Not upheld: delayed claim handling and denial of damage claim complaint against AmTrust Specialty Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Miss M and Mr S complained that AmTrust failed to promptly attend to a home emergency claim for a blocked kitchen sink, resulting in water damage to their kitchen. AmTrust missed the agreed appointment window on 8 September 2025 and only attended the following day, offering £75 compensation for the delay but refusing to cover the repair costs. The ombudsman found that while AmTrust's delay and poor communication were breaches of claims handling standards, the £75 offer was fair compensation. The ombudsman rejected the damage claim because the blockage was caused by a shared drain (excluded from policy cover) and concluded that even prompt attendance would have only provided a temporary repair, making it unlikely that earlier intervention would have materially prevented the damage.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman accepted that AmTrust breached its duty to handle the claim promptly and fairly by missing the appointment window and failing to keep Miss M informed. However, the £75 compensation was deemed fair for the delay and inconvenience. Regarding the damage claim, the ombudsman found that the blockage was caused by a shared drain (excluded from policy cover) and that even if the engineer had attended on 8 September, they would have only provided a temporary repair. Therefore, it was unlikely that earlier attendance would have materially prevented the kitchen damage, and AmTrust was not responsible for repair costs.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website