Buildings insurance, extensive water damage, ICAB cant help.

[Rab1]

Hello All

My home a ground floor apartment has been ruined by a leaking service pipe before the water meter, it appears it has been leaking for some time, probably since the water meter was installed.The water has gone under the single concrete slab floor via the channels that trunk the pipes. The water has travled to the external walls and ingressed the underlay under the laminate flooring and travelled to the internal walls. I contacted my buildings insurers who sent surveyors from a specialist drying company to assess the damage and how to rectify it. The report advises that the property needs vacating and everything stripping out including batroom, kitchen, fitted bedrooms all flooring and internal walls, so basically it will become one large empty space. I was contacted by ICAB The Insurance Companies Accommodation bureaux, who asked about my needs etc. My loss adjuster contacted me and said that they are unable to find me alternative accommodation as i have two small dogs. So at present i am living in a damp living room with my partner and two pugs, as half of the property has been stripped back to reveal the extent of the damage. The drying company has installed dehumidifiers good for the property but awfull for us as we both have developed sinus and chest infections. Everything is damp, clothes, beding, mattresses and our furniture and furnishings are getting ruined. Its been over a month since our first contact with the insurers. I also have a disabilities which make things so much harder. Please any advice would be greatly appreciated as i have no previous experience of dealing with insurers on such maters.

Kind regards.

[des8]

Re: Buildings insurance, extensive water damage, ICAB cant help.

Hi and welcome

Can you name your insurers and give a link to your policy wording.

In principle the insurers have to indemnify you for your costs.
If they can't find suitable accommodation, find it for yourself and bill them.
You are living in unsuitable conditions and it is unacceptable.
You may have to put the dogs into kennels, at insurers expense.
Likewise your property should probably be removed to secure storage, but that would be down to your contents insurer if a different insurer.

It would be good to see your policy wording though, as a lot can depend on the small print

[Rab1]

Re: Buildings insurance, extensive water damage, ICAB cant help.

Hello des8. Thanks for your prompt response. My insurers are zurich I am not currently holding a copy of the policy as I live in a apartment and the policy is held in the name of the leeseholders whom are The Guiness Partnership Trust. Our policy contributions are collected as part of the service charges which we pay on a monthly basis. When we initially discovered the problem I requested the policy details from TGP, they gave me the policy details and the contact details of Zurich which did appoint a leak detection company and a loss adjuster. The LDC are also responsible for the drying out. Now we are in knowledge to the gravity of the issue, we have requested a second meet with the loss adjuster whom is due to visit this Friday.

As you suggested I've been proactive regarding searching for alternative accommodation, but as mentioned my dogs are a problem, the agents I've called all say the same, No DSS, no Smoking and No pets. I will request a copy of the policy as you suggested, which i will forward to you. Kind Regards Rab1

[des8]

Re: Buildings insurance, extensive water damage, ICAB cant help.

From your first post, where you referred to "my insurers" I thought you were the freeholder.
As however you are a tenant, your landlord is the one who has legal responsibilities,as perhaps do the water utility depending on where the leak occurred.
I'm tagging @Crazy council who might be of more help

[Rab1]

Re: Buildings insurance, extensive water damage, ICAB cant help.

I have purchased the lease. I was advised to deal directly with the insurers to ensure my interests are put first. A neighbour had a similar problem some years ago and moved out and left everything to the leeseholders, the whole refurbishment was of a substandard quality to the original, he his still fighting them. I was advised by the LA on his first visit that I would be able to oversee every aspect of the process including instruct my own contractors. Choose materials and even do upgrades, which im happy with.