The report your insurer asks for.
Most commercial property policies include some form of trace and access cover. Our part is to find the leak without adding damage and hand you the evidence the insurer and loss adjuster need to consider the claim.
What the cover usually means.
Trace and access is the part of a buildings or commercial property policy that pays towards the cost of finding a leak and putting right any damage caused by getting to it, such as lifting a floor or opening a wall. Cover for the leak damage itself is usually a separate section of the same policy.
Wording, limits and excesses differ between insurers and between policies. Some cap the amount, some require the insurer to be told before work starts, some only respond once a leak has been confirmed. Read your own schedule or ask your broker before you rely on it.
Nothing on this page is advice about your policy. It describes what we see on the jobs we do and what we provide.
What insurers and loss adjusters typically ask for.
Six things that come up on almost every trace-and-access claim. The report is built so each one has an answer.
Proof there is a leak
A meter test or pressure drop recorded on the day, with readings and times.
Where it is
The location marked on site and described in the report, with a photo of the marked spot.
What caused it
Corroded joint, failed fitting, crushed pipe, movement in the slab: the cause as far as it can be established without opening up.
Photos and thermal images
Time-stamped images of the affected area, the thermal pattern and any exposed pipework.
The method used
Which techniques found it and why they were chosen, so the adjuster can see the work was proportionate.
The invoice
An itemised invoice for the investigation, with any repair shown as a separate line.
The order to do things in.
Stop the water
Isolate at the stopcock or meter if you can do so safely, and switch off the heating if the boiler is losing pressure. Note the time.
Tell the insurer
Most policies ask to be told promptly. Give them the facts you have and ask what they need from you. Check your schedule for trace and access wording and any excess.
Book detection
Before anyone lifts a floor or opens a wall. A non-invasive survey finds the source without adding damage the claim then has to cover.
Keep the evidence
Meter readings, photos, the engineer’s report, receipts. The more of the story is written down, the fewer questions come back.
Who pays
We invoice the business for the investigation, and for any repair as a separate line. The business then claims under its own policy if it chooses to. We cannot tell you whether your cover will respond, and we do not handle the claim, but we will answer any factual question about the findings that your insurer or adjuster puts to us.
Before you open anything up
Exploratory digging is the most common way a small claim becomes a large one. Insurers notice when a floor was lifted in the wrong place. A non-invasive survey first means the only hole is a small one in the right spot.
How a survey worksInsurance questions.
Will you deal with my insurer directly?
We provide the report and answer factual questions about it from your insurer or loss adjuster. We do not negotiate claims or advise on whether your policy responds. That part stays between you, your broker and the insurer.
Is the report “insurance approved”?
It is written to include what insurers and loss adjusters ask for, and it is used on trace-and-access claims by businesses regularly. Whether a claim is accepted is always the insurer’s decision under the policy wording.
Should we book detection before we tell the insurer?
Tell the insurer first or at the same time. Most policies want prompt notification and some want to approve the approach. Booking detection quickly limits the damage, which helps everyone.
Can you carry out the repair for the claim as well?
Where the repair is straightforward we aim to complete it on the same visit and show it as a separate line on the invoice, so the investigation and the repair can be treated separately if the insurer needs that.
What if the water is coming from the unit above or next door?
The report states where the water is coming from as far as the evidence shows. Who is responsible between tenants, landlords and their insurers is a matter for the leases and the policies. With permission we can survey the neighbouring unit too.
Speak to us before you claim.
Call for a non-invasive survey and you will have the location, the cause and the images your insurer asks for.
Engineers across England, Scotland and Wales. £5 million public liability insurance.