Damp and insurance

[Bazile]

Damp in a house causing plaster to come off a wall

Would the above affect the buildings and contents insurance cover ?

[Dodger666]

If the damp is being caused by a faulty guttering or pipe allowing water to run down the wall I would say it would not be covered by your insurance. If you have rising damp caused by a faulty damp course or no damp course at all I would also say that wouldn't be covered either. If the water is getting in cracks in the brickwork caused by subsidence then you may stand a chance.

Insurance generally doesn't cover you if you fail to maintain your property to a good standard.

Best thing to do is talk to your broker or insurance company, but be prepared for bad news.

[4getmenot]

go through building insurance they will check drainage in area of damp and it may all be covered

[Bazile]

Thanks

What i'm asking is, would the problem invalidate the overall policies themselves ?

[Bazile]

What's happening is that water is getting in under a part of the house , causing a wall to be damp

Given that the insurance policies states that the property must be kept in good state of repair , does this problem invalidate the policies overall ?

I'm not actually making a claim .

[Dodger666]

I wouldn't imagine that damp in a wall would invalidate your building & contents insurance if your roof blew off. However, if you claimed for contents that had been damaged by damp that may be another matter.

It may be prudent to attempt to find out where the water is coming from. Might there be a fractured water main that's the reponsibilty of the water company or possibly you if it's your supply pipe.

Are blocked or broken drains causing the problem? Have any neighbours got similar damp problems?

It may be caused by something the local authorities are responsible for.

If it's being caused by a rising water table then that's another matter.

You need to speak to your broker/insurance company for their opinion.

[ruthie26]

I'm having problems with the floorboards in my terraced house which is 100 years old and rented to tenants. The floorboards are apparantely suffering from rising damp due to shoddy workmanship. As this as my late mother's house I don't have any idea when this work was carried out. I've been quoted between £650/£1200 to rectify the problem (the builder can't give an exact estimate as he's not sure if all of the floorboards are affected). Is the cost of the repair likely to be covered by my buildings insurance? Any advice would be gratefully received.

Many thanks