What Is Trace and Access Cover on Home Insurance?
What Is Trace and Access Cover?
Trace and access is an optional add-on or standard inclusion on some home insurance policies that covers the cost of locating the source of a water or oil leak and repairing any damage caused by the search process itself. Without this cover, finding a hidden leak can mean significant expense before any repair work even begins.
Why Is It Needed?
Finding the source of a water leak is rarely straightforward. Pipes run beneath floors, inside walls, and above ceilings. Locating a leak may require:
- Breaking up floor tiles or concrete to expose buried pipes
- Cutting into plasterboard walls or ceilings
- Removing kitchen or bathroom units to access pipework
- Using specialist leak detection equipment
The cost of this investigation alone can run to several hundred or even a few thousand pounds, before any pipe repair or reinstatement of the disturbed surfaces takes place.
What Trace and Access Cover Pays For
- The cost of locating the leak (specialist equipment, labour)
- Making good the damage caused by the search (replastering, retiling, reinstating flooring)
- Associated damage - if escape of water has damaged contents or the building, this is handled under the main policy
What It Does Not Cover
- The actual repair of the pipe or leaking appliance itself
- Gradual leaks or dripping taps that could have been identified earlier
- Leaks in external pipes beyond the property boundary (usually the water company's responsibility)
Is It Worth Including?
Trace and access cover is typically included free or at low cost (5 to 15 pounds per year) on comprehensive home insurance policies. Given that a single leak investigation can cost 500 to 2,000 pounds without insurance, it is almost always worth including. When comparing home insurance quotes on MoneySuperMarket or GoCompare, check whether trace and access is included as standard or requires a separate addition.
