Plumbing & Drainage

Section - Plumbing

In the event of an emergency arising from the sudden and unexpected failure of, or damage to, the internal plumbing (including the central heating pipes and radiator valves) within your property which has resulted or may result in internal water leakage, flooding or water damage to the property, an engineer will visit your property and complete a temporary repair to limit or prevent damage or, solely at the claims administrator’s discretion, replace the damaged item or part of the item (as appropriate).

We do not cover:

a) Frozen pipes which have not caused any damage.

b) Leaks from any household appliances (for example washing machines or dishwashers), sinks, showers or baths where leakage only occurs when the appliance is in use.

c) The replacement of water tanks, cylinders and central heating radiators, external WC’s, external pipes, and taps.

d) Cracked or broken toilets or cistern.

e) Pipes outside the boundary of your property.

f) Dripping taps.

g) Water pipes to or from and in a detached outbuilding or garage:

h) Quieting noisy pipes that are caused by the expansion and contraction of pipes as they heat and cool.

Section - Internal and External Drainage

In the event of an emergency arising from the sudden and unexpected failure of or damage to the internal or external drainage system of your property, an engineer will visit your property and complete a temporary repair to limit or prevent damage or, solely at the claims administrator’s discretion, replace the damaged item or part of the item (as appropriate). Examples of what we will cover are:



Internal Drainage:

• Blocked toilet / waste pipe.

• Leaking pipe / toilet / soil vent / stopcock.

• Leaking cold water tank / hot water cylinder (and subsequent draining down if required in an emergency).

• Complete drain blockage that results in all sinks being blocked. External Drainage:

• Blocked external drain.

We do not cover:

a) Drains which are blocked by leaves, or due to the build-up of oils, fats, or debris.

b) Blocked toilets that are not leaking, or overflowing, and where there is another available toilet in the property.

c) Any drainage system which is not of standard construction e.g., clay pot, plastic, P.V.C. or concrete.

d) Cesspits, septic tanks, vacuum drainage systems, electric pumps, shower pumps and drainage pumps

e) Any plumbing and filtration system for swimming pools or spa baths.

f) Drains related to detached outbuildings.

g) Guttering or rainwater downpipes, rainwater drains and soakaways.

h) Damage to drains caused by structures not conforming to local building regulations.

i) Failure or damage caused to by faulty or defective design of the drainage pipe including but not limited to delamination found in pitch fibre pipe construction.

j) Reinstatement costs relating the original surface or construction of a drive, path, decking or any other surface which is excavated as part of a claim.

k) Reinstatement costs relating to any internal flooring, walls, or ceilings.

l) Drains (sewers) which are not your responsibility, including the lateral or shared drains or drains that are outside your property’s boundary. 

m) Repairs when an engineer deems the boiler to be beyond economic repair.

Please Note: Cover under this section of the policy is only provided for repairs/replacement parts which are required after any retailer or manufacturer warranty on your domestic boiler has expired. If your domestic boiler is still covered by a retailer or manufacturer warranty when an emergency occurs, an engineer will not be able to attend your property and/or carry out the repair/replacement and you will need to contact the retailer/manufacturer as appropriate.