There are many ways contractors and unethical drainage UK companies that can rip you off, and one of those is carrying out work that can be done for free through your home insurance. There are plenty of companies who will write out a quote and carry out the work; before asking the client if they have checked their current home insurance.
Most people don’t even realise when faced with the question, does home insurance cover blocked drains, that often the costs of resolving septic tank problems or soakaway crate issues are covered by standard buildings insurance policies.
Here at MZR Drainage, not only do we offer drainage services but we also give great advice and customer service, leaving every customer well-informed and able to carry out the right actions knowing full well what they can claim for on insurance. Here are a few tips that may help you:
Home Insurance / Buildings Insurance
If you own a home, whether it’s a detached, semi-detached or terraced, your home insurance is often quite comprehensive and will cover a wide range of services. Most people don’t even realise that often the costs of resolving septic tank problems or soakaway crate issues are covered by standard buildings insurance policies. The majority of home insurance policies will include accidental damage to water and drain pipes if the pipes are the policyholder’s responsibility. These policies however can sometimes include exclusions which are worth checking before making a claim.
A handful of insurers can refuse to pay the claims if the pipes are made from certain materials like pitch fibre, which is a material that was commonly used in the 1950s and 1960s and is now defective.
There could also be issues that have arisen from blocked drains that have been damaged by subsidence. This is usually a query that will depend on what is specifically covered by your insurance company. It is also advisable to let landlords or the council know if you intend to carry out work on drainage areas you are unsure of in terms of responsibility and the scale of the work. If you need any help with condition reports or drain surveys to go alongside your insurance claims we also offer that service.
What Are You Responsible For?
Remember, you are only responsible for your drains and your drains only. Even if your drain touches or meets another property’s drains, you can only look after yours. So it would be good to not only let neighbouring buildings and land know that there is an issue but you can also get the issue resolved at the same time to save the same thing from happening quickly after.
Keeping Your Drains Maintained
If you are a homeowner, the maintenance of your drains is your responsibility. The best way to protect yourself and avoid an insurance company paying you out for repairs is to keep on top of regular drainage maintenance. Regular cleaning and inspections are the best way to keep your pipes in the best possible condition. This should prevent any premature damage caused by wear and tear.
Common Drain Problems
The most common reasons why drains become blocked are leftover food, fats, oil and other things that shouldn’t be washed down the sink and instead put into the correct bins/waste disposal.
Baby wipes are another common reason for drain blockage, including those that are labelled ‘flushable’ when they can do more harm than tissue paper and normal wipes. Even if they never cause a problem with your drains, they can still affect your public sewers as they mass together into fatbergs.
Tree roots can also cause damage to your drains by growing through gaps and if the drains have cracked or haven’t been put together properly. They normally will have sensed a small leak as a source of moisture to get the nutrients that it needs; this will in turn not only allow them to grow above the surface but allow the roots to spread inside. If the drains have been badly damaged by roots they normally will need to be replaced, but in some circumstances, a liner can also be inserted which can restore the integrity of the drain. Other foreign objects such as hair can clump up and affect the flow of the drain.
Are you a Landlord?
If you are looking at this from a landlord’s point of view, there are a few things that you may need to consider and one of them is landlord insurance. When buying landlord insurance, keep in mind that items that only belong to you are covered underneath the contents part of the policy. So if contents were stolen that belonged to the tenant, they will need to go through their home/contents insurance. In reference to a drainage problem, however, if a tenant of yours has an issue regarding the drains, and the property is being rented out by yourself you will need to look into what needs to be done and how to fix it through your insurance company.
Why Do We Tell You This?
Here at MZR, we want to be able to offer help and guidance to potential clients. We have 35 years of experience in drain unblocking services, as well as being proud members of checkatrade.com where reputation really matters. Have a look at what our customers think about our work.
We also operate a 24/7 Emergency service within the Birmingham area. We are normally able to get our experienced team out to you within the hour and give you honest and transparent quotes, no surprise fees further down the line. If you need any help or need more information regarding our services, please feel free to contact us at our office number 0121 663 1060 or 07967835427. You can also get in touch with us for more information via our email info@mzrplumbing.com.
