Home insurance explained: what’s wear and tear?

We all have an idea what wear and tear means. We hear it often enough to describe why things aren’t in perfect condition anymore, like shoulders and car exhausts. It’s when things that get used every day gradually don’t work as they used to.

What’s classed as wear and tear?

When it comes to home insurance, it’s the expected and natural deterioration of your home and contents through normal use. It’s what you can see, feel or hear happening when things get worn out, for example:

• A hallway carpet that has a threadbare patch from being walked over for years.
• A build-up of scuff marks on walls and paintwork from doorknob knocks.
• The seat cushions flattening on a three-piece suite.

Can you claim on home insurance for wear and tear?

It’s very unlikely you’d be able to claim for wear and tear on most home insurance policies. So, on most buildings and contents policies you won’t be covered for loss or damage caused by:

• gradual causes, such as misbehaving gutters or drains
• wear and tear, such as worn flooring
• corrosion, deterioration or similar causes, such as crumbling render
• wet or dry rot.

Basically, you can’t claim for anything just because it’s no longer pristine through normal use. And this includes problems you live with as they’re bearable or repairs you put off doing that eventually reach breaking point later on.

What if I can’t see wear and tear happening?

Wear and tear might not be obvious if it’s happening out of sight. You often only find out when something suffering from wear and tear finally breaks, falls off, leaks or just stops doing what it was designed to do.

Pipes under floors or in walls are difficult to inspect unless you’ve got the floors up or walls out for something else, which is why Saga’s trace, access and repair cover was introduced.

Another common claim is for leaking roofs and damage the leak may cause. This is where things get a bit tricky. A well-maintained roof shouldn’t leak when there’s heavy rain or blustery wind. This is why every home insurer has the same strict definition of what’s classed as a storm in their policy booklets.

Anna Thunstrom, product manager at Saga Home Insurance warns, “It can be devastating when a claim for a damaged roof is rejected because the bad weather did not fall within official storm levels. Bad weather often just makes you aware to the fact there’s been an ongoing problem, rather than the weather itself causing the damage. That’s why it’s vital to an eye on the condition of your roof and not to postpone repairs.”

How to prevent claim rejection due to wear and tear causes

Some claims are rejected when the incident being claimed for isn’t sudden or unexpected but has been the result of something failing due to age or prolonged use. A rejected claim is usually an incident that reveals the true cause to be wear and tear. One way you can prevent claim rejection for wear and tear is with thorough and regular home maintenance.

Your home maintenance checklist should include:

• Keeping an eye on gutters and clearing them regularly
• Making sure exterior walls are in good order
• Checking rarely used rooms for damp spots
• Dealing with any rattling windows and old locks
• Replacing cracked, sliding and fallen roof tiles and slates – check the lead flashing too.

Dripping taps, a slow-running drain or occasionally wiping away mildew can be lived with. But turning taps tighter doesn’t really solve the cause. And if this worsens to the point of expensive damage, you won’t be covered.

Home insurers like a well-maintained home. Deal with any problems as soon as they happen and don’t leave them to get worse.

Do you have accidental damage cover?

If you have accidental damage cover on your policy, you may be able to claim for the damage after an unexpected roof leak caused by wear and tear. It won’t pay to repair the roof damage to fix the leak, but any redecorating costs could be claimed for under your accidental damage cover.