Claiming home insurance for a water leak is simpler than people fear and harder than it should be. Simpler, because nearly every buildings policy covers damage from an escape of water, and most include cover for finding the leak. Harder, because claims are turned down or cut back for reasons that could have been avoided in the first week, and nobody tells you that until it is too late.
This article explains the two parts of a leak claim, escape of water and trace and access, and what each one pays for. It lists what the insurer will ask for, the reasons claims get refused, and the order to do things in so that yours does not. It finishes with what a written leak detection report contains and why it carries weight with a loss adjuster.
Escape of water and trace and access are two different covers
Escape of water is the cover for the damage water does when it gets out of a pipe, a tank, an appliance or a fitting and into the building: the ruined ceiling, the swollen floor, the stained walls, the kitchen units that have come apart. It is in nearly every buildings policy, and contents cover usually responds for your belongings. It does not normally pay to repair the pipe or the appliance that leaked.
Trace and access is the cover for finding the leak. When the source is hidden under a floor, behind tiles or in a wall, someone has to locate it and something has to be opened to reach it. Trace and access pays for the detection work and for making good the floor, wall or tiling that was disturbed to get at the pipe. It is listed separately on the schedule with its own limit, and some cheaper policies leave it out, so look for the words.
An escape of water insurance claim and a trace and access claim often run together on one file: trace and access to find and reach the leak, escape of water to repair the damage it caused. Knowing which part of your claim sits under which heading helps when the insurer queries a line, and it stops the two limits being muddled.
What the insurer will ask for
The insurer, or the loss adjuster they send, is trying to answer three questions. Was this sudden, or had it been going on for a long time. Was the damage caused by this leak, or by something else. Did you act reasonably to limit it once you knew. Everything on the list below feeds one of those three. The sooner it is written down, the more it is believed.
Ring the insurer before any permanent repair. They may want to inspect, they may want to appoint their own contractors, and they will tell you what evidence they expect. Emergency work to stop the water and prevent further damage is expected and should not be delayed. The fix itself and the reinstatement usually wait for their go ahead.
• When you first noticed the leak and what you saw
• Photographs of the damage before anything was moved or dried
• Meter readings and boiler pressure readings, with dates
• What was done to stop the water and when
• Who found the leak, where it was and what had failed
• Receipts for emergency work, drying and materials
Why a trace and access claim is refused
The commonest reason is that there is nothing to show the leak was traced. If a plumber opened three walls looking for a pipe and found it in the fourth, the insurer sees four holes and no trace. If the leak was found by luck, or by ripping out a bathroom, there is no detection to pay for and the making good is argued over. A trace and access claim refused on these grounds is hard to reopen. The claim is strongest when a specialist located the leak with equipment and wrote down how.
The next is gradual damage. If the plaster shows years of staining, the joists are rotten or the floor has been damp for seasons, the insurer argues the leak was long-standing and should have been dealt with earlier. Wear and tear, rot and gradual deterioration are excluded on most policies. The report helps here too, because a stated cause such as a split joint or a corroded pipe section reads differently from neglect.
The rest are process failures. No photographs. The repair done and the evidence skipped before the claim was opened. Weeks between noticing the leak and reporting it. A policy that never had trace and access on it. The first three are avoidable. The last is worth checking today rather than after the leak.
The order to do things in
Stop the water, make safe, photograph, then ring the insurer. Tell them the leak is hidden and that you intend to have it traced. Ask whether they want to appoint the detection company themselves or whether you can instruct one and claim the cost back. Both happen, and the answer changes who you ring next. Either way, get the detection done before any floor or wall is opened on a guess.
Once the leak is pinpointed, the plumber repairs the pipe at that one spot. Keep the failed section if you can, because the adjuster may want to see it. Then the drying and the reinstatement are quoted, with the trace and access part and the escape of water part shown separately so the insurer can allocate them. Keep every document in one folder and note every call with a date and a name.
What a trace and access report contains
A trace and access report is the document the claim rests on. Ours records the property and the date, what you reported, and the readings on arrival: the meter test, the boiler pressure, the moisture readings in the affected areas. It then sets out what equipment was used and what each one showed, with thermal images, photographs and the acoustic or tracer gas findings, and the exact location of the leak marked on a photograph.
It states the cause where it can be seen, such as a failed joint, a corroded section or a nail through the pipe, and what had to be opened to confirm it. That gives the adjuster the sequence they need: the leak was hidden, it was located without opening up the house, and the opening was limited to that spot. It is written in plain English, because the person reading it is not an engineer.
What is usually not covered
The pipe repair itself, in most cases. Damage that the insurer classes as gradual. Damage from condensation, rising damp or a leaking roof, which fall under different headings or are excluded altogether. The cost of a plumber searching rather than a specialist tracing. And anything above the trace and access limit on the schedule, which is why a quick, targeted trace matters: a day of opening walls uses the limit up fast.
There is also the excess, which comes off the settlement and is set on your schedule. One claim with both headings on it usually carries one excess, but policies differ, so ask. None of these are reasons not to claim. They are reasons to read the schedule before the adjuster does.
How a detection visit fits the claim
When you ring us with a hidden leak, say at the start that it is going through insurance. We arrive with the readings in mind, because the meter test and the boiler pressure are the first things the adjuster looks at. The leak is located with thermal imaging, acoustic listening, moisture mapping or tracer gas depending on the pipe, and the spot is marked for the plumber. The report follows with the photographs and readings the claim needs.
We work no find, no fee, and we can usually book you in within 24 to 48 hours of the call on 07897 020 680. If the insurer has told you to use their own contractor, tell us, and we will say so plainly rather than take a job you cannot recover. If you want more on how trace and access fits with the rest of the claim, the complete guide to trace and access covers the detail.
Questions people ask
Is a water leak covered by home insurance?
The damage caused by a sudden leak usually is, under escape of water. Finding a hidden leak and making good what was opened to reach it is covered where the policy includes trace and access, which most do. The repair to the pipe itself usually is not. Damage from a leak that has clearly been running for a long time may be refused as gradual. Read your schedule for the exact wording.
What does escape of water mean on my policy?
It is the insurer’s term for water getting out of where it should be: a burst pipe, a failed joint, an overflowing tank, a leaking appliance or a shower seal. The cover pays to repair the damage that water did to the building and, under contents, to your belongings. It does not mean flood, which is water coming in from outside, and it does not mean condensation or rising damp.
Can I claim for a leak I did not notice for months?
You can claim, but expect the insurer to look at whether the damage was gradual. A leak under a floor or in a wall can run for months without anyone knowing, and a report that shows where it was, why it was hidden and what failed makes the difference between a sudden hidden leak and neglect. Report it the day you find it and do not wait for the damage to dry.
Do I need a trace and access report if a plumber has already found the leak?
If the plumber found it quickly without opening anything, there may be no trace and access cost to claim, and a simple invoice stating the cause will do for the escape of water claim. If floors or walls were opened to look for it, the insurer will want to see that the search was reasonable, and a report that explains what was done and why carries more weight than a line on an invoice.
Will claiming for a water leak put my premium up?
It can. Claims are recorded and insurers take claims history into account at renewal, which is why some people pay for small repairs themselves. Weigh the cost of the work against the excess and the likely effect on future premiums, and ask your insurer or broker before deciding. For a hidden leak with a damaged floor or ceiling, the claim is usually worth making.