Does Home Insurance Cover Damage to my Floorboards?

Caeva O'Callaghan | March 24th, 2021

A Moving Company Were Moving My Piano in the House, and Have Badly Damaged Our Parquet Floor, Will My Insurance Cover This?

Moving house is stressful enough at the best of times. But how do you involve insurance if the movers make a mistake and damage your home or possessions?

Instead of making a claim on your own home insurance, bring it up with the moving company. They are liable for the damage, and should pay for repairs or replacement.

Whether they make a claim on their insurance (which they should have) or pay out of pocket is up to them. Either way, there’s nor reason to involve your own home insurance.

In this article, we’ll cover questions such as:

• The moving company damaged my floor, are they liable?
• What if my moving company doesn’t have insurance?
• My floor was damaged by movers, can I make a claim?

Before you move, make sure that your chosen moving company has proper insurance. If they don’t, and a disaster strikes, you don’t want that extra headache while moving house.

Do they need Public liability insurance?

If movers damage any of your personal possessions or the structure of your home while moving you into your new house, they are liable. It’s in their job description to take care of your property. If they don’t, it’s their fault.

Damage to other people’s property is covered under public liability insurance. Any reputable mover will have this in place well before they work for you. However, it’s your responsibility to make sure that the people you are hiring have a level of cover that you’re comfortable with. If not, and they go ahead and break something, you’ve only got yourself to blame.

A public liability insurance policy protects the policyholders (in this case, movers) against claims made against them in respect of their legal liability for property damage. It may also cover them for personal injury arising during the course of the business. The policy protects the moving company against the costs of any legal action against them, and the value of any awards made.

Can we settle without involving insurance?

A good removal company may offer to settle for the damage without involving insurance. This is perfectly legal, and nearly always preferable for both parties.

Making a claim on insurance is a long, complex process which affects monthly premiums and may affect insurance eligibility down the road. This is exactly the same for companies as well as individuals. If the moving company doesn’t want to make a claim on their policy, they will most likely pay out of pocket for the damage.

This is a good solution because it demonstrates the moving company is willing to take the hit on the nose. It also means the damage is dealt with much more quickly. It won’t involve insurance adjusters coming to your home, paperwork or phone calls.

When you bring up the issue of damage to your belongings or your house, you can always ask first if they’re willing to go down this route. But, if the movers kick up a fuss, you may have to make a formal claim.

Accidental damage on your own policy

In the heat of the moment, it may be difficult to work out who was really at fault. If your movers are adamant they aren’t to blame, and you aren’t sure enough to pursue it, you can claim on your accidental damage policy.

This is an optional add-on to any home insurance policy which is well worth having. You’ll need to have it in place before you claim of course, so the sooner you get it, the better.

Accidental damage covers you for exactly that: accidents. In insurance parlance, this means unintentional acts like spilling oil on the carpet or knocking through a window with a ladder.

Without accidental damage cover, you may have to pay to repair or replace your valuables if clumsiness or mishaps occur. This includes incidents which are the fault of domestic staff such as cleaners, nannies and removal workers.

Interested in purchasing accidental damage cover before you move? Give us a call today and we can help add it onto your policy.

Contact us with any queries regarding your house insurance!

Get in touch with us today to find out if you have the right level of cover for your home. We are available to talk by phone between 8.30am and 5.30pm each weekday on 0818 224433 or 042 9359051.

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