Getting a Building Inspector to report on a hole in ceiling for insurer

[gizmo1990]

A hole has appeared in a seldom used room of my mother's house and after ringing her house insurance they require us to get the hole assessed by a building inspector, before deciding whether it is coverable. The insurer (Ageas) has said that these reports are sometimes free but otherwise can cost in the region of £60-£150.

I've just been onto checkatrade and a company has quoted her £400! Can this be a mistake and I've contacted the wrong type of person needed? Is there a recommended site that can suggest inspectors for this use case? The house is in the Croydon/Coulsdon area.

Could the insurer have been telling porkies and £400 is a reasonable amount. In which case my mum can't afford that just to get a report which might turn out to indicate the damage isn't covered!

Any help/advice much appreciated.

 

[jj4091]

I always thought insurers sent out their own surveyors to assess whether a claim was valid or not. Or if not they ask you to send photos of damage in the first instance.

 

[Alec_t]

How big is this hole?
Any signs of damp/water around it?
Can you post a photo of it?

 

[gizmo1990]

Thanks for the replies.

@jj4091 Tbh that's what I thought too. Apparently his laptop software wasn't working so he couldn't do a live inspection via video. But he made it sound like that wouldn't be enough anyway.

@Alec_t Sure thing. Hole itself is about 40cm x 50cm? There's definite signs of damp damage around the area. There's a sink in the room directly above it. However it doesn't appear wet/damp now, maybe very slightly and the books on the shelves underneath it had signs of damp when we moved them over the weekend. We only found out about it then as the room is seldom used. It's possible it could have occurred a month or two ago.

 

[jj4091]

Looks like either the roof is leaking or a water tank or pipe work in the loft. Still don't see why you need an independant surveyor. The only problem may be that if it is the roof that is leaking and it has not been caused by storm damage they may say it is just poor maintenance and refuse to cover it. Can you get access to the loft and see if you can see daylight coming through above the damaged area or if there is a water tank or pipes that may be leaking there.

 

[gizmo1990]

@jj4091 It's on the ground floor. The floor above is a kitchenette type room with a sink. That's where there may have been leakage?

 

[^woody^]

You need a building surveyor, not a building inspector. Or any suitably experienced person who can produce a letterhead.

If you need to pay for this, the costs would be recoverable from the insurer as part of the claim.

Generally, and depending on your perspective, strangely, if you do get someone to report they tend to report in your favour. Obviously to do this they need to know the details of your cover so as to be able to properly report on the cause.

But yes, they normally send their own person at their cost. And if they do be careful that they diagnose the cause and the remedy properly - not in their favour but yours.

And remember that the cause of the damage needs be rectified too as part of the claim, not just the hole repaired. Decorations are included too.

 

[gizmo1990]

I've just been and inspected the hole again, this time a lot more closely. I can see there is a leak. It's not constant but a continual drip drip.

How would everyone here suggest I proceed? Is £400 a likely actual cost for a surveyor? If so my mum cant afford that. Sure, if the insurer reimburses her, fine. But if they refuse to cover the repair and leave her to pay it then it's out of the question. Should I call the insurer again and get them to advise more? Now that I've taken photos I can send them to them too.

 

[Notch7]

I've just been and inspected the hole again, this time a lot more closely. I can see there is a leak. It's not constant but a continual drip drip.

How would everyone here suggest I proceed? Is £400 a likely actual cost for a surveyor? If so my mum cant afford that. Sure, if the insurer reimburses her, fine. But if they refuse to cover the repair and leave her to pay it then it's out of the question. Should I call the insurer again and get them to advise more? Now that I've taken photos I can send them to them too.

I dont understand, its a plumbing leak from the sink plumbing -probably the waste

I never heard an insurer be so clueless that they need to be told whether a plumbing leak is coverable or not

ring them up and tell them to make up their mind.

how much is the excess?


by the way, the ceiling is lathe and lime plaster overboarded with plasterboard and I think possibly finished with artex (hard to tell, but if its artex containing asbestos the insurers would send in specialists to strip the ceiling)

really the whole ceiling needs pulling down and redoing -once lathe and plaster gets wet its very weak.

 

[gizmo1990]

@Notch7 Thanks for that. I'll get onto the insurer again tomorrow armed with better knowledge now. The excess would be £400 I think. Which she'd be ok to pay given the likely size of the repair. Fingers crossed that the insurers agree to cover it.

Again, I appreciate all the help so far everyone. I'll report back here with the result of the phone call!

 

[mrrusty]

I can see there is a leak. It's not constant but a continual drip drip.

For clarity, is it your mums house above or someone else's? The leak needs sorting first!!

 

[gizmo1990]

@mrrusty It's my mums house. I think the leak is linked to the washing sink in the room above. And that it's possibly a drainage pipe, so only leaking when the sink is in use? I'll check that out today, We know a plumber so we could get him in to fix that. The main worry it feels like is if the insurers are going to pay up for the ceiling. It's got my Mum quite worried and me too tbh!

 

[Notch7]

@mrrusty It's my mums house. I think the leak is linked to the washing sink in the room above. And that it's possibly a drainage pipe, so only leaking when the sink is in use? I'll check that out today, We know a plumber so we could get him in to fix that. The main worry it feels like is if the insurers are going to pay up for the ceiling. It's got my Mum quite worried and me too tbh!

My sister in law lives in a ground floor flat, the people above had a leak from the bath which damaged her ceiling and wallpaper.

The insurers sent in an asbestos team to strip the whole ceiling, which was then re boarded, skimmed and painted, new coving, new wall paper.

 

[^woody^]

Always check your cover before making the claim. Some cover may include the fixed pipework but not the flexible appliance connection. Wear and tear is generally not covered.

Some people adapt the quote to reflect the cover and ensure the stated cause is one which is covered.

Also, some people ensure that the cost of the excess added to the quote.

 

[gizmo1990]

Thanks everyone. I'm giving the insurer a ring shortly so hopefully I'll get this sorted.