Leak Detection for Insurance Claims

A hidden leak claim has two parts. The first is finding the leak and getting to it, which most buildings policies cover under trace and access. The second is the damage the water has done, which is claimed under escape of water. This page walks through the claim itself: what is usually covered, what a leak detection report has to contain for an adjuster to act on it, and the steps from first phone call to settlement. The trace and access page explains the cover in more detail; this page is about getting through the process.

What insurers usually cover, and what they usually do not

Trace and access cover normally pays for the professional leak detection survey, for opening up whatever is in the way of the leak, such as floors, walls, screed or a driveway, and for reinstating it afterwards. Escape of water cover normally pays for the resulting damage: ruined flooring, plaster, kitchen units, decoration and drying out. What tends to sit outside both is the repair of the pipe itself, which is often a modest cost, along with anything the insurer considers wear and tear or gradual deterioration. A leak that has been running for a long time before it was reported can be treated as gradual damage with reduced or no cover, which is the strongest argument for investigating early. Every policy has an excess and its own limits, so read the schedule rather than assuming.

What a leak detection report contains

Claims handlers and loss adjusters act on evidence, and a report that simply says "leak found under kitchen" will be sent back. Every LeakSleuth report sets out:

• The property, the policyholder and the date of survey
• The symptoms reported and how long they have been present
• Which systems were tested, how, and the results: meter readings, pressure readings and the time over which they were taken
• The methods used to pinpoint the leak, with the readings and thermal images that support the location
• Photographs of the marked location with a scale reference and its position measured from fixed points
• The cause where it is evident, for example a corroded joint or a nail through a pipe
• The access needed to repair it and the reinstatement that will follow
• The engineer's details, so the adjuster can ask technical questions directly

The reason for the detail is simple: the report justifies why one flagstone or one square of screed needs lifting rather than a whole floor, and it shows the leak was investigated promptly and properly.

The steps, in order

1. Notice the symptoms and note them down. Meter readings, boiler pressures and dates matter later. The signs of a hidden leak page covers the checks you can safely make.
2. Check your policy schedule for trace and access and escape of water cover, the limits and the excess.
3. Tell your insurer. Most policies expect prompt notification. Some insurers will send their own contractor for the survey; others will ask you to instruct one and reimburse the fee. Ask which applies and get a claim reference.
4. Book the survey. Fixed price agreed on the phone. If the leak is causing damage, protect the property first, but do not drain the system or start opening up, because a live leak is easier to find and the insurer will want to see the evidence intact.
5. Survey and report. The leak is proven, pinpointed, marked and photographed on the day, and the written report follows.
6. Send the report with your claim. With your permission we send it directly to the insurer or adjuster as well, and we answer any technical questions they raise.
7. Repair, opening up and reinstatement. We can quote for the repair; the insurer confirms cover for the access and reinstatement before that work proceeds.
8. Settlement. Keep every invoice, including the survey fee, which is commonly reimbursed under trace and access.

Why claims stall

The same handful of problems come up repeatedly. The location was never proven, so the adjuster cannot tell whether the opening up was necessary. The leak had clearly been running for months before anyone reported it. The pipe repair was invoiced as trace and access. In a block of flats or a converted house, nobody established which property the water came from, so two insurers each pointed at the other. A proper report answers the first and last of these on day one; reporting promptly deals with the rest.

Landlords, tenants and flats

For a rented house the buildings policy is the landlord's, and the report is addressed to the landlord or agent; the tenant's contents policy covers their belongings. In a leasehold flat the buildings cover is usually a block policy held by the freeholder or management company, and the claim goes through them, but the leak may be inside a flat and the damage in another. We identify the system and the property the water is coming from and set it out in the report so the claim is made against the right policy.

What we do and do not do

We are leak detection specialists, not claims managers. We do not take over your claim, sign it over to ourselves, or charge a percentage of the settlement. We find the leak, prove it, write it up in a form an adjuster can act on, and answer their questions. The claim stays yours. Typical survey costs are on the pricing page, and the how it works page describes the survey itself.