home insurance claim concerning shower

miranda192 · 22-07-2014 1:02am #1

I am hoping someone will be able to offer advice. I currently have a leak from a upstairs shower. I bought my home in march of this year and just have noticed a leak, previous owner never mentioned any kind of leak before the sale.

I am insured by rsa via bank of ireland.*
There is quite alot of damage done, i.e joists, ceiling and i think water has some how run under the floor into the room opposite the shower as there now is a moldy smell and as of today mold can seen on furniture. my policy has the wording which excludes the gradual ingressing of water regarding shower leaks. ive only lived in this house 5 months.*I feel due to this its pointless submitting a claim.

just hoping if anyone has had a similar problem could they tell me if a home insurance claim is possible

any help is appreciated.*

on_my_oe · 22-07-2014 6:48am

Did you get a survey done? Was any water damage noted by the surveyor?

miranda192 · 22-07-2014 8:38am

on_my_oe wrote: »

Did you get a survey done? Was any water damage noted by the surveyor notes ote]

Thanks for your reply.
Yes, I had a standard survey from my bank in order to approve mortgage lending, which I had to pay for. Bank never reported any type of problem with the house to me. I never received report, I think it was more the case to see if home was worth the amount I requested on a mortgage.

My mortgage lender boi arranged insurance as it was an offer at the time for first time buyers to receive a year's free home insurance.

I will have to call my insurance to see if I can sort something out. Dreading the call as l think it's more than likely I will not be covered.

3DataModem · 22-07-2014 9:05am

It's not really an insurance issue, if the leak has been there prior to you purchasing house.

clint_silver · 22-07-2014 12:14pm

miranda192 wrote: »

on_my_oe wrote: »

Did you get a survey done? Was any water damage noted by the surveyor notes ote]

Thanks for your reply.
Yes, I had a standard survey from my bank in order to approve mortgage lending, which I had to pay for. Bank never reported any type of problem with the house to me. I never received report, I think it was more the case to see if home was worth the amount I requested on a mortgage.

My mortgage lender boi arranged insurance as it was an offer at the time for first time buyers to receive a year's free home insurance.

I will have to call my insurance to see if I can sort something out. Dreading the call as l think it's more than likely I will not be covered.

if youre not used to dealing with them, recommend you call our own assessor.

I had something very similar from a leaking shower. it had been dripping into the walls for years, went through and ruined next door kitchen cabinets with mould even.

Called 3 assessors, found one was happy with, he did all the dealings with insurance guy, worked out how much was to repair everything, he got a builder to do it all and I think he made his money that way in that he built some leeway for himself into the repair. I didnt have to pay a penny, just signed a form.

miranda192 · 22-07-2014 12:42pm

thanks for your advice I will look into this before phone my insurance as I am clueless in insurance matters.

i an just hoping that because I have only recently bought my house and that house surveyor never reported anything wrong prior to the sale that I will not fall into the gradual ingress category of water damage or maybe im hoping for to much.

a plumber did check, the leak is not from sealant or grout its more the shower pipe /joint. which i think would be covered but im unclear if this would be classed as wear and tear too, house is around 14 years old.

clint_silver wrote: »

miranda192 wrote: »

if youre not used to dealing with them, recommend you call our own assessor.

I had something very similar from a leaking shower. it had been dripping into the walls for years, went through and ruined next door kitchen cabinets with mould even.

Called 3 assessors, found one was happy with, he did all the dealings with insurance guy, worked out how much was to repair everything, he got a builder to do it all and I think he made his money that way in that he built some leeway for himself into the repair. I didnt have to pay a penny, just signed a form.

oldyouth · 22-07-2014 1:16pm

clint_silver wrote: »

miranda192 wrote: »

if youre not used to dealing with them, recommend you call our own assessor.

I had something very similar from a leaking shower. it had been dripping into the walls for years, went through and ruined next door kitchen cabinets with mould even.

Called 3 assessors, found one was happy with, he did all the dealings with insurance guy, worked out how much was to repair everything, he got a builder to do it all and I think he made his money that way in that he built some leeway for himself into the repair. I didnt have to pay a penny, just signed a form.

That shouldn't have worked because what you suffered is what is known as a gradually operating cause and excluded from insurance policies. I'm glad it worked out for you and it shows the benefit of having a professional in your corner, who might get the better of an inexperienced claim handler

on_my_oe · 22-07-2014 1:59pm

miranda192 wrote: »

on_my_oe wrote: »

Did you get a survey done? Was any water damage noted by the surveyor notes ote]

Yes, I had a standard survey from my bank in order to approve mortgage lending, which I had to pay for. Bank never reported any type of problem with the house to me. I never received report, I think it was more the case to see if home was worth the amount I requested on a mortgage.
.

Can you remember roughly how much you paid? A valuation survey (to confirm the house is worth the price you are paying) is about €130-€180 from my own experience, but seems to consist of a drive past by the valuer, possibly a look in the window, and a bit of a wander through the PRTB rental rates and PPR. A property survey is twice as expensive (€350-€400), and ours was about 20 pages which included notes where evidence of long term damp/ leaks. The property survey was sent directly to us. If you have a property survey, and you now have long term damage from leaks, maybe your surveyor could be a point of call as surely he should have picked it up??

miranda192 · 22-07-2014 2:27pm

it was just a valuation survey, but this was done in a visit to the home as building energy rating certificate needed to be established, so bank cared out both on that day

on_my_oe wrote: »

miranda192 wrote: »

Can you remember roughly how much you paid? A valuation survey (to confirm the house is worth the price you are paying) is about €130-€180 from my own experience, but seems to consist of a drive past by the valuer, possibly a look in the window, and a bit of a wander through the PRTB rental rates and PPR. A property survey is twice as expensive (€350-€400), and ours was about 20 pages which included notes where evidence of long term damp/ leaks. The property survey was sent directly to us. If you have a property survey, and you now have long term damage from leaks, maybe your surveyor could be a point of call as surely he should have picked it up??

jinkybhoy · 22-07-2014 2:30pm

oldyouth wrote: »

clint_silver wrote: »

That shouldn't have worked because what you suffered is what is known as a gradually operating cause and excluded from insurance policies. I'm glad it worked out for you and it shows the benefit of having a professional in your corner, who might get the better of an inexperienced claim handler

as above - Most (if not all) Insurers have this clause and many of them specifically mention showers / baths in wording.

coylemj · 22-07-2014 4:13pm

All a valuation does is reassure the bank that they'll get their money back if the place has to be repossessed and put on the market. If you want to get the place properly checked out, you need to engage a surveyor to do a full building survey. Even if the OP got his hands on the valuation, all it's going to say is that the house is worth xxx, nothing more.

on_my_oe · 22-07-2014 4:43pm

Unfortunately you're right... It's a shame she didn't get a property survey done as it possibly would've picked up what might be an expensive problem. Never quite sure why folk will spend a massive chunk of money on a house but scrimp on an property survey/engineers report.

Good luck OP - fingers crossed the final bill isn't as bad as it seems

miranda192 · 22-07-2014 5:27pm

thanks everyone on their advise.

I think all I can do is try at this point. strangely my in laws and parents have recently had insurance claims regarding gradual leaks from showers and kitchen tap pipes, luckily for them their policy didn't have the term gradual in it and their kitchens and tiles were all replaced. they live in the north, maybe policies are more lacks there.

on_my_oe wrote: »

Unfortunately you're right... It's a shame she didn't get a property survey done as it possibly would've picked up what might be an expensive problem. Never quite sure why folk will spend a massive chunk of money on a house but scrimp on an property survey/engineers report.

Good luck OP - fingers crossed the final bill isn't as bad as it seems

coylemj · 22-07-2014 7:33pm

OP, you said you're insured with RSA via Bank of Ireland, here is an extract from the current RSA home policy document....

We insure the Buildings against damage by the following causes:

Fire, explosion, lightning, earthquake
Smoke
Escape of water or oil from any fixed water or heating installation or domestic appliance

We will not pay for:

Where the Damage is caused by escape of water from any fixed water or heating installation or domestic appliance the first €1,000 of each loss, unless a higher Excess amount is shown on the Schedule, will apply
Where the Damage results in Subsidence the first €1,000 of each loss, or higher Subsidence Excess as shown on the Schedule, will apply
Damage to the component or appliance from which the water or oil escapes
Loss or Damage to walls, ceilings and tiles caused by the ingress of water through seals or grouting
Loss of or damage to any fixed domestic heating installation due to wear and tear, rust or gradual deterioration
Remediation to a standard which will pose a risk to health or property or carried out by a contractor not approved by us
Damage occurring after Your Home has been Unoccupied for more than 45 consecutive days

oldyouth · 22-07-2014 8:56pm

miranda192 wrote: »

thanks everyone on their advise.

I think all I can do is try at this point. strangely my in laws and parents have recently had insurance claims regarding gradual leaks from showers and kitchen tap pipes, luckily for them their policy didn't have the term gradual in it and their kitchens and tiles were all replaced. they live in the north, maybe policies are more lacks there.

It is standard on all insurance policies, it appears that some people are more forcible than others or they come across a lazy or incompetent claims handler.

Insurance never covers maintenance, nothing to do with individual policy conditions

home insurance claim concerning shower

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