Not upheld: claim handling - responsibility for defective repair work complaint against Ageas Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr P claimed for water damage at his rental property in January 2022. After drying work, Ageas asked Mr P to obtain repair quotes, which he found difficult due to living abroad. Mr P selected contractor E, whose quote Ageas approved and paid directly to Mr P. In August 2025, Mr P reported damp issues from E's work and complained that Ageas should be responsible. Ageas declined, stating the repair contract was between Mr P and E. The ombudsman upheld Ageas' position, finding it had clearly communicated this arrangement and had not pressured Mr P to select E, despite E being a previously-used contractor.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Ageas made clear in August 2022 that the repair contract was between Mr P and E, with payments made directly to Mr P. While Ageas asked for progress on obtaining quotes, this was reasonable claims handling. Although E had been previously used by Ageas' loss adjusters, this did not mean Ageas introduced E or pressured Mr P to select it. The ombudsman noted that even if Ageas could have done more to explain Mr P could source his own contractor, this would likely not have made a difference given the difficulty Mr P experienced obtaining quotes and the fact that other contractors could not start work for six months. The reported damp in August 2025 was not related to the original water damage claim.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website