claim for ceiling collapse not covered?

[JFardoulis]

Hiya This is the first time I have ever tried to claim for insurance so I'm a total newbie. Last night I came back from work with my wife and discovered that about a quarter of the bedroom ceiling had collapsed on to my bed (thank goodness we werent in it when it fell). As far as I know, there has been no water damage leading to this event, the closest I can think to why it happened was some new loft insulation we had put up a month or so ago - the guys who put it up may have put pressure on the ceiling when doing the job and this contributed to it. The roof is 2 years old. Anyway, I rang the insurance company and they told me that if it's wear and tear, it's not part of the policy and couldnt be claimed against - is this right?!?! Does anyone have any idea when you can claim for something like this or does it vary greatly from policy to policy? If I am in the wrong place to post this kind of question, do let me know. Thanks JFardoulis

[unclebulgaria67]

Normally to make a claim there needs to be some form of force (event) to cause the damage to occur. This can be water damage from a pipe or accidental damage in the form of a foot while you are in the loft. The ceiling just coming down on it own accord did not involve any form of force and therefore it is probably wear/tear or bad workmanship. I would suggest that the ceiling is probably plasterboard which has been nailed/screwed into the joists above. When the loft insulation was being fitted the fixings became loose and eventually the ceiling came down. A section of plasterboard 1.8m by 1m costs about £5, with the plaster and paint probably £10. You can probably do the repair yourself in a few hours and be happy that you have learnt a skill. The damage will not be covered by Insurance, so it is your choice whether you spend £20 in materials or pay someone £200 to come to do the work for you.

 

If you search online, you will find information about how to make the repair. If the ceiling is not plasterboard, then you can still do the repair. You just need to do a little research.

[honeybee13]

DIY tips now, UB . That's good advice though, if that's all that needs fixing. And it would be under the policy excess probably.

 

My best, HB

[JFardoulis]

thanks for the advice guys, have been talking to a number of friends and family over the last few hours and they say pretty much the same. I could try and blame the guys who put up the insulation but it would be a waste of time and effort. Thankfully I have a builder friend who says it would take him a few hours to replace so I'm going to get my hands dirty with him. Once again, thanks for the advice JFardoulis