Hi! Vanilla, thanks for your reply. I'm going to ask my solicitor tomorrow if he thinks it would be worth pusuing the issue in Tort. The damp only became evident last year, although the leak had been going on since 1989. I don't know whether it would be worth the hassle to pursue it. Certainly, if I manage to sell the house (its going to auction in early May), I think I'll just cut my losses. If it doesn't reach the AMV and I keep it, I migh possibly pursue the claim. I got 14k from the insurance, but the whole cost was 50k. The insurance just covered the direct effects of the leak. Initially, it was thought the damp course had failed, so all the walls were stripped back, and then the floor. So a new damp course, tanking system, had to be installed, which was very expensive.