Buildings Insurance Nightmare - Help Please

[Maya2009]

Hi,

 

I really, really need some help with a buildings insurance claim/mortgage company mis-selling the policy but it refers to my home in Spain rather than Britain. I have tried and tried to get information regarding regulation here in Spain but just can't get anywhere at all.

 

Please don't let my location put you off helping me because I'm hoping someone can tell me what my position would be in Britain and then I can maybe find out if the same applies here (Are all EU countries the same regulations?).

 

OK - I was visiting family in the UK for Christmas/New Year 2007 when I received a phone call from my neighbour to tell me the firebrigade had been called to remove what was left of my roof, from the street, after it collapsed in a heavy rain/thunderstorm.

 

I immediately contact my insurance company and they arranged for an assessor to look at the damage - huge mess inside the house because the roof had just caved in and then it had continued to rain which did even more damage!

 

Long story short - insurance refuse to pay for the buildings or contents insurance because they say there wasn't enough rain and the roof wasn't maintained (?)

 

Since then we've had to rent and struggled to keep paying the mortgage too while we try to save the money to do the work ourselves. We don't have the money to pay a lawyer because they've advised us that it will cost €2000 for our own report and another €5000 up front to take the insurance company to court. (there's no citizen's advice bureau here).

 

The bank won't help with our claim against the insurance but they're the ones that sold us the policy which they insisted we had to have to protect their investment in the property.

 

My question is do we have a case against the bank mis-selling us a policy that we thought covered us and them but it quite clearly doesn't - the house is a wreck after 18 months without a roof?!

 

To add insult to injury the bank renewed the insurance policy for another year, last October!! We insisted that it isn't insurable without a roof but they insisted we had to have the buildings cover (?!) We've repeatedly asked both the bank and insurance company for a copy of the new policy to show exactly what is covered but we never get any replies.

 

We've now got some money together to put a new roof on the house and can pay a lawyer to look at our case so I would really like to know where we'd stand in the UK just so I can at least have some information to ask the lawyer questions here to see if the same regulations/laws apply - or at least similar ones.

 

Many, many thanks for anyone that replies to help me with this. It's been a nightmare 19 months for my family (we have young children who lost most of their toys and games when the roof collapsed over their bedroom). Thanks again.

[Yorkyclaims]

Hello,

 

I freely admit I have no idea of the Spanish system, but can say the following for the British system.

 

Regarding the roof caving in. You advise it was as a result of rain / thunderstorm. These should not cause damage to a good roof. The Insurance company would class this as wear and tear.

 

However, the resultant damage would be covered under the accidental damage section of the policy.

[Maya2009]

Hello,

 

I freely admit I have no idea of the Spanish system, but can say the following for the British system.

 

Regarding the roof caving in. You advise it was as a result of rain / thunderstorm. These should not cause damage to a good roof. The Insurance company would class this as wear and tear.

 

However, the resultant damage would be covered under the accidental damage section of the policy.

 

Thank you so much for your reply. That's pretty much what we'd thought too but they have refused to pay for anything at all, even the contents.