What trace and access actually means on a policy
Most UK home buildings policies cover damage caused by escaping water. That is the escape of water peril, and it pays for the ruined ceiling, the soaked floor and the redecoration. On its own, though, it would leave you paying to find the leak and to break into your own building to reach it, which on a pipe buried in screed can be the larger part of the bill.
Trace and access is the clause that closes that gap. It covers the cost of locating the source of the escape and of removing and replacing whatever has to come out to get at it. It is almost always capped at a figure stated in your own policy wording, and the cap varies widely between insurers, so read yours rather than trusting a number you found online. The ABI is a reasonable neutral source on how escape of water cover is structured.
Two things that trip people up. First, the repair of the pipe itself is generally not covered, because insurance pays for damage and not for the failure of a worn component. Second, the claim is far more likely to be paid cleanly when the trace was documented properly at the time, rather than reconstructed afterwards from memory and a few phone photographs.
Trace and access in one table
| Part of the job | Usually under trace and access? |
|---|
| Finding the leak: pressure testing, acoustic, thermal, tracer gas | Yes, up to the policy limit |
| Opening the floor, wall or ceiling to reach it | Yes, up to the policy limit |
| Putting back what was opened for access | Usually, but check whether your wording includes it |
| Repairing the leaking pipe or joint | Usually not |
| Damage the water itself caused | No, that is the escape of water section |
The split matters because each line can fall under a different limit and excess. For the policy side in more depth, read what trace and access pays for and what it does not. If there is no visible damage yet, only a high bill or a pressure drop, the rules are different again: see trace and access without visible damage.
How we run an insurance-funded job
- Before we attend, we establish what you are claiming under. Whether the policy is yours, the freeholder's or a block policy changes who instructs us and who the report is addressed to. In a flat it is often the block insurer, not your contents policy.
- Documented trace. Every stage is recorded as it happens: the pressure test readings, which circuits were eliminated and how, the detection methods used and why each was chosen, dated photographs of the readings and of the site before anything is opened.
- Controlled access. The opening is cut at the confirmed point, to the minimum size, and photographed before, during and after. Controlled access is the difference between a claim that is settled and a claim where an adjuster asks why four rooms were opened to find one pinhole.
- The leak exposed and evidenced. Photographs of the actual failure — the pinhole, the split, the failed joint — with enough context in frame to show where in the property it is.
- The repair. Usually outside the claim, but done by us at the same visit so that the property is not left open waiting on a separate plumber. See pipework repair and replacement.
- Drying, then making good. Screed, floor, ceiling, plaster, tiling and decoration, with moisture readings recorded before anything is closed up. Detail on leak damage repair and reinstatement.
- The report. Issued as a single document covering method, findings, cause, photographic evidence, the access taken and the reinstatement carried out.
What goes in the report, and why each part is there
- Property, date, instructing party and policy or claim reference — so the document can be filed against the claim without a covering email explaining what it is.
- The symptom as reported, in the policyholder's words, and the date it was first noticed. Insurers care about whether damage was sudden or gradual.
- Methods used and eliminated, with the reasoning. "Acoustic survey inconclusive due to screed depth; proceeded to tracer gas" answers the adjuster's question before it is asked.
- Test results — pressure test readings and durations, moisture meter readings by location, thermal observations.
- The location found, described so that someone who has never been to the property could find the same spot.
- The cause, stated plainly: a pinhole from internal corrosion, a failed compression joint, mechanical damage from a fixing.
- Access taken, with dimensions and photographs, and the justification for it.
- Remedial work required, separated into the repair and the reinstatement, because they usually fall under different parts of the settlement.
What gets a trace and access claim declined or reduced
Being straight about this is more useful than reassurance:
- Gradual damage. Most policies exclude damage that has occurred slowly over a long period. A leak found early is a claim; the same leak left for two years may be argued as gradual deterioration.
- Uncontrolled access. A floor stripped out speculatively, without a documented trace justifying it, is the classic reason for a partial settlement.
- Work done before the claim was notified. Many policies require notification before remedial work starts. Emergency mitigation to stop the flow is expected; a completed reinstatement is not.
- No evidence the leak was found. An invoice that says "leak detection" with no report attached invites a challenge.
- The pipe repair claimed as damage. Claiming the cost of the new length of pipe usually gets that line struck out, which is fine — but if it is bundled into a single untitemised figure, the whole invoice can be queried.
More on the wording, the adjuster's questions and the evidence to keep is under insurance claims.
Flats, freeholders and who instructs the work
In a London block the leak is very often above you and the damage is very often below. The building is usually insured under a single block policy held by the freeholder or managing agent, while your own policy covers contents and sometimes internal finishes. The practical consequence is that the party who needs the report may not be the party who let us in.
We write reports addressed to whoever is instructing, and we can provide a copy to a managing agent or freeholder where you ask us to. Where the leak is in a neighbouring flat and access has to be arranged, the report will state what was inspected and what was not, so nobody is left arguing about an inspection that never happened. A leak from the flat above covers the practical steps while that is being sorted out. LEASE is the free public source on leasehold responsibilities between flats.
When a claim is not worth making
If the likely cost of the trace and the making good is close to or below your policy excess, a claim costs you the excess, the paperwork and, on renewal, possibly more than it returns. A small accessible leak in a bathroom with a tiled floor that lifts cleanly is often better paid for directly. We will give you a view on that before you notify anything, because we have no interest in the claim either way — we are paid the same hourly rate whoever is paying it.
What it costs
The same hourly rate as any other job, fixed before we attend, whether the bill goes to you or to an insurer. No find, no fee applies: if we do not find the leak, you do not pay for the time we spent looking. The report is part of the detection job, not a separate charge. Terms are set out on the pricing page.
