It never rains but it pours - best you get your roof checked out!
With the rainy season well underway in most parts of South Africa, the office of the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance is bracing itself for a spike in complaints from distressed homeowners whose building insurance claims have been rejected.
The office dealt with 1800 cases of rejected building insurance claims during
2019, most of them roof-related.
Insurers reject building insurance claims when it is found that regular
maintenance on your property wasn’t carried out, or as a result of defective
construction.
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Please take note of the key advice from Peter Nkhuna, the senior assistant ombudsman at the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance says most complaints have to do with roofs.
“Roofs are exposed to natural elements, so they take a hammering, especially in hot, humid areas such as Durban. When you start seeing streak stains on the wall and discolouration on your ceilings, don’t do nothing - get it checked out.”
Most people think: “I’m insured, I’ll put in a claim..”
But
when the insurance assessor arrives and gets up on the roof, they inevitably
find cracks and gaps in the roof tile cement, allowing the water in. So that’s
a claim rejection - failure to maintain the roof.
WHAT TO DO: Every 12 months get a roofing expert in to inspect your roof and carry
out any necessary repairs.
Listen to Wendy Knowler for more of her expert advice.
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