Insurance Claim FAQ

No, you do not. They present the claim and carry out the works at no cost to yourselves; you only have to pay the excess due to the insurer as you would normally.

They carry out the work to dry and restore your home to its pre-leak condition, and the profit from doing this is their income, just like any builder would.

No, the claim is for the works required and at a rate negotiated with the insurer. This also ensures all the work required is scoped correctly and carried out.

This is incredibly rare, but the leak detection was carried out before their liability, and sometimes it takes a formal complaint. Still, the invoice is due and gets paid…eventually.

The million-dollar question! Delays are normally due to the insurer dragging their heels whilst getting costs approved; a cynic might think they did it on purpose to try and get you to pay for it yourself.

Once works are approved, it normally moves quickly as the claims management company wants to finish it too!

Normally within a day of us finishing getting access to the leak, this can be on another visit. There is little point until it is exposed, as the claim cannot be fully presented.

Not a problem; we will give you the invoices to pay by return.

Insurance advice is an FCA-regulated activity, and we are not insurance experts. This is where the experts come in to protect you from being left high and dry by the insurer but also governed by the FCA to act in your interests.

We don’t get the constant questions on how to manage a claim, which takes lots of time to deal with as we cannot assist beyond finding the leaks. So while we can share our experiences, we cannot advise, but we do want to help.

In general, you are covered if you have damage from fixed pipework.

Common uninsured leaks:

• Structural leaks, such as rising damp, are not normally covered.
• Failed sealant around baths and showers is something we see all too often; this is a maintenance issue, not a leak.
• Boiler faults instead of failed heating pipework (PRV or failed heat exchanger)
• External water mains are not normally covered, but some policies do.

Sadly not; we need their involvement to ensure we will get paid.

We use several companies, often based on the coverage area. Rest assured that all are FCA-regulated companies in their name (not ‘renting’ a licence from a broker).

Any company recommended has shown a proven track record of settling claims and carrying out quality restoration work for our customers.