Repairs & Maintenance
125 sources in the library on repairs & maintenance. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 4 of 4.
- fair RN-Y3THH4
Financial Ombudsman Service
The ombudsman's own account of what it sees and how it decides, last updated 24 July 2023, which is a stronger citation than an insurer's marketing page. Confirms that buildings insurance typically responds to accidental damage, weather such as storms, flooding, ground movement such as subsidence, and underground pipes made from pitch fibre. Lists the recurring complaint types: repairs done but the problem not fixed; the insurer insisting on repair where the consumer wants replacement; the insurer deciding the sum insured on buildings or contents is not enough to cover the claim, which it names as underinsurance; the insurer saying the customer carelessly or deliberately failed to give the true rebuild cost of the home or replacement cost of contents and cancelling the policy on that basis; a replacement offered that is not the same as what was lost; and a cash settlement too small to have the repairs done. Links its separate approaches to accidental damage, building warranties, damage to underground pipes, flood damage, gradual damage, home emergency insurance and multiple-occupancy buildings insurance.
- fair RN-BSNXU2
Financial Ombudsman Service
Sets out what happens when an insurer says a homeowner gave wrong information, which is the mechanism behind most declined renovation-related claims, last updated 10 July 2026. Defines misrepresentation as information given carelessly, deliberately or recklessly that was incomplete or misleading, and non-disclosure as leaving out relevant information that was asked about. Lists the insurer's possible remedies: charge more for the policy, retrospectively apply a restriction so an ongoing or future claim is declined, settle a claim proportionately, or avoid the policy so the claim is declined outright. States the legal test the ombudsman applies is the insurer's obligations under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, asking whether the questions were clear and specific, whether the consumer took reasonable care to answer correctly, whether the answer was incorrect or incomplete, and whether the insurer would have acted differently with the correct information. Confirms the complaint route: complain to the firm first, and if it does not send a final response letter within eight weeks, or the response is unsatisfactory, bring the complaint to the ombudsman, whose service is free.
- fair RN-53LM4A
Financial Ombudsman Service
The ombudsman's published approach to ground movement complaints, last updated 24 July 2023, and the source for the definitions that decide whether a claim is paid. It separates four terms: heave is upward movement of the ground beneath a building as the soil expands; landslip is downward movement of sloping ground; settlement, also called consolidation or compaction, is downward movement from soil being compressed by the weight of a building within 10 years of construction; and subsidence is the ground sinking and pulling the foundations down, usually from moisture loss in prolonged dry spells or from trees and shrubs. That 10 year settlement definition is decisive, because settlement is normally uninsured while subsidence is insured, and the commonest complaint the service sees is exactly that: an insurer rejecting a crack claim as settlement rather than subsidence. Policies referring to the site normally mean the prepared ground, including made-up ground, on which the building was erected after foundation trenches were dug. Other recurring complaints are delay and poor communication.
- fair RN-2RGEMP
NHS
The clinical authority for what carbon monoxide does and how many alarms a home needs. Lists symptoms as headache, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, weakness, tiredness and confusion, chest and muscle pain, shortness of breath, flushing and loss of vision, and notes the tell-tale pattern that symptoms worsen in an affected room and improve on leaving the building. Names the appliances that can produce carbon monoxide when badly installed, faulty or poorly maintained: gas boilers, gas cookers and clay ovens, gas or paraffin heaters, wood, gas and coal fires and portable generators, plus barbecues or camping stoves used indoors and engines run in a garage. The prevention advice is specific: get a carbon monoxide alarm for each room of the home containing an appliance that burns gas, oil, coal or wood, have appliances properly installed and serviced regularly by a qualified and registered engineer, and keep chimneys and flues clear. Directs readers to call NHS 111 for suspected poisoning and 999 for breathing difficulty, sudden confusion or loss of consciousness.
- fair RN-9T2LVP
Scottish Water
SCOTLAND. Plumbing and water fittings in Scotland are governed by the Water Byelaws enforced by Scottish Water, not by the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 that apply in England and Wales, so an England-based note on notifiable plumbing work, backflow protection or fittings approval names the wrong instrument for a Scottish job. The page is Scottish Water's entry point for the Water Byelaws that protect water quality and for the separate trade effluent consent system covering waste water discharged to the public sewer by a business.