The industry pays out around £1.8m each day to help homeowners cope with the misery of burst pipes
Ecclesiastical has started trialling LeakBot, the smart water leak product from HomeServe Labs, in the homes of its brokers and their customers.
The insurer is evaluating LeakBot as part of its innovation programme which focuses on solving customer problems.
According to ABI figures, insurers pay out approximately £1.8m every day to help homeowners deal with the impact of burst pipes.
And as a result of the ’Beast from the East,’ insurers paid out a staggering £194m in one quarter last year.
Hidden threat
Ecclesiastical warns that leaks are often hidden and water escapes slowly over a long period of time meaning that home owners only discover the issue when it’s already caused considerable damage.
The repair process may also be a trying ordeal for the customer, as the property will need to be dried out, specifications will have to be agreed upon, and repairs will have to be taken out, and with pipes being more hidden in new builds, the repair process has proved to be more drastic.
Homeowners may also need to find alternative accommodation during repairs, causing a huge inconvenience to the customer.
LeakBot is a smart water leak detector that once clipped next to a stop tap detects leaks anywhere on the mains water system.
Measuring air and water temperatures in the home, LeakBot instantly alerts the customer when a leak is detected.
Nicholas Hartley, head of business improvement and innovation at Ecclesiastical said: “As part of our innovation programme we’re trialling LeakBot devices with some of our brokers and their customers.
“We know escape of water incidents can be distressing for customers which is why we’re trialling innovative solutions to detect leaks large or small as early as possible.”
Joshua Meadowcroft, team leader - London private clients at Aston Lark Insurance said: “Escape of water claims can be a huge issue for many clients. It’s great to see an insurer looking to be proactive by mitigating losses.”
HomeServe Labs has also partnered with Aviva, Aviva-backed Neos, Covea Insurance, RSA, and Legal and General to provide the LeakBot product to customers.
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