Trace and Access Claims

How to Make A Trace and Access Claim

1. Confirm the symptom before the cause. Damp patches on a ceiling, an unexplained drop in mains pressure, a continuously running meter, mould appearing without an obvious source. Document each symptom with photographs and dates.
2. Read your policy carefully for the trace and access wording. Most home and commercial policies include a trace and access limit, often between 5,000 and 10,000 euro. Some are higher. The figure varies by insurer and by policy version.
3. Notify the insurer in writing before any investigative work begins. If you have already employed a plumber and started lifting floors, the insurer may decline the trace and access cover on the basis that they did not authorise the work.
4. Engage a loss assessor at this stage. The loss adjuster wants to control the cost of the investigation. We push for a methodology that will actually find the leak, not the cheapest one.
5. Use thermal imaging or acoustic leak detection where available. Non-destructive methods are cheaper and reduce the reinstatement cost, but the insurer must approve them. Some policies cap trace and access by method.
6. Document the investigative work as it happens. Each opening up, each pipe inspected, each finding. The trace and access claim is only as strong as the work log behind it.
7. Prepare a separate reinstatement schedule. Once the leak is found, the reinstatement (replacing the floor, re-tiling, redecorating) is usually claimed under the escape of water peril, not the trace and access cover. Two heads of cover, two schedules.
8. Negotiate the trace and access settlement. Insurers commonly try to limit the trace and access claim to the lowest-cost investigation method, even if a more thorough method was needed to find the leak. We push back where the methodology was justified.
9. Confirm reinstatement settles separately. Trace and access cover pays for finding the leak. Repairing the damage caused by the water is a separate part of the claim.
10. Review the settlement before signing. Once accepted, neither head of cover can be re-opened.

Remember, the trace and access cover is one of the most undervalued sections of an Irish home insurance policy. Most policyholders never claim it, and most claims that are made settle for less than the policyholder is entitled to. Documentation and the right investigation methodology are the difference.

What is considered a trace and access insurance claim?

Trace and access cover pays for the cost of finding a hidden leak on your property’s water, heating, or drainage system. It is a separate section of cover within most home and commercial policies, sitting alongside the main escape of water peril. Where escape of water settles the damage caused by the water, trace and access settles the cost of the detective work needed to find where the water came from. The two together are the standard response to any hidden leak.

Common Causes of Trace and Access Claims

• Pinhole leaks in copper piping under solid floors
• Failed compression fittings inside walls or behind kitchen units
• Slow drips from radiator valves embedded in joists
• Drainage leaks under conservatory bases or tiled bathrooms
• Underfloor heating circuit failures
• Hidden leaks at boiler condensate connections
• Shower-tray seal failures that have been weeping for months
• Joints in concealed mains supply pipes

Does insurance cover trace and access?

Most Irish home and commercial policies include a trace and access section, but the limits and conditions vary widely. Common reasons an insurer reduces or declines a trace and access claim:

• Cover limit reached. If the policy has a 5,000 euro limit and the investigation costs 6,500 euro, the policyholder bears the excess unless the limit can be challenged.
• Method dispute. The insurer argues a cheaper investigation method should have been used.
• Work started before authorisation. Some policies require the insurer to approve the methodology in writing before work begins.
• The leak is excluded. Gradually operating leaks, mains supply pipe leaks (sometimes covered separately), or leaks deemed maintenance failures.

We routinely contest each of these. Trace and access cover is intended to be used; insurers settling these claims at the bottom of the limit is the norm, not the exception.

How N.J. Carroll & Associates Can Help

We are one of Ireland’s most experienced loss-assessing firms, established 1988, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. We have handled trace and access claims for homeowners, landlords, and commercial property owners across every Irish county. We act as the insured’s representative throughout, take the stress and worry off your hands, and ensure that you receive your full entitlement under your policy’s terms. We are wholly independent and committed to your interests alone.

Our standard fee is 8% plus VAT of the total settlement, on a no-win, no-fee basis. The initial consultation is free. We only get paid after you do. You have full control. We cannot settle your claim without your approval.

If you suspect a hidden leak in your home or business premises, please do not hesitate to contact us today. For related claims we handle alongside trace and access, see our pages on escape of water, water damage claims, and burst pipe insurance claims. We cover the country from our Dublin office and you can also speak to loss assessors Dublin for the Greater Dublin area.

N.J. Carroll & Associates Ltd are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Our Financial Regulator Certificate number is C41330. Niall Carroll is a member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. We are also a member of the Irish Claims Consultants Association.

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