Our guide to avoiding burst pipes
Total Landlord has seen a steady decline in the number of insurance claims over the past few years. This could be down to a range of factors, including landlords being better educated about the importance of taking care of property maintenance and forming good relationships with their tenants.
But although there has been a reduction in the number of claims year on year, the cost of claims related to escape of water has consistently risen, with one major contributing factor being increasing labour and material costs, making repairs more expensive. Despite landlords’ best efforts to protect their property, sometimes claims are inevitable due to factors outside of their control.
Escape of water is consistently the most common reason why landlords make an insurance claim across the UK, and over a third of all claims paid out by Total Landlord are for escape of water. Defined as ‘when water has entered the property by the mains water supply and caused damage’, escape of water refers to water damage arising from within the property such as leaking pipes or fixed water tanks, baths, sinks or toilets, or a leaking dishwasher or washing machine.
Around three quarters of escape of water claims at Total Landlord are down to a burst pipe. What’s more, claims arising from a burst pipe have been increasing steadily while other claims involving water have declined sharply.