House Insurance Claims?

Merlin the Magician

Merlin the Magician

At the Start
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
3,556
Location
SOUTH WALES
I have both buildings and content policies, currently running and have been with the same firm in excess of 20yrs and never claimed before.... about March I noticed after getting out of the bath, water had obviously leaked from the bath so I thought! I put holes in the ceiling to let out the water and mopped it up.....

But to day I noticed water coming from the same spot in the kitchen which is below the bathroom come w-c, and rushed upstairs and took up a few of the carpet tiles and noticed it was soaking, and the floor boards had rotted away in parts, on further examination I found the radiator in the bathroom had rusted away on the side nearest the wall obviously causing this damage to the floor and the kitchen ceiling..

I went out and bought a radiator and drained the other one off with the view to fitting this new one, I took all the carpet tiles up and find that where the w-c is all the floor boards need to be renewed...
Can someone advice me on making a claim and the reason I posted this WILL I be allowed to claim as its going to cost more than a few shillings in my eyes....

All advise greatfully received thank you...........I have heard some strange goings on's with these insurance companies.......... :suspect:
 
First, tell the insurance company straight away. Take lots of digital photos and offer to send them to the company. They have thousands of claims and know how to deal with them.

You might be criticised for not reporting a problem immediately but as long as you are with a reputable company you will have no problems. That's what they exist for.
 
Merlin, you should always phone your insurer first and advise them of what has happened and why, and what needs to be done. There's no guarantee that they'll pay out at all if you've gone ahead with a DIY job, which they may consider isn't professionally up to the standard needed to stop the problem happening again.

So, without fail, get on that telephonic device tomorrow and tell them what's happened. They may or may not want to send out their own assessor, or they may insist that you employ someone to fix the problem. If you've done it yourself, they've no evidence that the problem really occurred, have they? You could be buying a new radiator and carpets and just pretending that you had water damage. That's why you must always call the insurer before undertaking any work.

In the meantime, make sure you keep your receipts for whatever you've bought and DON'T buy anything else until you know what you're supposed to do.

(Virtually 'snap!' with TS!) :)
 
:laughing: It's why we're like a terrier with a rat, Heads - we have to worry something to death rather than leave it! Well, I speak personally, of course!
 
Merlin,

As the others said call your insurer immediately. They will then allocate you a claim number for reference, and send out an assessor/adjuster to assess and adjust the damage. It will then be determined if the "claims" fall within the scope of cover of the policy terms and conditions (always good to read the fine print particularly the wording and schedule you are given at renewal).

If the damage is repaired, if you are liable for an excess for the claim, you will pay the $500 or whatever it is in the UK. After that the insurer is billed direct and you will not have to see paper work.

Definitely call them straight away, and most importantly do not touch the damage!
 
Thanks folks will give them a bell now,,,,,,,I have as yet only isolated and drained the said radiator its still in place, and the new one still in its packaging,,,,,,,
Will let you know the outcome when I get a response...........ta
 
Good luck, Merlin. I'm sure it'll be fine, but it's just as well you didn't do any DIY, then. Don't forget to hold onto your receipt for the rad.
 
Can't fault the effort up to now excellent!!.......

A company based in Beverely, Yorks phoned me asking further details and with in two hours (4pm) a local guy called bringing dehumidifier and a power fan to dry out the damage..

I will have to replace the radiator myself but they will cover all damage done.....

He took the damaged carpets away with him and measured the rooms damaged and will write out a report to the insurance company re damage etc.........

so far so good.............
 
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