• Notice regarding image hosts and attachments. See here.

Robbing ******* insurance!

chameleon

chameleon

chameleon

Associate
Joined
31 Jul 2005
Posts
894
Location
Edinburgh
During one of the recent cloudbursts we have had lately, some of the water managed to leak through the roof of my uncles house. It brought down a fair chunk of his living room ceiling.
Needless to say he contacted the house insurance company (Royal Bank of Scotland) They are refusing to pay up, claiming it is down to "wear and tear"
Sounds like typical weasel insurance excuses.

AFAIK there aren't any obvious holes in the roof so I don't know how they can expect him to see there is damage.
Any suggestions on how to handle this?
 
Screwed over by the same lot a couple of years ago following a storm, apparently it wasn't officially a storm so despite myself and 3 houses nearby having roof damage we weren't covered.

Anything to get out of a claim..
 
if it was caused by excessive wind or lightning etc then yes but if the rain just highlighted a leak which was there then it won't be covered
 
chameleon said:
During one of the recent cloudbursts we have had lately, some of the water managed to leak through the roof of my uncles house. It brought down a fair chunk of his living room ceiling.
Needless to say he contacted the house insurance company (Royal Bank of Scotland) They are refusing to pay up, claiming it is down to "wear and tear"
Sounds like typical weasel insurance excuses.

AFAIK there aren't any obvious holes in the roof so I don't know how they can expect him to see there is damage.
Any suggestions on how to handle this?
Click to expand...

Possibly the guttering that's overflowing, have a look? When were they last cleared out?

Any vents on the room or walls above where it's damaged? boiler flu, air vents etc? Those can move or split with wind/warm weather.

Zoom in on flashing with a digital camera to see if it's showing signs of age or damage.
 
chameleon said:
Guess he's screwed then? I'd have thought this was exactly the sort of thing that insurance SHOULD cover?
Click to expand...

It should. They'll play games and try to weasel out of it.

For example, have they sent out a surveyor to inspect the damage and provide conclusive evidence that "normal" wear and tear is to blame?

Perhaps wear and tear caused the roof damage, but the subsequent water damage destroying his living room (internal) ceiling should be covered -- much like a burst pipe isn't covered in itself, but the results of the water damage are.

A strongly worded letter to their complaints/customer service department including threats of ombudsman involvement should get them playing ball. They just try their luck initially and hope that people will just get forlorn, think they have no chance and move away. They don't care if people go elsewhere at that point... they've already had more than enough profit from them over the years.
 
Pestilence said:
Perhaps wear and tear caused the roof damage, but the subsequent water damage destroying his living room (internal) ceiling should be covered -- much like a burst pipe isn't covered in itself, but the results of the water damage .
Click to expand...

good point
 
chameleon said:
During one of the recent cloudbursts we have had lately, some of the water managed to leak through the roof of my uncles house. It brought down a fair chunk of his living room ceiling.
Needless to say he contacted the house insurance company (Royal Bank of Scotland) They are refusing to pay up, claiming it is down to "wear and tear"
Sounds like typical weasel insurance excuses.

AFAIK there aren't any obvious holes in the roof so I don't know how they can expect him to see there is damage.
Any suggestions on how to handle this?
Click to expand...

Lot of info left out of this post, however...

If they have had an expert in saying that due to a lack of maintenance the rain has been allowed to get in, then this is by definition wear and tear or a failure to maintain and in all likelihood, not covered (check you policy wording).

However if the cause of the leak was the result of damage specifically caused by the elements (previous high winds, lightning strike, drunk bird, etc., an individual incident would have to be identified) and form of damage is covered on the policy then you have an argument against their decision.

First off, request a copy of the insurance companies inspecting expert's report detailing the reasons for the deeming it wear and tear.

Secondly get your own expert's report from a qualified person, and ask them to comment on the insurance company's report. And if there are any discrepancies or grey areas (i.e. if it cannot categorically be shown to be wear and tear or failure to maintain), then open a complaint with the IC.

Complaints procedure needs to be followed to it's conclusion/final decision fo the IC, and then if you are still not happy with the decision, the financial services ombudsman is there to ensure your rights under the insurance policy are protected.

Citizen's advice bureau will also be able to assist you with this if you need help.

edited for typos
 
Last edited:
clv101 said:
Not at all! Insurance isn't there to pay for ongoing, routine maintenance, which by the sound of it, hadn't been done.
Click to expand...

this really... would have assumed it was borderline - not too surprised if they didn't cover it

Get someone round to take a look at your roof and go buy some plaster (or get some local builder to do your ceiling if you're unable to).

Its not like you suffered serious storm damage or a tree fell through... 'cloud burst' as you described it... essentially it rained, your roof leaked and some plaster came off... your roof needs to be maintained (and obviously wasn't in a good state at the time if rain was getting through) and you've got some plastering to do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom