In This Guide
What is trace and access cover?
Trace and access cover sits inside the buildings section of most UK home insurance policies. It exists because finding a hidden leak is often more expensive than fixing it. A pipe failing under a solid floor or behind a tiled wall might cost very little to repair once it is exposed, but reaching it takes specialist detection equipment, an engineer’s time, and physical work to open up the surface.
The name describes the two halves of the job. The trace is locating the leak precisely, using thermal imaging, acoustic detection, tracer gas and moisture meters. The access is removing the minimum amount of floor, wall or ceiling needed to expose the failure point so a repair can be carried out. Cover pays for both, and usually for putting the opened surface back afterwards.
What it does not pay for is the repair itself, or the damage the water caused. Those sit under different parts of your policy, which is where most of the confusion comes from. If you want the plain-English version of the term itself, our guide to what trace and access means covers the basics.
What does trace and access cover include?
|
Included |
What this means in practice |
|
Specialist leak detection |
An engineer attending with thermal imaging, acoustic equipment, tracer gas and moisture meters to pinpoint the leak |
|
Access work |
Lifting floorboards, cutting tiles, removing plaster or excavating to reach the confirmed leak point |
|
Basic reinstatement |
Making good the specific area that was opened up, for example patching plaster or re-laying lifted flooring |
|
Underground supply pipe |
On many policies, tracing and digging to reach a leak on the supply pipe within your boundary, though this varies |
|
The written report |
The documented findings the insurer needs to process the claim |
The important qualifier on all of this is that insurers cover access that was necessary to reach the confirmed leak. Access work carried out speculatively, before the leak was located, is a common reason for a claim being reduced. That is the practical argument for an accurate trace at the outset: precision at the trace stage directly controls how much of the access work your policy will pay for.
What is not covered?
|
Not covered |
Where it usually sits instead |
|
Repairing the leaking pipe |
Your own cost, or a home emergency policy |
|
Water damage to floors, ceilings and contents |
The escape of water section of your policy |
|
Water entering from outside, such as roof or window ingress |
Not an escape of water claim at all |
|
Gradual wear, corrosion and poor maintenance |
Commonly excluded entirely |
|
Costs above your policy limit |
Your own cost |
The wear and tear exclusion is the one that catches most people out. Many policies pay for sudden, unexpected failures but exclude a slow deterioration that developed over months or years. Where a claim is declined on those grounds and you disagree, the Financial Ombudsman Service handles disputes between customers and insurers.
How much cover do you get?
Policy limits commonly sit between £5,000 and £10,000 per claim, with £5,000 the usual floor. Some policies offer more, a few offer no upper limit at all, and basic policies may cap it lower or leave it out entirely. Where it is not included as standard, adding it is usually a modest annual cost.
Two things are worth checking beyond the headline number. First, whether reinstatement counts inside that limit or is treated separately, because it makes a real difference on a job that involves lifting a tiled floor. Second, your excess, since on a smaller job the excess can account for a significant share of the total. For what the work itself typically costs, our guide to how much trace and access costs sets out the current market ranges.
Is trace and access standard on all home insurance policies?
Not quite, though it is close. Analysis by Defaqto has put the proportion of UK buildings insurance policies including trace and access as standard at around 97 per cent. So the odds are good, but “most policies” is not “your policy”, and two things stop that figure being as reassuring as it looks.
The first is the small minority without it at all. Three per cent sounds negligible until it is your policy, and the homeowners who discover it during an active leak are the ones facing the full investigation cost themselves.
The second matters far more often: a policy can include trace and access and still leave you short. A limit set well below the going rate for a complex investigation, reinstatement counted inside that limit rather than alongside it, or a high excess on a modest job can all mean the cover exists on paper but does not go far enough in practice. Having the benefit and having enough of it are different questions.
Check your policy schedule rather than the marketing summary. Trace and access should appear as a named benefit, usually within the buildings section near escape of water, with a stated limit beside it. If it is not named there, ask your insurer directly rather than assume.
A few situations catch people out. Contents-only policies do not include it, because it is a buildings benefit. Tenants therefore do not have it under their own contents insurance, as that cover sits with the landlord’s buildings policy. And where a policy has renewed automatically for several years, the terms may have changed at a renewal without it being obvious.
The time to check is before a leak happens, not during one. Reading your schedule while water is coming through a ceiling adds delay to a situation that is already stressful.
Do you need trace and access cover?
For most homeowners it is worth having, and the reasoning is straightforward. Hidden leaks are common, they are expensive to locate, and the cost of finding one falls entirely on you without it. A single investigation can cost several hundred pounds before a spanner has been lifted, which is more than the typical annual cost of adding the benefit.
The case is stronger the harder your property is to investigate. Solid floors, older London housing stock, tiled bathrooms, underfloor heating and long underground supply runs all push detection costs up, because the work genuinely takes longer. Flats have an added complication, since a leak may involve the freeholder’s policy and a neighbouring property as well as your own.
It matters less if your policy already has an unusually generous escape of water section that explicitly includes detection, or if your plumbing is fully accessible and recently installed. Even then, the sensible step is to confirm what your schedule actually says rather than assume you are covered.
Does trace and access cover boiler leaks?
Sometimes, and the distinction is about what is leaking rather than what the appliance is.
Where the leak is in the central heating pipework the boiler feeds, for example a heating pipe failing under a floor or inside a wall, that is normally treated like any other hidden water leak and trace and access applies in the usual way. Locating a heating leak needs the same specialist detection, often using thermal imaging while the system is running, since a hot pipe shows up clearly against a cold floor.
Where the boiler unit itself has failed internally, that is different. A leaking heat exchanger, a failed pump seal or a discharging pressure relief valve is a boiler repair, and repairs to the appliance are not what trace and access pays for. That normally falls under a boiler warranty, a service plan or your own cost. If the water from that failure has damaged the property, the damage may be claimable under escape of water even though the boiler repair is not.
There is also a wear and tear point specific to boilers. An older appliance that has degraded over years is more likely to attract an exclusion than a sudden, unexpected failure. Any leak from a gas boiler should be looked at by a Gas Safe registered engineer, which every 0800 Homefix engineer is.
Making a claim on trace and access cover
Contact your insurer before work begins wherever you can. Report the leak, confirm the benefit is on your schedule and ask what the limit is, and ask whether they require an approved contractor or will accept a firm you instruct yourself. Some insurers issue a claim reference at this point, which makes everything afterwards simpler.
Document what you can see. Photograph damp patches, staining and any visible water before anything is opened up, and keep your invoices and the engineer’s report together. The most common reason a claim stalls is an inadequate report, so the written findings matter as much as the work itself.
Then keep the two claims separate in your own head. The trace and access claim covers finding and reaching the leak. Any damage the water caused is an escape of water claim. They often arise from the same incident but they are assessed separately, and confusing them slows things down. Our step by step guide to a trace and access inspection walks through what happens on the day, and if you would rather narrow things down first, our guide to tracking and tracing a water leak covers the water meter test.
How 0800 Homefix handles insured trace and access work
0800 Homefix carries out trace and access across London and the South East, and insurance work is routine for us. We locate the leak using acoustic detection, thermal imaging, tracer gas and moisture meters before anything is opened up, keep access work to the minimum the repair requires, and produce a written report documenting the method, findings and photographs in the format insurers expect.
We charge the first hour’s labour in advance, with any further investigation or access work quoted and agreed with you before it begins. Current rates are on our rates page. Our labour is guaranteed for 12 months, and any manufacturer part we fit carries the manufacturer’s own 12-month guarantee. We work seven days a week, 365 days a year, and can advise on what your report needs to contain if you have already spoken to your insurer. You can read more on our trace and access service page.
Document what you can see. Photograph damp patches, staining and any visible water before anything is opened up, and keep your invoices and the engineer’s report together. The most common reason a claim stalls is an inadequate report, so the written findings matter as much as the work itself.
Then keep the two claims separate in your own head. The trace and access claim covers finding and reaching the leak. Any damage the water caused is an escape of water claim. They often arise from the same incident but they are assessed separately, and confusing them slows things down. Our step by step guide to a trace and access inspection walks through what happens on the day, and if you would rather narrow things down first, our guide to tracking and tracing a water leak covers the water meter test.
Helpful resources
The Association of British Insurers publishes guidance on what buildings and contents policies cover. The Financial Ombudsman Service handles disputes where a claim has been declined. MoneyHelper offers impartial, government-backed advice on home insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does trace and access cover actually pay for?
It pays for locating a hidden water leak using specialist detection equipment, for the work to open up the wall, floor or ceiling to reach it, and usually for making good the area that was opened. It does not pay for repairing the pipe or for the water damage.
Is trace and access included as standard on home insurance?
Usually. Defaqto analysis puts it at around 97 per cent of UK buildings policies as standard. It is still worth checking your own schedule for it as a named benefit with a stated limit, since a small minority of policies exclude it and others set a limit too low to be much use. Contents-only policies do not include it.
How much does trace and access cover pay out?
Limits are typically between £5,000 and £10,000 per claim, with £5,000 the common floor. Some policies offer more or have no upper limit. Check whether reinstatement sits inside that limit, and note your excess, which you pay regardless.
Does trace and access cover boiler leaks?
It covers leaks in the heating pipework the boiler feeds, treated like any other hidden leak. It does not cover repairing the boiler itself if a component inside the appliance has failed, though resulting water damage may be claimable under escape of water.
Is trace and access cover worth having?
For most homeowners, yes. A single leak investigation can cost several hundred pounds, which is typically more than the annual cost of the benefit. The case is stronger for properties with solid floors, older pipework or long underground supply runs.
Can I choose my own leak detection company?
It depends on your insurer. Some require an approved contractor, others let you instruct a firm yourself provided they accept the report. Ask before booking, because using the wrong route can complicate the claim.
Does trace and access cover damage caused by the leak?
No. That is an escape of water claim, assessed separately. Trace and access stops at finding and reaching the leak. Both claims often arise from the same incident but are handled as two separate things.
Think You Have a Hidden Leak?
If you have damp patches, a rising water bill or a meter that moves with everything switched off, the sooner the leak is located the less it costs to put right. 0800 Homefix traces hidden leaks across London and the South East with a written report your insurer can use, seven days a week. Book online or through our trace and access page to arrange an inspection.
Editorial note: This article is general information about how trace and access cover typically works and is not financial or insurance advice. Policy terms, limits and exclusions vary between insurers, so always check your own policy schedule or speak to your insurer about your specific cover.
Spotted Any of These Warning Signs?
Our leak detection specialists cover London and the South East using acoustic detection, thermal imaging and moisture meters — no unnecessary damage, full written report, available 7 days a week.
Editorial note: This article is intended as a general homeowner guide. All plumbing work on supply pipes should be carried out by a qualified, WaterSafe-registered plumber. If you suspect a gas leak, leave the property immediately and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
