You might have noticed, ‘Wear and tear’, in your home insurance documents and wondered what this means. It’s usually used to describe damage that happens naturally over time, rather than unexpected damage (e.g., fire, theft, flood and storms).
Most home insurance policies will only cover sudden events and not damage caused over time. You can find out more about what is and isn’t covered in your policy documents.
It’s important to keep on top of wear and tear around your home, for if you ever need to make a claim. So, here’s a bit more about what you can do:
How to avoid wear and tear
- Keep gutters clear of debris
- Get your roof checked regularly and replace any loose tiles
- Check your walls regularly for any signs of cracks
- Fix any signs of damp and mould
- Replace your windows if frames start to rot or there is paint flaking
- Have your boiler serviced regularly
- Investigate all water leaks
What does AXA cover?
Here’s a guide to some of the terms you’ll see in your AXA policy documents:
-
Wear and tear
Damage or deterioration caused by general everyday use of an item
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Gradual deterioration
Damage or deterioration that happens slowly over time
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Gradual operating cause
An exclusion (something we don’t cover) used on some home insurance policies that refers to both of the above terms
You wouldn’t be covered if you made a claim for damage caused by one of the reasons above. This includes items which have suffered mechanical/electrical break-down, or which have suffered inevitable failure due to general wear and tear from normal everyday use e.g., if you had an older washing machine that had stopped working due to general wear and tear, you wouldn’t be able to claim for this. However, you may still be covered under the product warranty.
As properties are designed to withstand damage by all but the most extreme weather conditions, normal weather conditions shouldn’t cause damage to a well-maintained property - so any damage like this isn’t covered by our policies.
Here’s a few common scenarios to give you an idea of what is (and isn’t) covered – you can find more information in your policy wording:
| Incident and damage caused | Is the claim covered? |
|---|---|
| The policyholder wanted to make a claim for escape of water after discovering mould under their bath, which had come through to the ceiling in the room below. When the bathroom and ceiling was inspected, the damage was due to failure of the sealant and grout around the bath. This had been happening over a period of time and not from a one-off escape of water incident. | No – we wouldn’t cover this, as the damage has been caused by gradual deterioration of the bath sealant and grout. |
| The policyholder wanted to make a claim for damage to their roof. When the roof was inspected, the damage was due to nail corrosion over a period of time which caused the tiles to slip. Although the weather conditions at the time highlighted the problem, the roof had been deteriorating over several years. | No - we wouldn’t cover this, as the damage has been caused by gradual deterioration of the roof nails and tiles. |
| The policyholder wanted to make a claim for water damage after suddenly noticing water leaking down from the ceiling. The damage was found to have been caused by a leaking pipe, which had filled the ceiling void with water. | Yes - the policyholder hadn’t been aware of the water building up in the ceiling void until they first noticed the water coming from the ceiling. As soon as they were aware, they then reported the damage to us. |
