# claiming off home insurance questions



## kada_fd (29 Aug 2008)

we have to claim off our home insurance at the moment because our water tank burst and we have water damage in the house, mainly floors and ceilings..our bedroom closet and some other bits,
  we have been told to get quotes from contractors on the work that has to be done so we are looking for some at the moment. but how can we work out the costs from water damage to bedclothes..clothes that were in the closets and in the room and some electrical goods?? the loss adjuster took photo's of the bed clothes and bags of wet clothes but thats all...i'm not sure how at all to work out how much it would be to replace them??
   Also the replacements must be the same as the ones damaged ?...do we just write out a list of what was there or maybe just a sum of money we think would cover buying more clothes?? and the electrical items..do we just say this is how much it costs for this item in the market at the moment??
   i've never claimed for anything before so as much info about the smaller things would be appreciated!


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## ClubMan (29 Aug 2008)

kada_fd said:


> but how can we work out the costs from water damage to bedclothes..clothes that were in the closets and in the room and some electrical goods?? the loss adjuster took photo's of the bed clothes and bags of wet clothes but thats all...i'm not sure how at all to work out how much it would be to replace them??


Make a list of what was damaged and what equivalent replacements would cost new?!


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## kada_fd (29 Aug 2008)

so just work out an estimate like...10euro a t-shirt and 20-30 or more for jeans or something??


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## ClubMan (29 Aug 2008)

I presume so. What else would you do?


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## Ed054 (29 Aug 2008)

Hi,
Firstly I am sorry about your claim relax and it will all get sorted
 I am a Loss Assessor and deal with this type of claim often what you will need to do is list each item of bed linen and clothing and estimate the year you bought it and get a current replacement cost from a shop.
A deduction will be made for wear and tear depending on the age.
With your electrical items you should get the full replacement cost.
So if you have a 28inch TV that is four years old you are entitlled to a new 28inch TV with no deductions as long as it is a like for like model.
If you have suffered substantial water damage and you need a dehumidifer take a reading of your electricty meter before you start using it and a reading when it is finsihed and include in your claim as they are very heavy users of power.


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## kada_fd (29 Aug 2008)

thanks ed, its very much apreciated!


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## Ed054 (29 Aug 2008)

No problem.

Be aware that the loss adjuster will look to cut back quite substantally on your estimate for repairs.


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## mathepac (29 Aug 2008)

Ed054 said:


> ...
> Be aware that the loss adjuster will look to cut back quite substantally on your estimate for repairs.


I hate that game of second guessing. "They'll cut the claim so make sure the builder doubles his estimate and he'll want cash, so factor out the VAT for what he gets, but we'll need receipt from him..." and on and on.

Why can't the process be simple, transparent and honest for people such as OP who have suffered genuine losses and disruption?

Gombeenism in the 21st century, is it any wonder our econmy is in its current parlous state.


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## Ed054 (29 Aug 2008)

The problem is that there is no consistant approach from loss adjusters.
You have an estimate that is fair and reasonable and one loss adjuster will accept it in full another one will look to reduce it by 30/40%
For loss assessors we know as soon as a loss adjuster is appointed if the claim will be sorted out quickly and fairly or you are going to have to fight like hell to get the claim paid.
I deal with claims where loss adjusters will reduce a claim by using policy exclusions that don't even exist!
You really need to have a complete understanding of the policy wording


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## kada_fd (29 Aug 2008)

oh i thought it was get estimates from the builder and then negotiate with it between the loss adjuster and insurance providor..and then they issue a cheque??? i won't be able to afford to get the work done and then get the insurance money...i have to admit i am clueless when it comes to this!


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## Ravima (29 Aug 2008)

do not the insurer loss adjuster have to approach the claim professionally and with the best interests of both insurer and insured in mind? the sugegstion that the insurer simply cuts the estimate/quotation cannot possibly be fair in the current climate. If you state the claim correctly and are not satisfied with what you are given or if the estimate is cut arbitrarily, you can complain to insurer and if not staisfied, to financial regulator.

you should also remember that loss assessors, that is those engaged by policyholder, must also be paid from the proceeds. the insurer does nto pay their fees on top of the claim. therefore, some of them, not all, can inflate the claim to cover their fees.


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## ClubMan (29 Aug 2008)

Ed054 said:


> A deduction will be made for wear and tear depending on the age.


I thought that many home insurance policies covered such items on a new for old basis?


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## Ed054 (30 Aug 2008)

The loss adjuster is appointed by the insurer to handle the claim on their behalf and in an ideal world they would also represent the interests of the policyholder.
Unfortunately it does not happen like that.
I handle claims where the proposed settlement offered by a loss adjuster in some cases provides nothing near the amounts required to carry out repairs.
In one case I was called into, a family had a kitchen fire and the loss adjuster had deducted the cost of redecoration of a room because the people made things worse by trying to clean the soot of the walls.
All the insured was trying to do was reduce the damage and the loss adjuster was trying to pull a fast one
The big problem is that some loss adjusters appear to be completly unaware of their responsibilities under The Consumer Protection Code  issued by the Financial Regulator last year and the public are unaware of their rights.
The loss adjuster is not paid by the insurer to tell policyholders what they are entitled to claim for.
That is part of the reason why insurers now have to advise a policy holder that they are entitled to appoint a loss assessor to act on their behalf.
The loss assessor is paid for by the policy holder and in most cases would tend to obtain a settlement higher then the policyholder could obtain themselves.

When you get an estimate from a builder and pass it on to the loss adjuster the loss adjuster will negotiate with the policyholder directly who may have no idea if the amount being proposed will be sufficent to carry out the work and could accept an offer that will not cover the costs of reinstatement.

As regards inflating a claim this is generally hard to do and is not in the interest of a loss assesor as they are dealing with the same firms of adjusters day in day out and if you get a reputation of over inflating claims you are never going to get claims settled for a fair amount as the adjuster will cut back on everything you claim for.
It is far better to have a flexible attitude and opperate with a view of give and take and that works better for the policyholder.

Most contents items are covered new for old but deductions are made for wear and tear on clothing and household linen.
Some insurers will made a deduction for wear and tear on bicycles sporting equipment and carpets over 5 years old.


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## kada_fd (30 Aug 2008)

and how long does it usualy take between reporting the damage and the claim to come through?? we will be starting to pull everything up shortly and already have a skip and some damaged stuff thrown out since the adjuster has has seen what was damaged


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## Ed054 (30 Aug 2008)

It will take at least a few weeks.
As soon as you have all your estimates and forward them to the loss adjuster he will take a few days (at best i have had cases where it has taken weeks)  to get back to you and once you accept his offer it will probably be two weeks before you receive payment from insurers.
If your house is badly damaged and you need to move out whilst the work is carried out you should be covered for alternative accomodation under your policy.
Also make sure that all walls floors and ceilings are tested with a damp meter.


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## kada_fd (30 Aug 2008)

the house isnt so bad that we would need to move out..i am pretty lucky in comparison to what could have happend...if my brother hadn't been staying with us...it would have gone unnoticed until thursday, it was worse on the day it happend as floors were like walking on mulch...but now that its dry...(or well seems dry) it doesnt look so bad..the ceilings are getting worse discolored and cracked as the days go by tho...and i'm pretty sure if it wasn't for the wood on the bedroom floor and the wood on the ceiling of living room underneath then that floor could be dangerous, i think this house is trying to kill us since we bought it 3 years ago...but this is the first thing we couldnt afford to fix it without claiming.


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## Ed054 (30 Aug 2008)

Well it could have been worse!
You really need to make sure that the joists are dry if not they will need to be treated.
Do not accept any "patching" on walls or ceilings as they will always show through it is better to replace the plasterboard as it will be a much better repair.
It sounds as if your ceilings are badly damaged and may need to be replaced entirely. 
You are entitiled to reinstatement under your policy i.e. putting you back in the position you were in prior to the claim.


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## kada_fd (18 Oct 2008)

Ed you were right, the person we were dealing with tried to reduce the cost alot..thankfully it was my husband talking with him on the phone, we gave him a quote we got off a builder (finaly after 2 builders had given us the runaround with no sign of a quote for weeks!) and sent that along with a list of receipts (for skips) and quotes for a new bed etc. 
my husband rang yesterday and was told that the price we were quoted for the build work was way too high..that he himself had builders estimate what he thought would need to be replaced, as for the clothing prices i gave him he reduced it by about 1/3.
he reduced the whole claim by 2,600...to which my husband replied we wouldnt have enough to pay the builder and that we didnt claim for half the clothing as we didnt plan an buying as much as we had before and didnt want to seem like we were trying to pull a fast one on the insurer, so the loss adjuster then said he would increase payment by 1,300 but that he would have a hard time explaining that to his employer..
Not sure what happens next..probably the waiting game..again..


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## Ed054 (19 Oct 2008)

If the loss adjuster thinks the estimate is to high ask him for the builder that he knows who will do the work for the price he is prepared to pay.
Do not accept a 1/3 reduction on the clothing that is far to high at most 20%
Best of luck!


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