Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against British Gas Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr M complained to British Gas Insurance Limited after an engineer serviced his boiler in August 2025. Three weeks later, Mr M discovered a water leak below the boiler, and subsequent engineers identified both condensate and gas leaks. British Gas repaired the condensate issue and paid £250 compensation, but refused to reimburse Mr M's £1,041 payment for re-piping work, claiming the gas leak originated from inaccessible pipework outside the service area and was not covered by the policy. The ombudsman did not uphold the complaint, finding that the gas leak was not present at the time of the service and originated from inaccessible pipework, with no credible evidence linking it to the engineer's work.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that there was no measurable gas leak at the time of the August service, with all readings within Gas Safe guidelines. The gas leak detected three weeks later persisted after all appliances were isolated, indicating it originated from inaccessible pipework. The ombudsman found no credible evidence linking the gas leak to the engineer's service work or the condensate pipe issue. The policy specifically excludes cover for repairs to gas supply pipes that are not visible or accessible. British Gas's response to the condensate leak issue was fair and reasonable. The ombudsman was not persuaded by Mr M's assertion that the leak emanated from the boiler itself, as this was contradicted by British Gas engineers' findings and Mr M provided no independent expert evidence to support his position.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website