Home insurance increase after a claim

m_in_the_city__

HI,

We have an issue with a neighbour who has invasive bamboo in their garden which has spread into our garden. We have been chatting to them to try to find a resolution and they are making moves to get some quotes but things are progressing slowly.

As this has been going on for a while, we're inclined to go through our insurance company to get this resolved before any real damage occurs. If we do make a claim on our insurance, approximately how much should we expect our premiums to rise by when it comes to renewal time?

flaneurs_lobster

What are you intending to claim for? Damage? To what?

Annemos

In general, a Home Insurance Policy is only there to cover damage that has already happened.

For example, with Subsidence, the Policy is there to assess the damage, and remove the cause, then do the repairs. It is NOT there to prevent future damage.

Edit: re Subsidence again. Home Insurance Policies usually say that any damage to garden walls, patios etc will only be dealt with if the actual home building has suffered damage.

m_in_the_city__

We would be claiming to remove the encroaching Bamboo and put measures in place to protect our property from future growth.

Currently where it is growing it is beginning to damage our fence, gate and raised garden planters and it is growing within a meter of the house. Our concern is that it has already spread closer tot he house or even underneath it and we just don't see it yet. There is a path that separates our garden from theirs and the bamboo is growing through gaps in the path and beginning to damage it. We own part of the path along with other householders nearby.

We are trying to resolve this directly with the neighbours but they are not making much progress and we are considering speaking to our insurance company about it. If we do, even if we don't claim, we fully expect the premiums to rise on renewal, but we currently have no idea how much the increase would be and are trying to get some kind of idea so we can try to decide how we want to proceed.

user1977

We would be claiming to remove the encroaching Bamboo and put measures in place to protect our property from future growth.

Is that a risk covered by the policy?

Annemos

If you have the funds yourselves, have you thought about offering to deal with it for the Neighbours? They might not know what to do to tackle the problem.

There are Companies that specialise in issues like removal of Japanese Knotweed and other invasive roots, such as Bamboo. One can find them on an Internet search.

I have an interesting anecdote about one such company. I contacted them about Tree root invasion from Council Trees, and they actually recommended I seek advice from "the best Tree Inspector in the County" who they had worked with. This was a great help for my Subsidence Claim. (My home was already damaged, so my Subsidence Claim had been accepted.)

Edit: I just found this discussion. They discuss likely costs at the end.

https://hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/for-owners/bamboo-problems/

Ayr_Rage

As @user1977 has just said, is it covered by your policy?

If it is that'll be the first time I've heard of it, so do tell us who your insurer is if they do actually cover it.

m_in_the_city__

It isn't specifically mentioned in the documentation that I have looked at but I don't know if that means that it automatically excludes it or if something like this would be covered. The policy is with Policy Expert.

We do have legal cover on our policy which we can use but trying to get an understanding of the consequences of making a claim or even just discussing it with the insurance company.

From the one person who came out to quote, they said it would be upwards of 3k just to dig up the gardens, remove the accessible bamboo and put barriers in. They have said that they are unable to remove the bamboo from under the path as they won't be able to dig that up. I get the impression that the neighbour is very much regretting the bamboo and not keen on spending any money on resolving this.

As it was her actions that created this issue, we feel that we shouldn't have to spend thousands to resolve this but we also want it to be dealt with appropriately to reduce the risk of damage in the future. Bamboo can be horrendously damaging and we'd rather it be resolved now rather than when it is coming through the floor of our kitchen.

It is hugely frustrating given we have been trying to be nice neighbours about this and work with them to try to find a solution but feel that they are not considering it as a big issue.

user1977

Your policy only covers the specific risks mentioned in the policy, it doesn't cover everything bad which happens to your property. Legal cover seems the only relevant matter it's likely to include.

luci

Perhaps speak to Citizens Advice on the best way to proceed with this without alienating your neighbour.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82077513#Comment_82077513

Most home insurance is written on an insured perils basis, so its only covered if the policy explicitly says it is so if its silent that would mean there is no cover.

If the vegetation has caused damage then it MAY be covered as land heave or subsidence but most policies only cover once the main building has been damaged and exclude damage to just secondary structures. If you end up having to declare a subsidence claim then the increase in premiums are going to be tiny -v- the impact on the value of your property etc.

At present it sounds like its about avoiding damage being caused which not only isnt your insurers responsibility but your contractual obligation. Probably want to look into installing root barriers along the parameter of your boundary,