Ceiling fell down, neighbours fault! Contents Insurance help!

[Asomodai]

Hey guys.

So it was raining pretty hard on Sunday

I came home from work to be confronted with this.




TV is ruined, PS3 and a few other bits. The house is uninhabitable as there is no power. I was going to move in a few weeks, so I guess this just speeds the process up.

The builders have come in and brought the rest of the ceiling down.

So their investigation has found...

Next door neighbours liked opening their skylight to smoke and drink and apparantly to take off clothes, when they were done, they would throw cigerette butts, beer cans and clothing into our gutter. With the heavy rain on Sunday it caused a massive build up which is what caused the ceiling to cave in.

Anyway, I have our contents insurance man coming out on Tuesday. Shall I tell him exactly what happened and we'll be covered? (I dont want to be fobbed off by being told its next door neighbours responsibility.

I also hear they like to try and tell people that it was "Wear and tear" of course I had no idea this would happen and was caused by the actions of someone else.

Any advice in dealing with them when they inspect stuff? I havent plugged anything in yet and dont intend to.

Rob.

[plexer]

You have legal cover with your home insurance? or car insurance or any other type of insurance?

If you have a report from the builders and contents insurance won't pay out or you don't want to claim on that I'd use the legal cover to start proceedings against your neighbours.

Are you in a union they often have a legal service available to members.

Ben

[kevbaz]

Its not your fault and you dont own the building, your contents have been damaged and will need replacing. i dont see this being as problem for you at all so i wouldnt worry.

What has your landlord said on the matter?

[Asomodai]

You have legal cover with your home insurance? or car insurance or any other type of insurance?

If you have a report from the builders and contents insurance won't pay out or you don't want to claim on that I'd use the legal cover to start proceedings against your neighbours.

Are you in a union they often have a legal service available to members.

Ben

Not sure about legal cover. My question is, shall I tell the insurance man when he comes around what the builders told me, or shall I just say "I dont know why it happened, all I know is that its not my fault". I just want my stuff replaced and then move.

[Asomodai]

Its not your fault and you dont own the building, your contents have been damaged and will need replacing. i dont see this being as problem for you at all so i wouldnt worry.

What has your landlord said on the matter?

Landlords been OK, he has waived our last months rent for the trouble which he didnt have to do.

[witch]

I have to say that I probably wouldn't tell them what the builders told you - you can't prove it and the neighbours would deny it anyway. AFAIK the damage isn't anything to do with your insurance as you didn't cause it and you don't own the building.

[teejay]

Not a nice thing to come home to. Don't volunteer any information, it's their job to investigate, however don't lie to them either so if they ask if the guttering was blocked then you need to tell them. Make sure you claim for absolutely everything and also don't accept their first offer. Also if they are replacing stuff rather than giving you the money, make sure it really is like for like as they have a tendancy to go for amodel or two below what you had.
Look on the bright side, that TV is a bit on the small side for that size of room, you'll be able to get a bigger one now

[Asomodai]

Not a nice thing to come home to. Don't volunteer any information, it's their job to investigate, however don't lie to them either so if they ask if the guttering was blocked then you need to tell them. Make sure you claim for absolutely everything and also don't accept their first offer. Also if they are replacing stuff rather than giving you the money, make sure it really is like for like as they have a tendancy to go for amodel or two below what you had.
Look on the bright side, that TV is a bit on the small side for that size of room, you'll be able to get a bigger one now

It's a replacement like/like thing.

Not sure if I can find the receipt for the TV, but they dont make em anymore. Currently there are two models that are equivilant one more expensive, one less expensive. Do they offer me the model of TV or do they just deliver it without telling me what it is and I then have to make an issue about it?

Rob.

[teejay]

They will offer you the cheapest thing they can get away with. They should tell you what they are replacing things with, at which point you argue with them. If they try to deliver things without you having agreed to that replacement model first, then refuse the delivery.

[Achandler]

If its not your fault, and it is clearly someone elses (they can investigate it) then your insurer shoudl pay for your stuff and go after your neighbour (or their insurer)for the money.

Also ceiling don't really fall down from wear and tear.

As for replacements, they usually offer you one (say a TV) but if it isnt as good as the one lost then you can say no. If your to much of a pain sometimes they just give you money and say "Buy your own bl00dy TV then!" but they might not give you as much.

New for Old or Like for Like, usually means the same or better. This might mean they give you say a 42inch screen that is better then a 40inch, because this was cheaper and available etc. But as everyone has said I wouldn't worry, you'll get your stuff.

[plexer]

Surely as part of his maintenance on the propery your landlord should have been checking the guttering at least once a year or getting someone to do it?

Ben

[Asomodai]

Surely as part of his maintenance on the propery your landlord should have been checking the guttering at least once a year or getting someone to do it?

Ben

The letting company they employ are pants to be frank.

[woodham]

very kind of the landlord Im guessing that the months rent is a lot less than the cost of replacing all your stuff. It was caused by a building fault and as such is your landlords problem not yours and he should be footing the bill for your things .

[Asomodai]

very kind of the landlord Im guessing that the months rent is a lot less than the cost of replacing all your stuff. It was caused by a building fault and as such is your landlords problem not yours and he should be footing the bill for your things .

No it doesant work like that, the landlord pays for the building insurance and maintenence, he has no responsibility for contents damage, its unfair but thats the way it is.

[woodham]

but the damage is due to lack of maintenence which makes it the (indirectlly since next door caused it really but the drains/gutters are the landlords ) the landlords problem