Bettersure is the worst Home insurance I have ever seen/heard!! Any made-up thing to reject a claim!!

I cannot believe our Claim for our leaking Roof/Ceilings was rejected for such ridiculous, absurd and unreasonable reasons. There is absolutely no way there is any legitimacy to what you have told me over the phone. The reason given by the BetterSure lady over the phone to me; was that the waterproofing was not done properly on our roof, and that it was poor workmanship. This is the exact opposite of what the Assessor from “West Mountain” told me on the day that they finally actually came out to look at the damages. I was also told over the phone that roof tiles coming loose from storms/wind is also not covered Which is also just as ridiculous. A water leak due to a Storm/Wind-Damaged roof tile is not covered?? What utter B#ll****.

There has never been a leak(s) there before the recent storm/record downpours & winds over the last few days and weeks in Cape Town – (June 2023). It was literally STORMING 24/7 for a period of time in Cape Town at one stage. The same night of the roof damaged & leaks; a tree taller than a house was uprooted and fell into our road just one house away from us. That’s how hectic the wind was on the day it happened; and we literally heard the sound when the roof cracked/broke; when a huge gust of wind blasted our house. Moments later water started dripping down the walls from the ceiling on one side of the room; and then eventually started pouring down the walls from the ceiling. The entire rooms’ floor was wet and flooded within in a few minutes & we scrambled to move all the baby things & furniture out the room. This was in our 1 month old baby sons room!! Needless to say we definitely could not use or let anyone sleep in the room in that state. The Laminate flooring was completely wet/soaked and starting to lift & buckle up; and the Laminate flooring on the steps along the wall started falling off one-by-one because it was getting so wet/soaked.

I logged a claim with Bettersure and then waited…. Days went bye; the stormy weather continued; and the leaking just became worse and worse with each day of rain & wind. There was still response/feedback or anything from Bettersure at this point. I tried several times to contact them... emails, telephone calls, etc... meanwhile the rain/storms continued…. And the leaking and damages were just getting worse & worse.

The 2nd room then also started leaking/dripping loudly through the roof/tiles… and you could (can still) hear the dripping onto the ceiling from inside the room. This is in our 4 year old Toddlers room. A huge round wet-stain appeared on the ceiling and has just spread wider & wider each day it rains.

At this point we now had/have TWO rooms in the house that could not be used; because its wet/soaked/flooded/damaged. And the ceilings in these two rooms now started to become covered with mould from the dampness. I feared that the 2nd room which was also leaking would also soon give in and start leaking into the room & flood the second room floor as well.

We were still waiting on feedback or a call or reply or any response from Bettersure at this stage. Out of desperation and fear for my children’s health; I was forced to try and do something myself to stop the roof/ceiling damages from getting even worse. I went to the Hardware store & asked the staff there for any help/assistance for my situation. They sold me some thick black waterproof paint/sealant; along with a few cans of leak-seal spray (Flex-Seal). And I then tried to do some little bit of sealing/roof repair by myself….to the areas that I thought were damaged on the rooftop. I am no roofing or waterproofing expert at all; so my attempts was definitely not adequate at all.

When the “West Mountain” assessor’s guys finally came; my humble attempts to repair and keep the leaking/damages from worsening had literally just been washed away by the heavy rains & winds. The black paint/sealant wash washed away and ran down into my whole backyard, making the lawn turn black…. And the leak-seal spray cans (Flex-Seal) clearly was not adequate enough; as it was still leaking with every rain downpour.

The assessor & I got onto the roof together to have a look at where the leaks & damaged could be. He informed me that the house had “Torch-On” waterproofing; which according to the him is the best kind of waterproofing out there; and usually lasts a lifetime. He confirmed that the leak was most likely on the spot/area where I had poorly attempted some kind of amateur repairs…. Black paint still half-washed off. He also pointed out that the second rooms leak was definitely due to a cracked tile; almost directly above where the huge, round, wet-stain had appeared on the ceiling boards from inside the 2nd room. He pointed out the area/place where he suspected the leak might be coming through into the 1st room… On a corner/bend where the hectic winds probably just caused a tear/crack; or dislodged a small piece of the waterproofing. According to what he said to me; even a very small hole/crack along that edge area will allow a lot of water to flow through & leak into the ceiling. These were all his words to me while we were on the roof.

We then went to the 2nd rooms area on the roof; and he pointed out to a tile that had cracked; and said that that is definitely were the 2nd rooms leak is; as it was literally right above the spot where the huge wet damp-stain had appeared on the ceiling boards inside the 2nd room.

We went inside to the rooms again and he took pics of the 1st rooms wall; where at this point the water was just basically flowing down from the ceiling, down the walls and onto the floor of the room; laminate flooring soaked from days of rain/leaking. He also took pics wet/damaged laminate floors in the 1st room…… as well as the steps area where the laminate flooring had all fallen off from the steps; due to becoming so wet/soaked.

In his own words directly to me; and in front of his fellow college; he said that a hectic gust of wind probably just ripped a small crack/whole in the section on the roof, and the water that’s been leaking through since then has just made it get worse and worse; day-after-day of constant rains & wind. The 2nd room similarly; he said was likely due to the wind-gusts just causing the tile to crack; and then allowing water to seep/leak through; and drip through onto the ceiling boards. He himself advised to me that the second room needs to be repaired ASAP; before the ceiling board gets too wet/heavy; and falls in completely.

This is almost completely the opposite of what the lady from Bettersure told me over the phone.

How in hell could the waterproofing have been done poorly; or poor workmanship; if it never leaked before when it rained/stormed? As I said previously; we literally heard the cracking/breaking sound of the roof when the winds were so hectic; and within minutes’ water was leaking in and flooded the entire floor…. (and the huge tree next door was uprooted & blown into the road) Furthermore; how can the 2nd rooms leak/drip onto the ceiling boards; which is due to a cracked storm-damaged tile; not be covered??

If you guys had come sooner; as soon as possible after I had actually logged the claim; the damages would never have gotten as worse as it has. Out of desperation (and Bettersure’s poor service); I had already tried to do my own DIY repairs on the rooftop.... which was very clearly inadequate; as I am no roofing/waterproofing expert at all. I just feared for the health & safety of my children; so out of desperation I tried anything I could; because it was getting so much worse day-by-day every time it rains & leaks in… and the rain & storms & winds still continue even today.

I am utterly disgusted by Bettersure.