Claiming on House Insurance for Water Leaks & Water Damage

Making a home insurance claim for a water leak or water damage? If the answer is yes, here are some things to consider as home insurance claims are rarely straightforward, but water leaks can be an especially tricky area to navigate.

Whether it’s caused by an overflowing drain, a burst pipe (escape of water) or flooding from bad weather, water damage can have an extensive and devastating effect on your house or business. It’s not just the initial clean-up that takes time and money: trying to quantify your loss and negotiate adequate compensation with insurers can be a long and complex process if you choose to handle it alone.

Before you make a claim

Water damage and leaks can be caused by any number of events or circumstances, but you won’t be surprised to hear that not every scenario will be accepted by your insurance provider. Even if your home insurance policy includes water damage, it is unlikely that it covers all types of damages and may include a number of exceptions that you need to be aware of. With this in mind, it’s important to be prepared for a water leak to increase your chances of making a successful insurance claim.

Check your insurance policy

So make sure that you thoroughly read through your insurance policy before you call your insurance provider to know what you are and are not covered for prior to the call.

Get the leak under control

Do not carry out any restoration work prior to making your claim  -the loss adjusters appointed by your insurance provider will want to assess the damage for themselves first. You will need to take steps to make sure the leak doesn’t cause any further damage by shutting off the water source, but do not start repairs until you have express permission from the insurance provider.

Prepare your Evidence

When making a home insurance claim of any type, you’ll need to gather a lot of evidence in order to present the strongest case possible. If you have before photos this is highly encouraged, as well as photos or videos of the source of the leak, the area and items damaged, receipts of anything that was damaged etc – all of this will help towards ensuring that you get the most out of your claim.

Get a Loss Assessor to Assist you in making your claim

Harris Balcombe can step in at any time, preparing all the paperwork, negotiating with your insurers, and managing the practical side of the loss. We make sure your property is restored to an appropriate condition, on your terms rather than your insurers’ – we work for you, the loss adjuster works for them.

Why?

One very important benefit we bring to your case is getting your insurers to accept liability as soon as possible, which allows you to start claiming interim payments and to rebuild quickly. After you file a claim with your insurance company, they will hire a firm of loss adjusters to represent their interests. This is not an independent party: their aim is to investigate the damage and examine your policy to prove that you have not complied with the conditions, or that you are under-insured. In losses over £20,000, the insurance company may also hire a forensic scientist to find further data supporting the loss adjusters’ claims. None of these parties are employed to work in your best interest, and it can be hard to make your voice heard without our support.

We have over 140 years’ experience of handling water damage insurance claims, and have built up a team of in-house experts who are ready to respond to cases around the country. Arriving at the site, we secure the building to prevent further damage, and our chartered surveyors carry out a complete investigation, looking beyond the obvious impacts to get a full understanding of the scope of the works needed. They check the source of the water and for possible contamination, which could have long-term implications if not treated immediately. Having established what needs to be done, we supervise the rest of the works and clean-up companies, helping you avoid insurers’ supply chains so you can count on a high quality service.

We also take over the admin, drawing on our vast experience and knowledge to get you the best outcome. Our liability experts go through your policy and ensure your insurers accept it in full, so you can get fair compensation fast. If your home needs repairs that require you to move out temporarily, we make sure you and your family get the like-for-like accommodation your policy entitles you to. Our specialists also look at business interruption cover, highlighting terms adjusters might ignore so you can get the most from your policy. It can be hard to see past the havoc a leak or flood causes to your building, but with our help you can obtain the settlement that’s right for you, and get back to normal as soon as possible.

See what David has to say about our support in a water damage claim.