Recently we had a blocked waste water pipe that carried water away from our kitchen (sink & dishwasher) it was concealed behind the fitted kitchen and in the next room (toilet) the same pipe was boxed in. (the pipe ran the width of our house)

To cut a long story short ,due to the blockage the pipe split on the joint and had been leaking(unknown to us)for some time,eventually,it soaked through the ceiling boards and last Sunday the dishwasher kindly poured its water discharge via the damaged pipe into the room below bringing down part of the ceiling below.

We called in a builder on the Sunday afternoon to make good emergency repairs and discover the source of the leak to which he had to smash the tiles covering the boxed pipework in the bathroom to access the boxed in pipe.

We contacted RSA on the Monday morning to lodge our claim......beware

They say leaking internal pipes are WEAR AND TEAR and are not covered in buildings insurance ,on page 16 of their booklet they have a vague exclusion statement which they claim covers this incident

"Any loss ,damage,liabiliy,cost or expense of any kind caused by resulting from wear and tear,depreciation,corrosion,rusting,damp,insects,vermin,fungus,condensation,fading,frost or anything that happens gradually,including the renovation or restoration caused or any consequential loss.

I explained that it was not wear and tear but pressure due to the blockage put the plastic waste pipe joint under pressure resulting in the leakage and damage,not only will they not pay fro the pipe to be repaired or renewed they refuse to pay for the cost of reboxing in the pipe and tiling !!

Be warned of ROYAL AND SUN ALLIANCE .

Are they covering you for the clean up costs, e.g. the ceiling replacement?

They state that they will only cover actual damage caused by the water to the "building structure",ie the repair and decoration of the ceiling of the room below or anything under the buildings policy directly effected by the result of/following the actual leak,any cost related to the accessing of ,discovery of,or repair of the source will not be covered.

My point to RSA is ,it was not wear and tear ,if the pipe had not blocked,the waste pipe would not have leaked.

And where does wear and tear begin or end in such a vague exclusion!

This is my first claim ever on our Buildings Policy,it doeas make you think that it does not pay to be honest with Insurance Companies.

we had them for flood cover in the north wales floods they would nt pay out right up until the court room doors then they settled plus damages they are about the most horrible insurance company you could ever hope to meet and if i were you i would have them in court as soon as possible take it to the small claims go for it mate make a judge decide ,otherwise they will keep you arguing for years ,just dont mess with them prosecute

patrickq1

It is not unusual for insurance policies not to cover the repair to item that caused the damage.

However, they usually cover you for the losses arising as a result, e.g. any water damage.

The repair cost is usually a minor part of the claim so does not usually cause a problem and sometimes the insurer just pays for it or it get lost in a claim.

However, I see that this is not the case with you.

Essentially they will not cover for repairs and maintenance of your house, but should cover the clean up costs.

Notwithstanding do not take insurer's first answer, keep pushing them.

GuidoT

Are you saying that if my electrical wiring caught fire and burnt the room down I would have to pay the cost of rewiring and redecorating the walls after digging embedded cables out !

The principle is the same.

The main argument I have with RSA is that they will not pay to reinstate the tiles and fittings that surrounded the pipe.They had to be removed to access the pipe to FIND the leak ,it was the only way to repair and the plumber and builder had to remove the materials that now have to be replaced.

I think I would advise that whenever you have these repairs made, have a little hatch so that the pipes are accessible, so this problem doesn't occur again, this is what I have always done, because it is sods law that say that you will want to get to the pipe that you have boxed in.

Consider, for example if your problem was discovered before it caused any damage, would it then be covered from an insurance perspective or would you just call out a plumber.

It is sometimes not easy to separate the costs of repairing the offending item from the clean up costs as they are sometimes inextricably linked.

If possible you should be arguing with the RSA that the tiles had to be replaced because they were damaged by the water and not to repair the pipe.

Liability insurance does not cover you for pure economic loss, it is focused on damage to objects (or death or personal injury).

I will see if I can locate something for you to read on the subject. I do not expect to find something simple as it a complex area of the law.

As I expected not very straightfoward, see that below which explains pure economic loss in the context of negligence.

Keating on Building Contracts 206-208.pdf

See also here at page 200, section 24.

If that lot does not confuse you too much, you are doing well.

as a tiling contractor i have always sent the estimate to the client before work commences and if the tiles are not stock items but special or discontinued then it means a re tile ,i have never had problems execpt with the one and only company RSA they are notorious for get out clauses...but regardless of get out clause they are liable to pay for the repairs to any work undertaken by the builder ,only if agreed get yourself an independant loss adjuster but make sure they work for you and not rsa

patrickq1

as a tiling contractor i have always sent the estimate to the client before work commences and if the tiles are not stock items but special or discontinued then it means a re tile ,i have never had problems execpt with the one and only company RSA they are notorious for get out clauses...but regardless of get out clause they are liable to pay for the repairs to any work undertaken by the builder ,only if agreed get yourself an independant loss adjuster but make sure they work for you and not rsa

patrickq1

Celticfairplay needs a LOSS ASSESSOR not a Loss Adjuster. Loss Adjusters work for the insurance company. Loss Assessors are independent.

Thread moved here.

Celticfairplay

Most buildings insurance policies contain a trace and access extension under the Material Damage section, which allows for you to claim for the costs of tracing and accessing such things as leaking pipes. I am very surprised that RSA either do not have such an extension, or are plainly being pretty dim.

MC

I do hope the CEO @rsagroup enjoys his £5 Million wage packet. I, on the other hand, will now have to save money to pay for my damaged porch. I hope the people who read this will think twice before handing their money

over to this group of Leeches.

ive always maintained that this shower of worms are bordering on the edge of legality (trust us )their quote send out their own loss adjusters who will then delberately try to find fault on your part..just to get out of paying LVis the same company

I do hope the CEO @rsagroup enjoys his £5 Million wage packet. I, on the other hand, will now have to save money to pay for my damaged porch. I hope the people who read this will think twice before handing their money

over to this group of Leeches.

Hello and welcome to CAG. If you'd like us to help, please start a new thread of your own.

Best, HB