# Can I claim for plumbing work on home insurance?
Yes — in many cases you can claim plumbing work under home insurance [phone] but it really depends on the cause of the problem, your policy wording, and whether you’ve got the right extras or cover add ons. Below is a detailed guide on when home insurance covers plumbing.
## Can Home Insurance Cover Plumbing Work?
**What home insurance usually does**
Home insurance in the UK generally consists of buildings insurance (covering the structure: walls, roof, floors, pipes etc.) and contents insurance (your stuff inside). Some policies also offer home emergency or plumbing & drainage add ons.
Parts of plumbing / drainage that may be covered include:
• Sudden & accidental damage, e.g. a burst pipe, leak from a failure that happens suddenly.
• Water damage resulting from such sudden events — damage to walls, floors, ceilings, furniture etc.
• Sometimes the cover extends to services such as leak detection or “trace & access” (finding hidden leaks behind walls or under floors) if your policy includes that.
### What home insurance usually does not cover
**However, there are many circumstances in which plumbing work or damage will not be covered:**
• Wear & tear or deterioration over time. Gradual leaks or corroded old pipes are often excluded.
• Poor maintenance / negligence (i.e. if you should have known and fixed a small leak but didn’t, and damage got worse).
• Issues outside your legal responsibility: shared drains, sewer lines outside the boundary, water supply pipes owned by utility companies, etc.
• Problems arising from faulty installation, design defects, or building defects.
• Small issues like dripping taps, general maintenance, limescale or sealant problems.
• Some add ons or emergency cover might include plumbing emergencies, but only up to certain limits (claim amounts, types of fixtures etc.).
## What “plumbing & drainage” or “home emergency” cover adds
**To make sure you are covered when plumbing problems happen, many insurers offer optional cover or add ons. These might include:**
• Plumbing and drainage insurance or plumbing & drainage cover to help with emergency plumbing problems (blocked drains, burst pipes) and sometimes emergency call out & labour.
• Home emergency cover which might include plumbing emergencies. It often covers call outs and repairs when something breaks suddenly, making the home uninhabitable, or certain plumbing features fail.
• Trace & access cover for detecting leaks behind walls etc. This helps you establish the cause/location of a leak so damage claims are more credible.
### Key things to check in your policy
**To know whether your plumbing work will be covered, check:**
1. What caused the damage — sudden accident vs gradual degradation.
2. What fixtures and pipes are covered — e.g. internal pipes, external pipes, supply pipes, shared drains.
3. Excess amounts you have to pay. Sometimes small damage might be less than your excess (i.e. you’d pay it anyway).
4. Limits / caps on how much the policy will pay for plumbing emergencies or repairs.
5. Deductibles, waiting periods, or notice periods for add on covers.
6. Obligations on upkeep / maintenance — if the insurer requires you maintain things, or will refuse claims if you ignored warning signs.
7. Time limits for reporting a claim once damage is discovered.
Examples
• If a pipe bursts without warning and floods your floor, damaging your carpet and floorboards, many policies will cover the water damage under “escape of water” / “sudden damage.”
• If a tap drips for months, causing mould and damp, this is more likely to be excluded due to gradual damage.
• If you have emergency plumbing cover, the insurer may send out someone to stop a leak to prevent further damage, even if fixing the whole plumbing system is your responsibility.
How to Claim
1. Document everything — take photos, videos, note times & dates, and get a repairer’s report if possible.
2. Find your policy documents — read the sections on “escape of water”, “plumbing”, “emergency cover”, “trace & access” etc.
3. **Contact your insurer **as soon as possible once the damage is discovered. Don’t wait until it’s worse.
4. Get quotes / estimates for repairs & damage so you can provide evidence.
5. Let them send an assessor / surveyor if needed — they’ll check if cause is covered.
6. Consider your excess vs repair cost — if cost of repair < excess + possible premium increase, sometimes paying yourself may make more sense.
**Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)**
**1. Q: Will my home insurance pay for plumbing repairs themselves (e.g. replacing a burst pipe)?**
A: Usually not for the plumbing work itself unless you have special cover/add ons. Standard policies often only cover the resulting water damage.
**2. Q: What counts as “sudden & accidental” damage?**
A: Events like a pipe suddenly bursting, or an unexpected failure that causes water escape, not something that develops slowly over time.
**3. Q: If water damage has happened because I ignored a slow leak, will they refuse to pay?**
A: Yes, many insurers will deny claims for gradual leaks or wear and tear.
**4. Q: What is “home emergency cover” regarding plumbing?**
A: An add on that covers urgent plumbing failures (blocked drains, unusable toilet, major leaks) needing immediate attention. It may cover call outs, labour etc.
**5. Q: Does “plumbing & drainage cover” cost extra?**
A: Yes — it’s usually an optional extra or add on to your standard home insurance, so you’ll pay more in premium.
**6. Q: Will they cover damage to my personal belongings (contents) caused by plumbing failure?**
A: Yes, if the event is covered (e.g. burst pipe), your contents insurance may pay for damaged furniture, carpets etc.
**7. Q: Are external or shared drains covered?**
A: Usually not. Shared drains or those outside your property boundary are commonly excluded.
**8. Q: What is “trace and access”?**
A: The coverage for accessing walls / floors etc to find hidden leaks. Some policies include it; others exclude it. If it’s included, they may cover the cost of detecting the source.
**9. Q: If I have to open walls/floor to reach a pipe, will insurance pay to make good after?**
A: It depends on policy. Some might pay access & reinstatement under certain limits; others might exclude the cost of opening up/repairing fabric.
**10. Q: Does the insurance cover incidents caused by freezing pipes?**
A: Sometimes yes — but generally only if proper precautions were taken (home heated, pipes insulated etc.). If negligence is involved, likely excluded.
**11. Q: If I discover a leak but don’t report it right away, will insurer refuse?**
A: Possibly — delays can allow damage to worsen and insurer may argue the homeowner didn’t mitigate damage. Timely reporting is key.
**12. Q: What about damage caused by appliances (e.g. washing machine, dishwasher)?**
A: Often the appliance itself is excluded, but damage caused by a sudden leak from the appliance may be included under escape of water.
**13. Q: Are showers, shower parts, sanitary ware covered?**
A: Usually excluded from plumbing & drainage cover or home emergency cover. Sealants, shower heads, pumps often excluded.
**14. Q: Will my premium go up if I make a claim for a plumbing problem?**
A: Likely yes — insurance companies generally increase premiums after claims, especially for water damage or repeated problems.
**15. Q: Is there a limit or cap to how much the insurer will pay for plumbing/emergency repair?**
A: Yes, many policies have caps (e.g. maximum payment per incident, maximum number of call outs, or overall cover limits). Check your policy.
**16. Q: Can landlords or renters make plumbing claims?**
A: Yes, but with caveats: landlords need policies covering buildings, renters would need contents cover (for their belongings) + perhaps landlord’s permission/insurance. Add ons are typically needed for emergencies or plumbing drainage cover.
**17. Q: If plumbing was already faulty before I took out insurance, can I claim?**
A: No — pre existing defects are usually excluded. Insurance covers future, accidental damage not known issues.
**18. Q: How do I know if my pipes are my responsibility or the utility’s?**
A: Usually anything within your property boundary is yours; supply pipes up to the boundary may or may not be. Shared pipes/drains are often not your responsibility. Policy documents should clarify.
**19. Q: Does home insurance cover “making safe” works (e.g. stopping a leak) even if full repair isn't covered?**
A: Sometimes, yes under emergency/home emergency cover — insurers may authorize temporary works to prevent further damage.
**20. Q: When is it better to pay myself rather than claim?**
A: If the cost is less than your excess, or the repair is small, or you don’t want your premiums to increase or risk future non renewal. Also if delays in claims process are inconvenient.
If you like, I can check your specific insurance policy wording (if you tell me your insurer/name or policy type) to see whether you can claim in your case — would that be helpful?