Plumbing and Drainage Plus (insurance)

[susan_m]

LD homeserve have a very bad reputation if you see their reviews . My neighbour had a contract with them and she had to keep paying up front before an engineer would come out to her boiler. I did look at going with them for my homecare things but since reading reviews I stay well away .

[Zaphod]

I really don’t want to sound like a scaremonger but …
personally I would be more concerned that the supply is very likely to be a lead pipe.

Some suppliers will come and test free and since the previous owners owned your house for 20 years and haven’t changed the supply (or they would know where the stopcock was) I recommend you check before deciding anything.

[JBR]

@LongDriver

Most are doing this now and often in conjunction with Homeserve. I had a dispute with Homeserve when my general house insurance sent Homeserve along to look at a large broken window after a swan had decided to fly into it. They were worse than useless and demanded my policy’s £50 excess before they would even measure up. I told them where to go in no uncertain terms and employed my local glazier. My insurance paid the fully descriptive bill in full minus the £50 excess. To demand the excess before the job is finished to my satisfaction is completely unacceptable but apparently is typical of dodgy Homeserve.

I hope the poor swan was OK.

[Jazzi]

@Barry

So do you not intend to have a new stop tap fitted inside?

Yes Barry, I do.

[Barry]

@Jazzi

Yes Barry, I do.

Then I don’t understand your problem, the plumber will turn off the water at the meter whilst he fits the stop tap… or am I missing something?

BTW a stop tap key costs less than a tenner, and personally I think is always worth having in case of an emergency…

[Percy_Vere]

Jazzi, if you can afford it, I suggest you save £10-20/month in a separate bank account set aside specifically for heating/plumbing related works. Then, if you need any work carried out the money will be there ready and waiting.

[JBR]

@Barry

BTW a stop tap key costs less than a tenner, and personally I think is always worth having in case of an emergency…

I completely agree, which is why I bought one some time ago.

All I need now is a barrier and some temporary traffic lights, as ours is in the very busy road outside our house!

Seriously, though, in an emergency I’d park my car just behind the stop cock and there are no yellow lines to say I shouldn’t.

[Longdogs]

@Percy Vere

Jazzi, if you can afford it, I suggest you save £10-20/month in a separate bank account set aside specifically for heating/plumbing related works. Then, if you need any work carried out the money will be there ready and waiting.

I would agree with that.

[Longdogs]

I noticed that house insurance was mentioned but check because some insurances specifically do not cover water leaks.

[Kazz]

Ask you neighbour where theirs is?

[Mups]

@Primus1

Check your house insurance, you might be covered, have you ever had drain problems?, if not then it’s unlikely you will have in the future although it could happen, I would see if you can find other companies that will cover you should you decide to go that route…

That’s what I was going to say Primus.
My water company have tried getting me insure the drains too, but I know it is covered on my house insurance.

[Jazzi]

Sorry folks, been forgetting this thread. Ooops.

I will, at some stage in the future, speak to neighbours to ask about their stop cock, and the whereabouts.

I thought of getting one of those outside keys, in case of a *whispers…leak.

As for setting aside money in the event of repairs, all my money is in an ISA, or my esavings. In other words, reasonably healthy.