Park Home Insurance Warning.....

Hi Folks,

I thought I'd better advise you all on a particular problem with Park Home Insurance that seems to be popping up lately.

We're working on a Park in Cambridgeshire at the moment. One of the Residents booked us for a Service/Inspection on her 20 yo + Tingdene Twin Unit, citing her home felt 'out of level'. When I was under the home, which was typically sited as most units are of that age on hardcore, with a central strip of concrete beneath both axles and the supports located on concrete blocks, I did indeed find that the home was unlevel. The reason why the home was unlevel was due to the supports having rusted away and also sunk over time due to subsidence. Okay, no problem - as long as there aren't any 'difficult' extensions - we can rectify that.....

.... However, while under one of the axles, I found that the bathroom sink waste pipe had come away from the downpipe at the bend (see pic) and thus the majority of the water exiting the bathroom sink had been missing the waste and landing on the central concrete strip. Unfortunately, this had been happening for years.... and the result was that the water had splashed back, on to the axle and the surrounding chassis.... and well, the rust had eaten away at this crucial supporting part of the home.

I fixed the pipe temporarily (I'm not a Plumber ) and advised the Client to engage a Plumber to fix the pipe. I also quoted for derusting the affected part of the chassis and repainting, and resupporting and relevelling of the entire home. I advised the Client to ring her insurance, because as far as both I and the Client were concerned, this kind of problem is exactly WHY we have Home Insurance.

The Insurance Company (no names, no pack drill, but an extremely well-known Park Home Insurer) asked the Client for a written report from me with photographic evidence. I duly complied and sent the report to the Loss Adjusters appointed by the Insurer. They came back to the Client stating that no claim would be entertained because of 'poor maintenance' and 'faulty siting' when the home was first sited all those years ago.  So the Client has had to pay for the rectification of these problems.

Now the Client of course, is hopping mad about this. She tells me there is no specific wording in her Policy that asks/advises for regular servicing or inspection of the under floor area of her home and she feels this is a 'get out of paying for damage' trick.

Now here's an odd thing.... while we were working on her home yesterday, the lady next door popped over and asked us if we'd take a look under her home, to which I obliged. It was a lovely old Omar twin unit of similar vintage to the Tingdene. The minute I got through the hatch into the quiet under the home, I heard a drip-drip and could smell damp....would you believe it, there was a rapidly dripping overflow that had done EXACTLY the same damage to one of the axles on the Omar. Once again, out came the trusty camera and I had the dubious pleasure of informing, I must say, a disbelieving and incredulous client that she had the exact same problem as the lady next door (and that includes the subsiding blocks - the home was resting on concrete blocks at each end because the intermediate supports had sunk...)

....So, once again I advised the Client to contact her Insurer (which happens to be a different Insurer to next door) and they have asked for a written report with photographic evidence. It's deja-vu all over again....

... I'll be working on that this weekend and I'll keep you informed of the outcome.

So.... I'm advising you all to check your Insurance Policy Docs to find out exactly what you are covered for and what Exclusions there are. Also check to see if there's any specific wording asking for regular maintenance/inspection of the under floor area of your home. Incidentally, we advise all our Clients to have the under floor area inspected every five years.

If there are any Insurance experts on the Forum, it would be informative to find out exactly what the position is on these problems, because there seems to be a fair bit of confusion over the matter. We've done estimates for long term Washing Machine leaks causing rotten floors which have been accepted in the past, so I fail really to see the difference....

Chris O'Brien
Director
Chassis Doctor Ltd
www.chassisdoc.co.uk

Can i add at this point that The Councils are offering free Insulation (free if you are claiming extra money ie pension top up etc etc) to the ceiling void and the underneath and this is being blown into the loft but sprayed in a  liquid form that then dries, underneath.
2 neighbours have that have had this done and then have found that when there is a leak it isnt seen and does a lot of damaged before it finally is found.
Also 1 neighbour had a flood of water underneath and when they had a plumber in it was found that the workman when they had sprayed, had blocked up an overflow pipe.
I really do question this method of Insulation as also it leaves very little room to get underneath to inspect or repair 

Hello  dragon  I  have  heard  of  this  but  havnt  really  looked  into  it...other  types  of  insulation  Ive  even  been  told  I  can  have  the  work  done, but  then  they  decide  to  read  the  surveyers  report  and  turn  me  down..I  know  some  councils  have  had  this  kind  of  work  done  on  park homes, but  apparently  as  test  cases...all  of  us  that  use  fuel  contribute  to  FREE ???? insulation, yet  once  again  parkhome  owners  lose  out. I  read in  the  Mail  this  morning  the  goverment  have  warned  the  energy  companys  that  they  must !! insulate  more  homes,    shall  I  hoist  a  flag  and  climb  on  the  roof  and  shout  our  cases  lol.....regards  evergreen

PS   at  the  moment  its  30  degrees  in my  sitting  room  " good  stuff  this  standered  insulation "  evergreen

Good post Dragon, and I understand your concerns about the two pack spray foam insulation.

Obviously, poor or bodged spraying - a rush job if you like - can lead to problems in whatever job is performed, in any work done.

However, there can be problems detecting leaks in any standard insulation installation used by most Park Home manufacturers.

Where the insulation is covered by a polythene lining, I have come across a particular problem several times where a leak from the bathroom or kitchen has been disguised by the waterproof poly lining - ie the leak has occurred, and the water has collected and spread across the entire width of the home, between the floor bearers, thus contaminating the insulation and causing the floor bearers to rot eventually.

So really, there's no definitive answer to leak detection - perhaps only if, in the future, Park Home Manufacturers create some sort of drain hole in the poly lining - but then, how often do Park Home residents suffer this problem? If the plumbing is done right in the first place, the water pipes are properly insulated and the waste pipes are properly maintained, then the problems will not occur.

On the other hand, accidents DO happen, and I find it disturbing that Insurers are wriggling out of paying for long-term undetectable leaks causing damage to Park Homes with a catch-all get out of 'poor maintenance'....

Chris O'Brien
Director
Chassis Doctor Ltd.

But this spray has been put on over the Polythene lining and it fills up half the gap between the home and the base.
A plumber couldnt go under to find the leak so work men cant get to any wiring etc etc 
I feel if you have it then Insurance could be come null and void.
Im so pleased I havent got it as it is offered cheap, while they are in the area.

Sounds like a very dodgy insulation istallation to me. In other words, they don't know what they're doing.

Reason being that you cannot spray two-pack foam direct to the poly lining because it won't stick! Where clients have wanted two-pack foam on a poly lining, we have had to fit Celotex/Xtratherm first - between or over the floor bearers and then spray the joints to ensure all draughts are neutralised. Two pack foam only needs to be a 1/2" thick to be effective.

I think I can guess, from your description, what they're doing. Spraying massive quantities of two-pack, so that it sticks to the floor bearers, then filling-in in between so that the foam is sticking to itself, side-by-side, rather than to the poly lining.

Crazy. You're right, avoid them like the plague.

Chris O'Brien
Director
Chassis Doctor Ltd

what is the name of this company doing the spraying

http://www.parkhomeforum.co.uk/2010/10/21/insulation/
I wrote about here when they were doing it 

I thought anything underneath the park home was the responsibility of the park owners and not the park home owner, I thought this is what you pay your pitch fee for?

Hi Carol and wlcome to the forum

The Park Owner is responsible for the concrete base your home is sited on, but you have bought the park home and so, it is your responsibility how you care for and maintain it.

Ed.