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81921772#Comment_81921772

Seeing the whole section would make life much easier.

Did try a quick search to see if I could find the policy book, amusingly Claude said it left it came from a more budget policy given its unusual to have 7+ exclusions from flood. Was also funny to see which brands it suggested checking out based on that.

Damage to underground pipes/services can be a separate coverage in some policies but in those you are really looking at the damage caused to access them or caused by soil erosion rather than water ingress

TuppenceHapenny

The full 'flood' section is as follows.

Section B

Your Buildings cover
This section is only included if shown in Your Schedule.
YOU ARE COVERED FOR:

….

2 Flood.

What is not covered:
1 Any amount exceeding that shown in Your Schedule/policy limits.
2 The Excess shown in Your Schedule.
3 Damage caused by a rise in the water table (the level below which the ground is completely saturated with water).
4 Damage to fences, hedges and gates.
5 Loss or damage caused by Subsidence, Heave or Landslip other than as covered under the Subsidence section of this policy.
6 Loss or damage to swimming pools, fixed hot tubs, tennis courts, drives, patios or terraces.
7 Loss or damage caused by water escaping from a damaged drain, sewer or pipe.
8 All policy exclusions in Section I - Policy Exclusions.

….

TuppenceHapenny

Does anyone know if I could expect the responsible water company to cover my costs in the event of my house being flooded by a leaking pipe in the street? Would it depend on the cause of that leak?

Thanks.

MyRealNameToo

As far as I am aware there is no strict liability and so if its caused by their negligence you can claim, if someone doing roadworks ruptures it instead then it would be the liability of the guys doing the work not the water company. It could also be neither, eg an earthquake, in which case if you dont have insurance you would be down to goodwill.

Its not that uncommon, most waterboards have a section on their website on who to contact in the event of a property damage such as https://www.thameswater.co.uk/help/after-an-incident-happens

TuppenceHapenny

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81925290#Comment_81925290

So, in theory at least, I shouldn't have much to worry about since (significant) earthquakes are rare around here so any burst water main will almost certainly be the result of a mishap that can be attributed to somebody's negligence? Or am I being naive?