insurance

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‘Fuse boxes’ for water make sense …so why aren’t they in every block, asks AdAm sAiNt?

These devices turn off the supply if water flows for too long

it is received wisdom that the biggest cause of insurance claims in blocks of flats follows escape of water. Those claims can quickly run onto five figures and more as water seeps through the building and damages one flat after another. As a result, insurance premiums and excesses get higher and higher. The ultimate sanction for a block with multiple claims is when insurers refuse to cover escape of water altogether, making the flats impossible to mortgage. Yet, amazingly, we all seem to accept this as a necessary evil and only bother to take preventive action after the insurers start demanding premiums or applying excesses that are completely unacceptable to leaseholders. So why is water damage so common? My view is that blocks are either badly built, badly managed or badly lived in. IS yoUR bloCk bAdly bUIlt?

We frequently hear stories of new blocks barely out of warranty experiencing leak after leak after burst! This being the case, why are protective devices not mandatory under the Building Regulations? At the moment the focus of the regulations is on energy and water efficiency but the repair and replacement work that follows escape of water has a massive carbon footprint that quickly negates any energy efficiency measures that are in place. The Regulations also demand that new or refurbished buildings are designed to limit water consumption to 125 litres per person per day. Yet a tap left running or pipe joint disconnected could waste a massive 125 litres in under 10 minutes. bAd mANAgEmENt

In these days of increasingly professional block management, there is no excuse for letting plumbing fall into disrepair. I would counsel any leaseholder to check that their managing agents have a planned inspection and maintenance regime in place for all plumbing in common areas. Managers ought to be fully aware of where all the pipes and outlets are under Legionella prevention rules anyway.

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Taps left running? Appliance hoses that have not been checked since the dishwasher or washing machine was fitted? Flats sublet and tenants not as diligent as an owner occupier might be? Remember, a leak that goes unnoticed for half an hour is half a tonne of water running through your flat.

The idea that you, as a leaseholder, might be liable for a large insurance excess should water escaping from your flat cause damage should be incentive enough to invest in a flood prevention device – yet few people do so until their insurers insist on it because of a poor claims history.

What is truly astonishing is that preventive action in the form of automatic stopcocks to shut off the supply before extensive damage happens can cost less than £200 a flat. That’s probably less than each leaseholder spends on window cleaning every year.

There’s plenty of choice on the market, so for any flat owner not to take this basic precaution beggars belief. After all, even if you are the only flat owner in the block to bother, at least you can be sure that your flat won’t land you with a massive insurance excess bill. Of course, if all the flats to decide to install an automatic stopcock, there is every likelihood of a supplier offering trade terms and big savings.

Insurers are now giving the concept a vote of confidence

INSURERS votE foR bUIltIN flood pREvENtIoN

That innovative brokers are now showing the way ahead and offering incentives for leaseholders to invest in internal flood prevention has to be a good sign. Insurers are now giving the concept a vote of confidence with some offering reduced premiums and excesses where patented Floodcheck valves are installed. An automated stopcock fitted to every house, flat or storey of an office building could prevent untold expense, misery, waste and disruption. These devices simply stand sentinel and turn off the water supply if water flows for too long (tap left running), too quickly (burst pipe or disconnected appliance hose), not at all (building left unoccupied) or if there is a risk of freeze/thaw flooding. Remote controls and wet pad detectors are offered with most systems on the market. Holiday homes and let property were the first to benefit from reduced premiums and excesses once Floodcheck valves were installed and now specialist blocks of flats insurers have also negotiated special schemes that mean big savings up front. Major developers and facilities managers are also voting with their cheque books, with the developers of the London Athlete’s Village installing Floodcheck Autovalves in over 2800 flats in Stratford. ●

Adam saint is managing director of Floodcheck tel 0844 335 6668 email adam@floodcheck.co.uk

Floodcheck was established in 1998 and is run by father and son team Adam and Bill Saint. The company continues to lobby for

Building regulations that ensure that no new flats arene built without this basicwithout this basic protection.protection.