Landlord home and dry at last

Raw Deal has helped a reader secure a £2,500 insurance payout after a water leak left her rental house “uninhabitable” for four months.

Last September, Angela Gardner noticed a leak in the bathroom at the semi-detached property.

She had just signed up a tenant for an agreed £625 a week but he couldn’t move in until the end of January because of the ongoing repairs.

“It was extremely stressful and we almost lost our tenant,” said Angela. “Fortunately, he did hang on and he moved in when the work was finished.”

Angela contacted her insurance brokers, CIA, about the loss of income at her property in Thornaby, Stockton-on Tees, and her claim was handled by the Davies Group.

“We lost out on rent and had to pay council tax, which could have been avoided if the work hadn’t taken four months,” she said.

“At first our insurers seemed willing to pay out for the loss of income but it then turned into a bit of a battle and I felt I was getting passed around.”

After several frustrating months, Angela wrote to Raw Deal.

We contacted the Davies Group on her behalf and asked the insurers to investigate.

Good news for Angela is that the company moved quickly and agreed to compensate her.

A representative of the Davies Group recently wrote to Angela, saying: “I am happy to accept loss of rent for the four months the property was not habitable or able to be re-tenanted.

“My working out confirms this as a payment of £2,500.”

Angela is grateful to Raw Deal for stepping in.

“Can I please say a huge thanks for helping me out,” she said. “I wasn’t getting anywhere before that.”