# Landlord Insurance Dispute — Escape of Water Claim
Date: 19 October 2026
Parties and reference: Insured: Helen Brooks, 4 Willow Court, Bristol BS6 5PX. To complaints team, Example Home Underwriters Ltd, 18 Insurance Square, London. Insured property: 22 Example Road, Bristol. Policy EXAMPLE-LI-2601; claim EXAMPLE-EOW-0831.
## 1. Decision disputed and policy
Please treat this as a formal complaint about your 28 September refusal of the escape-of-water claim notified on 31 August 2026. The policy period is 1 January to 31 December 2026. Your letter cites exclusion 6 for damage occurring gradually but does not explain how the exclusion fits the plumber's evidence of a sudden split in a supply pipe on 30 August. I seek a reasoned reassessment under the actual policy wording, not an assumption that every water incident is covered.
## 2. Chronology and supporting material
The tenant reported active water discharge at 07:40 on 30 August. The supply was isolated at 08:05 and the emergency plumber attended at 09:10. The dated report identifies a fresh pipe split, while inspection photographs from 15 August show no visible staining in that area. I enclose that report, before-and-after photographs, the tenancy occupancy confirmation and invoice. These documents are evidence to consider, not conclusive proof of causation. Please identify any contrary inspection, expert finding or maintenance obligation relied upon and allow me to respond.
## 3. Loss and requested remedy
The reinstatement invoice is £4,800 including VAT for drying, ceiling repair and decoration. After the stated £500 policy excess, the requested indemnity is £4,300, subject to the policy's valid limits and any justified adjustment. I am not claiming lost rent or the cost of replacing a worn-out pipe in this calculation, and will give credit for any payment already received. Please reassess coverage, explain each accepted or excluded item and pay the correctly assessed sum; no automatic compensation or interest figure is asserted.
## 4. Complaint handling and escalation
Please acknowledge receipt and give the complaint reference, handler and any further evidence needed. For this ordinary insurance complaint I understand the firm normally has up to eight weeks to issue a final response. If unresolved after that period or on an unsatisfactory final response, I may approach the Financial Ombudsman Service if I and this complaint fall within its jurisdiction, normally within six months of the final response date. A complaint does not stop court limitation periods, and I will obtain advice if a deadline approaches.
## 5. Cooperation and signed request
I will cooperate with a proportionate inspection on notice and preserve damaged materials where safe and reasonably possible. Necessary mitigation to protect the tenant and property must continue; please explain before inspection if disposal would affect your assessment. Please send your reasoned response to the correspondence address above, with the policy provisions and evidence relied on. Signed Helen Brooks, insured landlord, 19 October 2026. Policy and insurer details are fictional; the example does not promise that a particular real policy or business is regulated or eligible for Ombudsman review.