Most home insurance policies in the UK include a specific cover called 'trace and access', covering the cost of finding a hidden leak source and the controlled access (cutting tiles, lifting floorboards, opening wall sections) needed to expose the leak for repair. The cover is usually £5,000 to £10,000 per claim, separate from the actual escape-of-water damage cover.
The trouble is that most homeowners don't know this cover exists, and most general-purpose plumbers don't invoice in a format that insurers will accept. The result: customers pay out of pocket for work their insurance would have covered.
We invoice trace-and-access work separately, in the format insurers expect, with all required photographic and report evidence, and where the policy permits, we'll deal directly with your insurer on your behalf, so you don't pay anything out of pocket and don't have to handle the claims process yourself.
Where this service applies
- Hidden leaks under floors causing ceiling damage to flat below
- Active heating-system leaks on buried pipework
- Concealed leaks in walls supporting mould or staining
- Trace-and-access for storm or freeze-damage water leaks
- Leasehold flat leaks (managing-agent claim coordination)
- Buy-to-let landlord property leak claims
- Complex multi-source leak investigations
How we deliver
No surprises, no upselling. The exact path every job follows.
- 1
Initial site visit & insurance check
We confirm the leak symptoms and verify your trace-and-access cover with you (or your broker). - 2
Full leak investigation
Thermal imaging, acoustic, moisture mapping, tracer gas as required. - 3
Insurance-grade written report
All findings documented in the format your insurer requires. - 4
Direct claim submission
With your written authority, we submit the claim and required documentation to your insurer. - 5
Controlled access cut
Once approved, we make the precise access cut needed to expose the leak. - 6
Repair quote (separate)
We quote the actual repair separately so it can be covered under your escape-of-water claim. - 7
Restoration work
Where covered, we handle the make-good restoration to bring the property back to pre-incident state. - 8
Final claim closure
Documentation submitted, insurer settles directly with us.