Will our insurance cover?

[Athene]

Today has been the day of the Great Flood! A pipe in the en-suite has burst and has taken out the 'plafond tendu' in the bathroom below and has ruined a practically new bedroom carpet!  I managed to get a plumber to come out but he said that he does a lot of work rectifying DIY and we will not be able to claim on our household insurance as we fitted the pipes ourselves and did not use an professional plumber!  Now if he is right, this is a tricky situation as we have done most of the work in our house ourselves and say we had a fire, would we not be able to claim for that?

I would really welcome anyone's imput!

[Nick Trollope]

I'm afraid you will have to ask your broker. French Insurance Companies have a pitiful rep for not paying out - mostly annecdotal evidence IMHO, but I doubt if they are as good as UK companies.

As it is not illegal to do your own plumbing, then I can't see how they can't fail to accept the claim. Although if, for instance you soft-soldered the joints then they may claim that a failure was bound to occur & therefore get out that way.

Get down to the brokers this morning and come clean (and wet)....

 

[Dave&Olive]

in a nutshell no!!

           had about €7000 of tools nicked from the house but no reciepts for items that I had so it looks like i might a big might get €1800 back they will find a clause somewhere not to pay out .

         ps 6 months and still waiting for a pay out

           edva nda evoli

[Athene]

[quote]in a nutshell no!! had about €7000 of tools nicked from the house but no reciepts for items that I had so it looks like i might a big might get €1800 back they will find a clause somewhere...[/quote]

Well I have everything crossed here! The insurance assessor came this affy and said I was to get 'devis' for the repairs. He made a big point about saying I was NOT to have the work done, just get 'devis'! My French neighbours says he thinks that perhaps the insurance might pay out a portion of the repairs. We will see...

I have had a less than wonderful day here clearing up! Worst thing is I had just done a mega spring clean as we have friends coming out! Isn't it always the way?

[Tony F Dordogne]

We were flooded 3 months ago and still can't get any of the repair work done until the insurance company have notification from the Department whether the flood was a catastrophe naturale and then whether the last owners have to pay something for a vice cache.

Out broker tells us that three month wait is common, six is not unheard of, whatever .......

In the meantime we sit here with three chambre with partly stripped walls, a sejour and passage with nothing on the walls at all just a tide mark where the water reached.  We have bags of wallpaper stored for the expert to see (though why he/she will want to see the wallpaper god only knows) and a neat pile of carpet and lambris in the garden which is also for his/her attention, though what they will get from that so long after the event is anybody's guess.

Oh well, patience is a virtue ......... 

[Owens88]

Ours has just given us an emergency helpline no, for calling out artisans. (Axa)

Now my equivalent in the UK (Norwich Union) has the same thing but they pay the tradesmen.

Good Luck

John

[Deimos]

I got flooded now over 18 months ago. Neither Marie will declare a “catastrophe natural” (though one did offer to write to the insurance company). Insurance company is doing everything possible to delay/avoid a 1500 euro claim. I’ve had 3 inspectors round so far. One spent all his time “inspecting” my policy documents looking for any clauses that might “get them out of paying”. The 3rd inspector only visited the other day and was wittering on about a “declaration de catastrophe natural”. One of the inspectors had a massive argument with the builder who had quoted (I thought we were going to have a fight and realised I had no film for my camera).

My own opinion of French insurance (from my limited experience) is that even if they should pay out, you will have to wait for ever and will have no end of grief.

(see – its even driven me to become a cynic).

Hoping you get a more positive outcome, regards

Ian

[Athene]

[quote]I got flooded now over 18 months ago. Neither Marie will declare a “catastrophe natural” (though one did offer to write to the insurance company). Insurance company is doing everything possible to d...[/quote]

Thanks for all your comments the insurance man has been to view the damage and I have been told to get quotes for the work to put it right. However, he did stress I was not to have the work done! Wonder why that is? And it is now August and there is no-one to quote!