Upheld: poor service and inadequate repairs following damage caused during claim handling complaint against British Gas Insurance Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6234222 of 2026-06-03T00:00:00+00:00. poor service and inadequate repairs following damage caused during claim handling complaint against British Gas Insurance Limited. Outcome: Upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6234222 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-06-03T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | British Gas Insurance Limited |
| Product | home emergency insurance |
| Claim type | poor service and inadequate repairs following damage caused during claim handling |
| Outcome | Upheld |
| Remedy | BG must arrange and pay for an independent inspection of the bathroom with both parties present to determine whether the bathroom was reinstated to reasonable pre-claim condition. If the inspection concludes the bathroom has not been appropriately restored, BG must complete further restorative work at its own cost. If the inspection concludes the bathroom has been restored to appropriate condition, no further action is required. |
Summary
Mr M claimed under his home emergency insurance policy with BG for a bathroom leak in March 2025. BG damaged the underfloor heating during repairs and subsequently carried out reinstatement work. Mr M complained that the bathroom had not been properly restored, citing uneven tiles, loose tiles, an unlevel vanity unit, unsealed toilet waste, and incorrectly fitted radiator pipe sleeves. BG offered to fix the loose tile and pay £500 compensation, but Mr M believed £3,000 was needed for proper restoration. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding that without pre-claim photographs, a fair assessment was impossible and ordering an independent inspection at BG's cost to determine whether restoration was adequate.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that while BG undisputedly caused damage to the underfloor heating, the absence of a pre-claim photograph of the specific disputed areas made it impossible to fairly conclude whether BG had or had not restored the bathroom to its original condition. The evidence showed uneven tiles and an unlevel vanity unit, but without baseline comparison, no fair conclusion could be reached. Therefore, an independent inspection by a third party with no involvement in the original claim or repairs was deemed the fairest way to determine whether restoration was reasonable. The ombudsman rejected Mr M's concern about independence by noting that one party would inevitably be disappointed, but the inspection would bring matters to a close. The £500 compensation already paid was deemed fair for inconvenience caused.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| British Gas Insurance Limited, all decisions | 1,874 | 41% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website