Figures published by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) have revealed that £17million is paid out every day on home insurance claims in the UK with £1.8 million of this for escape of water claims. Approximately one in four household claims in 2018 were for domestic water leakages and it is the second most common reason for policy claims (after accidental damage). The average claim for a burst pipe is £25,000 making escape of water one of the most expensive and the most frequent with an increase of 24% in claims versus the previous year.

These statistics demonstrate how common escape of water is in homes and shows just how expensive the damage can be. There are a multitude of potential leakage hazards that can affect property owners, but by far the most common causes relate to leaking appliances and fittings (such as shower hoses and baths, sink pipes, taps and washers, heating systems, radiators and boilers and washing machines, dishwashers and refrigerators) as well as burst pipes.

The former issue can affect households at any time of year and are usually attributable to one of a variety of different factors (such as poor installation or workmanship, defects in the manufacture of fittings, fluctuations in water pressures or damage caused by erosion or general wear and tear), while incidences of the latter are particularly prevalent during the winter months, with low seasonal temperatures causing water inside pipes to freeze and expand, leading them to crack or burst.

Yet, experts have increasingly identified evolving lifestyle choices and the use of less damage-resistant building materials (such as chipboard and cheap plastic piping) as the overriding reason for the upturn in costs and claims over the past few years, with the growing number of residential property extensions and conversions in this country leading to a wider distribution of bathrooms, toilets, underfloor heating systems and plumbed-in appliances (as well as more complex plumbing systems and pipe networks).

This is where prevention is key. By following simple steps, you can minimise the risk of escape of water in your home and the damage and loss that comes with it. Do you maintain your heating system at a steady temperature over the winter months to prevent pipes from freezing? Do you know where your main stopcock is to halt the supply of water in the event of a leak? Have you insulated or lagged your pipes if visible?

Most importantly, do you have ‘trace and access’ cover included in your home insurance policy? Trace and access cover is designed to cover the costs of locating the source of a leaking pipe and to repair the damage that it has caused. It is particularly useful in cases where the suspected leak is coming from an inaccessible location and allows clients to take steps to stop or control the problem before it becomes an even bigger (and most pertinently, more expensive concern).

Case Study:

Mr C returned home from holiday to find his home smelt of damp. Upon further investigation a pipe had leaked and caused damage to the timber and joists behind the wall. Mr C had trace and access cover included in his policy which meant that Uinsure traced the source of the leak and fixed it, plus any further damage caused to access this.

To access the timbers and the leak to repair, plaster wall had to be removed and the carpet and floorboards lifted. This was covered within Mr C’s policy so the £25,000 cost to do this was included.

Without trace and access cover the area of damage would have been covered but not the cost to access it. This would have meant that Mr C could have had to pay up to £15,000 to fix the leak. As Mr C opted for a Uinsure policy with trace and access included as standard, he did not have to worry about any additional cost and the leak was fixed within a couple of days.