Home Help! Water up to knees in rented house!!

[nbc]

Hi,
I have never claimed on household insurance. Just got a text from tenant saying he is in lithuania. His brother in law checked house today and water up to knees. Rang insurance company. I have buildings and contents insurance. Thew will send out a loss assessor. The girl told me to get a guy to give me a quote for repair. Who do I get? A separate plumber, carpenter electrician etc or a builder? Do I need to get my own loss assessor? I really havent a notion what to do. Anyone been through this?

Thanks guys
nbc

 

[ali]

Insurance company will provide an assessor. Probably easiest for you to get a main contractor who will provide plumber, carpenter etc. Ins Co often don't pay for the initial plumber cost but will pay to repair damage to contents.

Unless you're unhappy with the Ins company's loss adjuster, there is no need to get your own. They usually haggle directly with the builder, get a few bob off quote to match their own figures and then post the cheque to you.

Make sure you get a good contractor. Much of the damage from a leak, major or minor only shows up when it's finished drying out e.g. floorboards buckling, plaster boards damage etc. In other words make sure your quote covers all the work which will be necessary, some of which may not be visually obvious initially.

A.

 

[Claimsman]

In you position, i would recommend that you appoint a competent builder.He will commence drying out of the property. He should provide you with a detailed quotation that you can then submit this to insurers as your building claim.( The quotation should be prepared after a sufficient period of drying out when the full extent of the damage is evident. This should include for putting the property back in the same condition that it was in prior to the leak). The Loss Adjuster appointed by insurers will likely negotiate with your builder and agree a figure which will be the basis of the building settlement figure.

In relation to the contents (that is the furnishings, floor coverings, appliances and curtains) that are your property and which are damaged, simply list and give to the Adjuster along with replacement quotations. You will also be covered for loss of rent. Provide the Adjuster with the rent book and he/she will make an allowance for loss of rent in the overall settlement.

If you wish, you can of course appoint your own Assessor. They will charge you a precentage of the settlement,plus VAT at 21%. If you feel that this is good value, then you may wish to proceed on this basis. If you do proceed on this basis, make sure you appoint a regulated Assessor. Bear in mind that it is a criminal act for an assessor to represent you if he/she is not regulated by the Financial Regulator and increasingly, Insurers will not deal with unregulated assessors. Also, many assessors are not sufficiently qualified in building disciplines to properly advise you as to what building repairs are necessary.( your competent builder will know considerably more). Many assessors will also tell you that their fees are recoverable under the policy. Please note that your policy WILL NOT cover assessors fees. The policy will cover the reasonable cost of professional supervision, if this cost is incurred and the supervision is carried out by a building proffesional as defined by the 2007 building control act. In my experience, most assessors do not meet this criteria.

 

[Bronte]

I'm gobsmacked you haven't gone immediately to see the property yourself?

I highly recommend you to appoint your own loss assessor, well worth the money. Just get a good one.

It's cheaper to do the repairs trade by trade but it's a lot more hassle for which some people are ill equiped. It's more costly but less hassle to get a builder to do it. When builder's know there is insurance involved prices tend to go through the roof.

 

[Claimsman]

I'm gobsmacked you haven't gone immediately to see the property yourself?



It's cheaper to do the repairs trade by trade but it's a lot more hassle for which some people are ill equiped. It's more costly but less hassle to get a builder to do it. When builder's know there is insurance involved prices tend to go through the roof.

Im afraid when Loss Assessors know that insurance is involved, that is when costs "tend to go through the roof" as you put it. In my experience,whilst many builders do add a premium to insurance quotations, builders demands and costs are considerably lower than what a Loss Assessor will claim on behalf of a policyholder. I have posted before that i would consider that in most cases,claims prepared by Loss Assessors tend to settle for not more than 60/70% of what is actually claimed by the Assessor. In the event that the OP has adequate cover, a claim should not cost the OP anything, except the policy excess. By appointing a loss assessor, the OP should be careful that he/she doesnt end up paying fees to an Assessor over and above the amount obtained in settlement from insurers.

 

[onq]

Hi,
I have never claimed on household insurance. Just got a text from tenant saying he is in lithuania. His brother in law checked house today and water up to knees. Rang insurance company. I have buildings and contents insurance. Thew will send out a loss assessor. The girl told me to get a guy to give me a quote for repair. Who do I get? A separate plumber, carpenter electrician etc or a builder? Do I need to get my own loss assessor? I really havent a notion what to do. Anyone been through this?

Thanks guys
nbc

You co-operate with them, but don't jump to the insurance company's tune.
Before you get a builder in, you need to get a building professional to act on your behalf - preferably an architect of surveyor.
He/she will assess the damage on your behalf and list items for repair as well as those personal items, fixtures, carpets, furniture, lighting and fittings that will need to be replaced.
Once the assessor sees there is a building professional involved on your behalf he will give you his best attention because he knows you will have someone preparing the list of items to cost and checking the work

It is important to conduct limited opening up to remove wet insulation, inspect timbers and allow water to drain from hidden spaces.
It is important to ensure the electrical and phone systems are checked.
It is important to include all items that can be claimed for as this can add up to a considerable bill, especially if contents are covered.
Your tenant should provide an inventory of items for your building professional to consider.

You may be asked to accept a builder suggested by the loss assessor.
Your building professional will advise on his acceptability or otherwise.
Make sure examples of his work are verified before letting him do work.
You may also wish to nominate a builder of your acquaintance.
He must be competent or the assessor may reject his work.

HTH

ONQ

[broken link removed]

 

[Claimsman]

You co-operate with them, but don't jump to the insurance company's tune.
Before you get a builder in, you need to get a building professional to act on your behalf - preferably an architect of surveyor.
He/she will assess the damage on your behalf and list items for repair as well as those personal items, fixtures, carpets, furniture, lighting and fittings that will need to be replaced.
Once the assessor sees there is a building professional involved on your behalf he will give you his best attention because he knows you will have someone preparing the list of items to cost and checking the work

It is important to conduct limited opening up to remove wet insulation, inspect timbers and allow water to drain from hidden spaces.
It is important to ensure the electrical and phone systems are checked.
It is important to include all items that can be claimed for as this can add up to a considerable bill, especially if contents are covered.
Your tenant should provide an inventory of items for your building professional to consider.

You may be asked to accept a builder suggested by the loss assessor.
Your building professional will advise on his acceptability or otherwise.
Make sure examples of his work are verified before letting him do work.
You may also wish to nominate a builder of your acquaintance.
He must be competent or the assessor may reject his work.

HTH

ONQ

[broken link removed]

Some good points made with regard to drying out etc. However,i feel some aspects of your post should be addressed.

The policyholder is bound by the terms and conditions of the policy. The Insurance company will not and indeed cannot ask the policyholder to do anything which is not either implied or expressed by the policy. To suggest that the OP doesnt "jump to the insurance company's tune", could by some be construed by some as suggesting that the insured does notdo as instructed by Insurers and fail act within the terms and conditions of the policy. This is not good advice as failure to act within the terms and conditions of the policy would result in a breach of the terms and conditions of the policy leading to declinature of the claim. The policyholder and Insurers must at all times act within the terms and conditions of the policy.

A Loss Adjuster appointed by Insurers has a duty of care to the policyholder to deal with damage and the absence of a building professional will not in any way diminish this responsibility.

The tenants contents will not be covered by the policy so therefore, the tenant does not have a role to play in the preparation of the claim.

A Loss Adjuster under Instructions from Insurers may suggest the services of a builder. To use this is a choice the policyholder has. Alternatively, Insurers may excercise their option under the policy to reinstate by instructing a builder to reinstate.Otherwise, Insurers will have no interest as to the suitability or otherwise of the contractor appointed by the policyholder, except that Insurers will only pay VAT if a VAT number is provided.