The importance of Trace and Access cover

Whether you are an owner-occupier or a landlord, ensuring you have Trace and Access cover as part of your buildings insurance is typically very important.

When buying home or landlord insurance, checking that you have this element of cover may be forgotten, while you focus on making sure the policy meets your other protection needs – and your budget.

And as not all buildings insurance policies offer this protection as standard, or even as an add-on, being without it could cost your dear.

What is Trace and Access cover?

If something goes wrong in your property – for example a leak that you don’t know where it is coming from – then locating the source can not only be difficult, but could involve the workmen having to cut holes in walls, or remove bathroom tiles in order to find it.

Repairing the damage caused by workmen in locating the source may typically not be covered by your buildings insurance if you do not have Trace and Access cover.

What can I claim for?

Using the same example of a water leak, if you don’t have Trace and Access cover, your buildings insurance may typically cover the cost of repairing the water damage – but not the damage caused by locating it.

Still not sure how important Trace and Access cover may be?

Then read our case study …

Mrs H had a leak coming through her bathroom ceiling and down the wall. She assumed it was from the ensuite bathroom directly above the main bathroom and called out workmen to fix the leak.

The toilet was integrated in to a tiled wall, so the tiles needed to be broken off in order to access the waste pipe. The workmen found nothing wrong whatsoever.

They then had to start cutting pieces of wall out in an adjoining bedroom wall to find the source of the leak – a tiny, but very damaging, pin prick of a hole in the copper water feed pipe coming from the loft.

Mrs H was relieved that the leak was found and repaired and was given a quote of £550 to re-tile around the toilet fitting and to fill in the holes in the wall, plus a quote of £250 to repair and repaint the damaged bathroom ceiling and wall on the floor below.

Mrs H rang her insurer who told her that while they would pay for the repair and repainting in the main bathroom caused by the water damage (i.e £250, less any policy excess), she did not have Trace and Access cover, so could not claim for the £550 costs associated with tracing the source of the leak.

She has since changed home insurance provider and has a policy that includes Trace and Access cover.

Summary 

If you are a property owner, ensuring you have Trace and Access cover as part of your buildings insurance is something you may wish to check.

Remember, if something goes wrong in your property, then locating the source can not only be difficult, but could involve the workmen having to cut holes in walls etc., in order to find it. Without Trace and Access cover, the costs of repairing the damage caused by locating the source of the leak will typically need to be paid for by you.