Not upheld: Home insurance claim disputes complaint against Highway Insurance Company Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A claimed for water damage under his home insurance policy after discovering an escape of water at his property in 2022. Highway declined the claim after its engineers identified the damage as resulting from long-term wear and tear (a blocked dishwasher and leaking freezer) rather than a one-off incident. Mr A later discovered holes in dishwasher pipes during renovations and believed this was the actual cause, providing photographs as evidence. The ombudsman found that Mr A's photographs were insufficient to contradict Highway's original expert assessment, particularly as he provided no supporting surveyor or engineer report, and upheld Highway's position that the claim decline was fair.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that the original surveyor's assessment was backed up by photographs and was not unreasonable. The additional photographs provided by Mr A did not clearly demonstrate that the escape of water was caused by leaking pipes. The ombudsman noted that Mr A failed to provide a detailed report from a surveyor or engineer supporting his new position, making it difficult to contradict Highway's original expert assessment. Furthermore, even if holes in pipes existed, this would still relate to wear and tear, and policyholders have an obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent ongoing damage.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website