Loss adjustors, insurance claim, contractors. Grrr, help please?

budgie123_2

Hi,

I wrote on here a while ago asking about a claim we are making.

Long story short, washing machine in utility room leaked, ruining laminate floor which was in the house when we bought it. Problem is the laminate is under a floor standing LPG boiler, the units, door frame and skirting boards which all has to be lifted....grrr! So the claim was passed to loss adjustors. After the loss adjustor had been out, we had a contractor out to do his quote for the adjustors.

So anyway, all has been approved. When the contractor was out we told him we would like the floor tiled instead of laminate because if (touch wood) the washing machine leaked at any point in the future, we'd have the same problem all over again and it's been a bloody nightmare so far lasting months, don't want a repeat!! Contractor told us "tiling costs more than laminate so we can agree a price between us because your insurance company will only pay for laminate on a like for like basis".

So, got a form thru from contractor asking us to sign for monies to be paid to them etc. I called the contractor and asked what the price was going to be for the tiles and tiling before we send the form off because we don't want to authorise it all and then find ourselves forking out an unexpected fortune that has not been agreed.

So my questions if anyone can help.......should we indeed be paying cash to the contractor for tiling? Does it cost loads more to tile rather than lay laminate? The room is only 4 metres square at most!

If yes, then can we ask to see a copy of his quote to the loss adjustors? (I am thinking if we can see the quote, we can see what he has put down for cost of laminate and fitting, compare it to what he is asking for tiling and see if he is being fair?) I have a feeling he might try and rip us off (especially after reading the stuff on here about the financial connections between insurers, adjustors and contractors).

And one last question, if the contractors price for tiling is excessive or a rip off, can we get someone else to do it or are we held to paying this contractor for tiling whether we like it or not seeing as the adjustors have appointed him??

I will be getting the price for the tiling in the morning but won't agree to anything till I know where we stand. Also, it is a buildings claim if that is of any help.

Thanks for reading this far :T and many thanks in advance :A

never-in-doubt

Usually you'd get the funds paid to yourself after getting 3 quotes. You send all 3 quotes to insurers, otherwise if they have agreed an amount just ask if they can pay direct to you as you want to get it tiled and need to pay extra. They should be ok with you.

Bottom line is that if you've got one quote, you have no idea what the guy is charging is fair or excessive..... thus you get 3 quotes to yourself and two from each person - one for tiling and one for replacement laminate on like-for-like basis.