Making Claims for Burst Pipes
Freezing weather may lead to damage caused by water escaping from burst pipes. Imagine a pipe full of water which then freezes. The ice that forms takes up more space than the water and has nowhere to go other than to expand the pipe inside which it is sitting. The force of this may be huge – and something has to give. The pipe may split but remain plugged by the ice - until the thaw comes - and that is when you find out what the freezing has done!
Burst pipes in the loft are the worst, as water often at mains pressure starts to gush from the split pipe saturating all in its path, starting with the loft insulation and spreading out as it travels down through bathrooms, down the hall, stairs & landing and devastating ceilings, walls, doors and architraves, ruining whole kitchens, wooden floors, on the way causing extensive damage to beds, bedding, clothing, carpets, furniture – not to mention electrical appliances. The loft insulation, its purpose to keep the warmth from your home from escaping up and out through the loft space, is the same insulating barrier that may lead to the pipes in your loft freezing up in the first place. Nowadays, pipes and tanks are normally lagged to prevent this happening – but every so often, and if an ice-cold wind happens to creep its way in from the wrong direction, even the best lagged loft can be vulnerable.
Many policies have clauses written into them giving instruction how to leave your home less vulnerable if you are away in the winter time. Some insurers expect you to drain down the system if you are away for more than a certain number of days, or to keep the heating on, with the loft hatch ajar to allow enough heat into the roofspace and prevent the loft from freezing – so check your particular policy to see what conditions you are to adhere to before you go on that skiing holiday. Otherwise you might find that you return to find not only that your home and possessions are soaked by escaped water but you are then left out to dry by your insurer who will refuse to pay out unless you have followed their preventative instructions or policy conditions.
There are also "unoccupancy" conditions, which may exclude cover should your property be left without someone in attendance while you are away. Usually, it is not good enough just to have someone "look in" to feed the cat or tidy the post – someone might have to stay over for reasonable periods during your extended absence to prevent your cover being voided. Prudent householders will contact their insurers in advance and seek advice from them before vacating to make sure that their cover is not voided.
Case Study
An elderly Japanese couple who had returned from a trip away at the end of the year to discover their home flooded didn’t quite know what to do, but on a recommendation from a friend, found Truman Associates on the Internet and invited them to come and inspect the total devastation caused by burst pipes (more than one) in their loft. Freezing water had flooded down throughout their 3-storey property in South London. Truman Associates’ expert guidance navigated their claim to organise their contents claim into sections within their policy that maximised their home contents settlement potential, they were introduced to a specialist surveyor, who drew up the specification of reinstatement works for the building structure and the whole process, involving alternative accommodation was streamlined and negotiated with the Loss Adjuster who had been appointed by their insurers to a comprehensive and satisfactory conclusion.
If a flood has caused damage to your home, call us now on 0800 542 1616 or 07831 259545 for help with your insurance claim. One of our insurance loss assessors will be happy to help you.
