Upheld: poor repair / defective workmanship / failure to complete covered repair complaint against Aviva Insurance Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6329902 of 2026-04-30T00:00:00+00:00. poor repair / defective workmanship / failure to complete covered repair complaint against Aviva Insurance Limited. Outcome: Upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6329902 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-04-30T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Aviva Insurance Limited |
| Product | home emergency insurance |
| Claim type | poor repair / defective workmanship / failure to complete covered repair |
| Outcome | Upheld |
| Remedy | Aviva Insurance Limited must: (1) Pay £60 for duplicated excess fee plus 8% interest from date paid until settlement; (2) Pay £212.10 for replacement electrical valve plus 8% interest from 8 November 2024 until settlement; (3) Pay £121.38 for replacement cylinder plus 8% interest from 8 November 2024 until settlement, OR carry out the cylinder works without charging a further excess; (4) Pay £200 compensation for unnecessary distress and inconvenience (including the £50 already agreed, less any amount already paid). |
Summary
Mr I claimed on his home emergency insurance policy for a faulty valve on his hot water tank. Aviva's repair was defective, causing a water leak that damaged an electrical valve and left Mr I without heating and hot water. Aviva failed to complete a covered immersion heater repair despite Mr I paying the excess, and also charged one excess fee twice. Mr I's boiler subsequently failed and he purchased a replacement on finance, claiming Aviva's poor repair caused the boiler failure. The ombudsman upheld the complaint in part, finding Aviva liable for the electrical valve damage and immersion heater repair costs, plus a duplicated excess fee and compensation for distress. However, the complaint was not upheld regarding the boiler replacement, as the evidence did not establish that the leak caused the boiler's internal failure.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that while Aviva's poor repair caused a water leak that damaged an electrical valve, the evidence did not support that this leak caused the boiler's PCB to fail. The leak was in an upstairs bedroom cupboard while the PCB was inside the boiler in the kitchen, making it unlikely water would have reached the internal PCB. Mr I's engineer provided no evidence that water damage to the boiler necessitated its replacement. However, Aviva was responsible for the damage to the electrical valve and the failure to complete the immersion heater repair despite Mr I paying the excess. Aviva also incorrectly charged one excess fee twice. The ombudsman applied the principle that insurers can settle at their own rates rather than the policyholder's costs where they have offered to carry out repairs.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Aviva Insurance Limited, all decisions | 5,098 | 27% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website