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When is it worth claiming on house insurance?

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    When is it worth claiming on house insurance?

    Our utility room is linked to the downstairs loo. It turns out the hot tap in the loo has a fault where the tap sometimes turns off completely as the water gets hot and it's hard to know if you've turned it all the way off. And another fault where the plug doesn't drain properly.

    So someone used the loo, washed their hands and left. That evening, we found the whole area awash... the tap had turned on and overflowed the sink, running for who knows how long before we noticed. It's a concrete floor with laminate on top which is now in a pretty bad state (yes I know laminate in a wet room is a bad idea, it was there when we arrived).

    I initially just thought "bollocks, that's another thing to pay for" but am now wondering if this is what insurance is for. The claim would I guess be to re-floor the two rooms and get the sink fixed. Few hundred quid if we get someone to do it all for us, I suppose?
    But is this even worth claiming in terms of subsequent premium rises, paperwork hassle, etc... I've never claimed before on house insurance for anything.
    Originally posted by MaryPoppins
    I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
    Originally posted by vetran
    Urine is quite nourishing

    #2
    AFAIK any repairs are just to "Make Good" up to a certain maximum.

    Read your policy wording, I doubt they'd pay for a new floor because otherwise people would be popping their waterbeds upstairs and claiming for a completely new downstairs lounge and kitchen which ended up water damaged.
    Originally posted by Nigel Farage MEP - 2016-06-24 04:00:00
    "I hope this victory brings down this failed project and leads us to a Europe of sovereign nation states, trading together, being friends together, cooperating together, and let's get rid of the flag, the anthem, Brussels, and all that has gone wrong."

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      #3
      I've claimed on house insurance 3 times. Each time, The renewal quote was horrendous, but was about the same or cheaper with a new provider.

      All 3 were within 2-3 years of buying our first home (first was about 6 months after moving in), so I had to declare all of them up until about 5 years ago. Insurance premium was never more than about £30 a month (although I wasn't living in a particularly big house then). Total value of claims is probably about £10k total, so I reckon I'm in profit from home insurance for a good few years yet.

      So in my experience, yes it's worth it it. I don't think house insurance is like car insurance where premiums go up massively because you've had an accident.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by rl4engc View Post
        AFAIK any repairs are just to "Make Good" up to a certain maximum.

        Read your policy wording, I doubt they'd pay for a new floor because otherwise people would be popping their waterbeds upstairs and claiming for a completely new downstairs lounge and kitchen which ended up water damaged.
        They should do. It will be up to a certain £ per sq m of flooring.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by d000hg View Post
          Our utility room is linked to the downstairs loo. It turns out the hot tap in the loo has a fault where the tap sometimes turns off completely as the water gets hot and it's hard to know if you've turned it all the way off. And another fault where the plug doesn't drain properly.

          So someone used the loo, washed their hands and left. That evening, we found the whole area awash... the tap had turned on and overflowed the sink, running for who knows how long before we noticed. It's a concrete floor with laminate on top which is now in a pretty bad state (yes I know laminate in a wet room is a bad idea, it was there when we arrived).

          I initially just thought "bollocks, that's another thing to pay for" but am now wondering if this is what insurance is for. The claim would I guess be to re-floor the two rooms and get the sink fixed. Few hundred quid if we get someone to do it all for us, I suppose?
          But is this even worth claiming in terms of subsequent premium rises, paperwork hassle, etc... I've never claimed before on house insurance for anything.
          If you knew about the tap and plug fault before hand then it isn't an insurance issue, but if you didn't then it is an insurance issue.

          Oh and check the small print about water leaks.
          "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by SueEllen View Post
            If you knew about the tap and plug fault before hand then it isn't an insurance issue, but if you didn't then it is an insurance issue.
            if you have accidental damage (or stupidity insurance) then it's likely covered.
            See You Next Tuesday

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by SueEllen View Post
              If you knew about the tap and plug fault before hand then it isn't an insurance issue, but if you didn't then it is an insurance issue.
              Yeah that makes sense.

              Will an insurer let you phone up and speak to a human about this sensibly, or will the computer force me to submit a claim and see what happens?
              Originally posted by MaryPoppins
              I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
              Originally posted by vetran
              Urine is quite nourishing

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by d000hg View Post
                Yeah that makes sense.

                Will an insurer let you phone up and speak to a human about this sensibly, or will the computer force me to submit a claim and see what happens?
                They all have claims lines.

                BTW the proper name for water leaks is "escape of water" which covers a range of water issues not just burst pipes so if you mention a faulty tap then it may come under that. The excess is more for that. So depending on the cost of repairing it, it may not be worth claiming.
                "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

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                  #9
                  Do bear in mind that once you have this conversation with them they WILL record it and you MUST then declare this from now on, regardless of claim. People have seriously got caught out with this before.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    If the tap was faulty, and you had not repaired it, then it is unlikely to be covered. Our bathroom floor (chipboard) disintegrated because the sealant round the bath wasn't watertight - they said it was wear and tear so not covered. Cost us £1000s. Similarly when the water pipe under the drive leaked - they have a limited life and are expected to fail after n years, so not covered.

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