The short answer
Yes — but the limit depends on which route you use. The CIGA guarantee lasts 25 years from the installation date, so guarantee claims must be made within that window. Court claims for negligence or breach of contract are governed by the Limitation Act 1980, which generally allows six years from the date of the breach (or, for some negligence claims, three years from when you reasonably knew of the damage, subject to a long-stop). Complaints about a regulated finance agreement to the Financial Ombudsman normally have their own time limits — broadly six years from the event or three years from when you became aware. Because the routes overlap and the clocks start at different points, acting promptly once you spot a problem matters.
Several different clocks can run at once on a cavity wall insulation problem. The detail below explains each and when it starts.
Time limits by route
- CIGA guarantee25 years from install
- Breach of contract6 years (Limitation Act)
- Negligence6 years, or 3 from knowledge
- Finance / FOS6 years or 3 from awareness
- Sensible ruleact when problem appears
The 25-year CIGA window
For most homeowners the relevant clock is the CIGA guarantee, which runs for 25 years from the date of installation. As long as the work was CIGA-registered and the defect appears within that period, you can claim — even if you are not the original owner, because the guarantee follows the property. A practical point: the 25 years run from when the insulation was fitted, not from when you bought the house or noticed the damp. So if the insulation was installed many years before you moved in, the remaining cover may be shorter than you expect. Checking the installation date, or asking CIGA, tells you how long is left.
Because the term is fixed to the installation date, two identical-looking houses can be in very different positions. A wall filled five years ago has two decades of cover remaining; one filled twenty-three years ago has only a short window left. This is why it pays to confirm the installation date early rather than waiting to see whether a minor symptom worsens — a problem noticed late in the term needs to be reported before the guarantee expires, even if you would otherwise have preferred to monitor it. If you are unsure of the date, CIGA can confirm it from their records against the property address.
Limitation Act periods for court claims
If you go beyond the guarantee and pursue a claim through the courts, the Limitation Act 1980 sets the deadlines:
- Breach of contract — generally six years from the date of the breach (often the date of the defective installation).
- Negligence — generally six years from when the damage occurred, with a special extension of three years from the date you reasonably ought to have known about it, subject to a 15-year long-stop.
- These are technical rules, and the start date can be disputed, so the precise position depends on the facts.
| Claim type | Standard limit | Clock starts |
|---|---|---|
| CIGA guarantee | 25 years | installation date |
| Breach of contract | 6 years | date of breach |
| Negligence | 6 years / 3 from knowledge | damage / awareness |
| Finance (FOS) | 6 years / 3 from awareness | event / awareness |
Indicative limits for guidance. Sources: Limitation Act 1980; Financial Ombudsman Service.
Finance complaints and the Ombudsman
If the work was paid for under a regulated credit agreement and you are complaining to the lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service, separate time limits apply. Broadly, the Ombudsman can look at a complaint if it is brought within six years of the event complained of, or — if later — within three years of when you became aware (or ought reasonably to have become aware) that you had cause to complain. There is also normally a deadline of six months from the date of the finance provider's final response to refer the matter to the Ombudsman. These finance limits run independently of the CIGA and Limitation Act clocks.
The six-month rule after a final response catches people out more than any other. Once a finance provider issues its final decision on your complaint, the window to take the matter to the Ombudsman is relatively short, so a letter that looks like the end of the road is actually the start of a deadline. Diarising that date when you receive a final response, and not letting it slip while you decide what to do, keeps the option open. Because the finance clock runs separately from the guarantee, it is entirely possible to be in time on one route and out of time on another.
Why acting early matters
Because the different routes start their clocks at different moments — installation, breach, damage, or awareness — the safest approach is to act as soon as a problem appears. Delay can quietly close off a route: the guarantee may have less time left than you assumed, or a court limitation period may expire. Documenting when you first noticed damp, mould or cold spots is useful, because for some claims the limitation period turns on when you reasonably became aware. None of this means a single missed date ends everything — multiple routes can apply — but the strongest position is to raise the issue and get it assessed promptly rather than waiting to see if it worsens.
There is a natural temptation to wait and watch a minor damp patch or cold spot before acting, particularly if the problem comes and goes with the weather. The difficulty is that the various time limits do not pause while you observe. The guarantee term keeps counting down from installation, and the limitation periods for court claims keep running. By the time a borderline symptom has clearly become a serious one, a route that was comfortably open may have narrowed. Raising the matter and having it assessed early does not commit you to a fight; it simply preserves your options while they are still fully available.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 25 years run from when I bought the house?
No. The CIGA guarantee runs for 25 years from the date the insulation was installed, not from when you bought the property. If it was fitted before you moved in, the remaining cover may be shorter than you expect.
Can I still claim if the guarantee has expired?
Possibly, through other routes. Court claims for negligence or breach of contract have their own Limitation Act deadlines, and finance complaints have separate limits. These depend on the facts and on when you became aware of the problem.
When does the limitation clock start for damp damage?
It depends on the claim. For breach of contract it usually runs from the defective work; for negligence it can run from when the damage occurred or from when you reasonably should have known about it, subject to a long-stop.
Sources & further reading
Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific property. They are guidance, not a quotation.