Burst water pipe/insurance

[cazmick]

Hi.
I have a problem and do not know where to start. I was greeted home to discover, that the local police had forced entry into my flat to let a council plumber turn off my water, because a burst pipe had flooded the flat below. I own my flat, which is over the top of a local council flat.
I have some insurance which cover water pipes via the British Gas. These were called and they tried to locate the leak. They ripped out the floor covering and lifted a couple of floor boards. However, they found the leak is somewhere underneath the shower base, which is all nicely sealed to the floor and the shower cubicle. From there on they said they could not continue with the work, as it was not covered by the policy to strip out the shower to gain access to the pipe. So for now, they have capped the supply leading to the busted pipe.
Hence, at least i have a toilet and cold running water in my kitchen. No hot water as the same busted pipe feeds the boiler.

I phoned my other insurance company to see if my contents insurance covered any of the equipment such as the shower or flooring, but was told NO.

My building insurance also said that showers were not covered.

Am i stuck with this expense and all the work that's needed to rectify the problem? Also what about all the damage done downstairs and there is quite a lot of it. Electrics/Ceilings/Floors, all got a very good soaking.

Can anyone help/advise me on what steps to take. Many thanks.

 

[kevplumb]

first thing is you dont OWN jack it's on a 99 year lease

second is its you prob

the insurance (shower that they are) have washed their hands of it

you want to pay for my flight i will give you an opinion

 

[heatingman]

Welcome to the world of "small print & exclusions"
I expect the BG cover only covers the cost of repairing a burst pipe or stopping a leak, but excludes all other work involved in gainining access to the pipe. If a pipe is inaccessable and cant be readily repaired the supply will be isolated.
Standard house hold insurance only covers the damage caused by a leak not the associated costs involved in repairing a leak. Third parties damage will be covered but not the cost involved or as a consequence of said repair. If the flood didn't damage bathroom but you need to wreck it to repair leak that is consequential and not covered.

 

[dextrous]

Water will dry out, and your insurance should cover repairs to that at least. As for damage to the flat below, not sure who pays for that repair - your or their insurance.

As for the matter in hand though, I'd get the insurers to indicate exactly where on the policy it states exemptions to damage to showers. Damage made by BG during their exploratory work should be made good by them.

So, you're now left with the shower - if it isn't covered by insurance, then it seems that you'll have to remove the tray and call back BG to complete their work and insist that they make good boards lifted. Then it's up to you to arrange for the tray to be replaced, either through your own efforts or through a plumber. Either way, this isn't likely to be expensive (guesstimating a couple of hundred).

 

[cazmick]

first thing is you dont OWN jack it's on a 99 year lease

second is its you prob

the insurance (shower that they are) have washed their hands of it

you want to pay for my flight i will give you an opinion

Thanks Kev, your a great help. It's a 125 year lease, not 99.

Guess it is my problem but there may have been a way out, no harm in asking, quite a few people on here are bright and helpful.

Pay for your flight? where do you want to go? on the moon

 

[kevplumb]

$1200

gets me back to blighty

 

[bengasman]

Nobody on here can answer your question as it depends entirely on your policy.
Every variation you can think of exists, and then some.
BG have a reputation for getting out of paying for claims so your best bet is to start spelling out your other policy.
After that, you should still check your bg policy, as they might well be trying to pull a fast one by not paying out for something that is actually not excluded. I have personally witnessed a bg clown trying to bluff his way out of a repair that was covered under the contract.

Make sure you stay on best possible terms with your neighbours by repeatedly apologising and ensuring them you will do what you can. Don't hesitate to point out any delays are due to be screwed by your insurance; most people will sympathise as almost everyone of us has had that experience.

 

[nickso]

two important issues here.

first of all what do you have with BG? one of the new insurance policies that they are running or a plumbing contract? they are very different and will give you different levels of cover. im not clued on the insurance thing yet but im doubting you have this as its very new, i cant give any advice on that anyway.
if you have a plumbing contract this is not an insurance and shouldnt be referred to as one.

secondly, generally a plumbing contract will cover repairs on fresh water pipework up to but not including any appliances/taps and waste water problems from any appliances/plugholes onwards(strangely it also includes various heating components/pipework). there is a clause in the contract for making good of up to £1000 i believe, however it is generally there to pay for any damage done whilst removing things in the way of a repair and is carried out entirely by contractors if the need arises for a repair of your type. i suspect even if the clause did apply to removing and replacing the shower to a reasonable standard it would be likely to exceed the £1000 limit once a contractors fee for doing it was included.

the bottom line is read your T+C's, contrary to some thoughts on this thread the T+C's rarely change a great deal and most have been the same since the dawn of time. it is up to you to read and understand them on taking out a contract, not for BG to make you aware of them when you haven't bothered you arse yourself.

 

[mickyg]

From what I remember of the BG contract, it allows up to £1000 of work to access the leak for repair, but does not include making good after. Therefore they should be able to remove shower tray etc... access leak and repair. However they will not be liable for putting any of it back. Get them to do this and get a good local tradesmen on hand for when they've finished to put back and make good. You should ask your maintenance company to obtain details of the building insurance cover, so you can find out what it covers for, it may cover for your neighbours damage.

 

[petit_pablo]

From what I remember of the BG contract, it allows up to £1000 of work to access the leak for repair, but does not include making good after. Therefore they should be able to remove shower tray etc... access leak and repair. However they will not be liable for putting any of it back. Get them to do this and get a good local tradesmen on hand for when they've finished to put back and make good. You should ask your maintenance company to obtain details of the building insurance cover, so you can find out what it covers for, it may cover for your neighbours damage.

Good answer, its still the same.

I had a dining room floor up today for a waterleak. Just asked dispatch to raise me a terms and conditions access job to cover the time taken to do job

 

[nickso]

From what I remember of the BG contract, it allows up to £1000 of work to access the leak for repair, but does not include making good after. Therefore they should be able to remove shower tray etc... access leak and repair. However they will not be liable for putting any of it back. Get them to do this and get a good local tradesmen on hand for when they've finished to put back and make good. You should ask your maintenance company to obtain details of the building insurance cover, so you can find out what it covers for, it may cover for your neighbours damage.

that could be right actually. there is a provision for making good afterwards however as i remember it being mentioned, it probably doesnt involve £1000 though.

the problem with making good is it usually involves the cheapest materials possible if the old ones cant go back on.

 

[cazmick]

Thanks for all the advice. It appears from BG, that removing the shower to access the pipework, then refitting is not covered. BG would remove it, but would not refit it, or be held responsible for any damage created by removal.
So i today i stripped it out myself. Was quite easy and no damage was done, so it will all go back together nicely. Can't see why BG made such a fuss.

I lifted the floorboards and found that one of the compression joints on the plastic piping had blown apart and created an open end. Hence all the water in the flat below. I am now going to re-route the pipes so they are not under the shower tray and give easy access for any future problems. This time i will use solder fittings and copper pipe. Bugger the plastic pipe and push-on fittings.

Will also cancel the worthless BG insurance cover and look out for a better, more comprehensive cover.

 

[electronicsuk]

If the leak was under the tray, would it not have been easier to access from the ceiling of the flat below? The plaster there must be ruined anyway, so it would be coming down either way.

 

[dextrous]

Thanks for all the advice. It appears from BG, that removing the shower to access the pipework, then refitting is not covered. BG would remove it, but would not refit it, or be held responsible for any damage created by removal.
So i today i stripped it out myself. Was quite easy and no damage was done, so it will all go back together nicely. Can't see why BG made such a fuss.

I lifted the floorboards and found that one of the compression joints on the plastic piping had blown apart and created an open end. Hence all the water in the flat below. I am now going to re-route the pipes so they are not under the shower tray and give easy access for any future problems. This time i will use solder fittings and copper pipe. b*****r the plastic pipe and push-on fittings.

Will also cancel the worthless BG insurance cover and look out for a better, more comprehensive cover.

Am so glad for you - and concur with your replacing with copper. So the plastic pipe blew out of the fitting? which means that it was never done up tight enough anyway so the olive didn't grip (assuming you mean that it is a compression and not a pushfit fitting) or a pipe insert was not used.

Good luck with the reinstallation

 

[cazmick]

If the leak was under the tray, would it not have been easier to access from the ceiling of the flat below? The plaster there must be ruined anyway, so it would be coming down either way.

The property below is council owned...they are not very helpful.

I agree, it would have been easier but for long term piece of mind, doing the job myself should make life easier in the future.