Upstairs water leak - damaged kitchen

benood

Hi can any of you insurance gurus advise the extent to which we might be covered for a leak from our bathroom plumbing which went down through the floor, soaked the walls and blew the mdf to pieces in a couple of kitchen units in a fitted kitchen?

The kitchen ceiling needs to be replaced, as does quite a bif of the plaster on the walls but is it realistic to make the case that because two of the built in cupboards will need to be replaced then the entire kitchen is a write off? It won't be possible to match the cupboards with new ones as the style is no longer available.

Should I engage a loss assessor or will I regret it as non-moneysaving?

Thanks

Oscar_The_Grouch

Hi there

Using a loss assessor is entirely at your option, but remember that they will charge you a fee for their services and your insurers will not pay this. The insurer will pay their own loss adjusters, but not your assessor.

It's up to you; I personally would not use a loss assessor, but I have over 20 years experience in the industry and know what I'm doing!! Perhaps one of the assessors who post on the site could put forward their view.

Truegrit_2

Oscar, you have been in the insurance industry for 20 yrs & you haven't realised yet that sometimes it's cheaper for an insurer to have a loss assessor on the claim because the loss adjusters and their contractor networks charge 15% and some 18%, I as a builder would rather pay 10% to an assessor and no charge to the policyholder, saving the insurer possibly 5% and the policyholder will have a proper job done, also the assessor ensures that we get paid within a reasonable time, so Benood I suggest you do use an assessor and a contractor which will tie the fee in. All contractor networks used by loss adjusters cream off us as builders. Good luck with your claim.

p.s. the damaged kitchen parts, when removed could also damage your tiling when taking the units out, your worktop may also possibly be damaged. The loss adjuster may also say there are companies out there which can copy discontinued lines and get them to manufacture the damaged units only, we have used these over the last 10 yrs and only come across 1 based in Gainsborough who is good but have proven to be very expensive. The others are never exact which, in turn, creates problems. Also in the commercial insurance industry there is a policy sold by brokers which in the event of a claim kicks in for them to have their own assessor, the company is Lorega, so obviously this proves there is a need for assessors within the industry. Ask your insurer to ensure the use of a qualified loss adjuster who is of 'CILA' status

Oscar_The_Grouch

Truegrit wrote: »

Oscar, you have been in the insurance industry for 20 yrs & you haven't realised yet that sometimes it's cheaper for an insurer to have a loss assessor on the claim because the loss adjusters and their contractor networks charge 15% and some 18%

Welcome back Truegrit. Not seen you in a while. OP wasn't asking about builders; they were asking about asessors so I answered that question.

Had they asked about loss adjuster repairer networks, I would have responded to that question and agreed with you that the rates they charge are awful.

imfedup

Most insurance policies have a no matching clause, which basically means that they will only replace the damaged part of the claim and not for the matching set, i.e only pay for a chair not the settee. Even if you cant get a match to the other units. You need to check your policy first and go from there. I have known Insurance Cos pay for damaged floor units and not wall units even though they couldnt get a match.

imfedup

sorry, meant to also say that if the "no matching clause" is in your policy, Insurers may pay a contribution towards the cost of the undamaged units so that you can have a matching kitchen.

Insco

benood wrote: »

Hi can any of you insurance gurus advise the extent to which we might be covered for a leak from our bathroom plumbing which went down through the floor, soaked the walls and blew the mdf to pieces in a couple of kitchen units in a fitted kitchen?

The kitchen ceiling needs to be replaced, as does quite a bif of the plaster on the walls but is it realistic to make the case that because two of the built in cupboards will need to be replaced then the entire kitchen is a write off? It won't be possible to match the cupboards with new ones as the style is no longer available.

Should I engage a loss assessor or will I regret it as non-moneysaving?



You will need to refer to your policy reference any "matching items" exclusions

The FOS has commented on this - check out these links for some guidance

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/10/oct-houshold-disasters.htm

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/58/58-home_insurance.htm


Considered having a joiner remake the mdf to the two damaged kitchen units - might save you any contribution and a lot of hassle?

As to whether to you engage a loss assessor that is entirely your choice, and depends on your circumstances. No one can confirm to you one way or another as to whether it is moneysaving or not! Some people greatly benefit from an assessor, not only in monetary terms, but also in terms of not having to deal with the day to day aspects of the claim