Cash settlement figure very low

Wol2

Escape of water from header tank brought down the bathroom ceiling last weekend. If I don;t use the insurance approved builders, the cash settlement figure offered is £590.00

Looking at the schedule of works it is clear that no building firm here in the south east would get out of bed for this figure bearing in mind plastering/electrics/decoration plus general building work is required

The job should come in at approx £1100 according to two trusted local builders I have rung.

Is it normal practice for the cash settlement figure to be half the value of the actual work...or is it just the practice of this particular claims handling firm (who have been named on consumer action group forum by someone who received a similar <50% cash settlement figure for a job)

I will obviously have to go with their builders....which does have its advantages if they do a bad job.......just rather surprised at how low the offer was and whether this was standard practice for small jobs?

Any info welcome

dacouch

Which insurer is it

Wol2

It's Halifax....apparently they currently have two nominated suppliers to handle these types of claims and thankfully the firm they've appointed to handle my claim isn't Crawfords ( ).....But the firm they have appointed appears to be just a small building inspection and surveying company which subcontracts regionally to independent surveyors ( not RICS and not CILA) , They select the scope of works required from drop down menus/database on their computer while at the premises and out pops a settlement offer.

dacouch

Are the quotes you have received to replace the whole ceiling or just patch the damaged area ?

Is it the ceiling finish artex or smooth

FlameCloud

Without know the size of the damage or room it is hard to tell, but basic guidelines-

Replacement plasterboard will be about £45 per sqm to take down and replace, £55ish if it is a lathe and plaster. You should only really try and patch the ceiling if it is a plasterboard ceiling and the damaged proportion is less than half the total area.

Allow about £8 per sqm for painting, about £12 per sqm for artexing and about £6 per linear meter for painting coving or glossing skirtings. About £10 per sqm if there is any stainblocking needed, which will be on all areas that water has damaged but not brought down ceiling. If the whole ceiling is being replaced, and you have coving, you should also allow for minor skimming where the coving will need to come off and this will also nessecitate painting the walls as well. If you are doing works other than decorations then at heights above 2.5m you need to allow for tower scaffolding access.

If the ceiling is artexed and pre 2000 then the designer of the schedule should, under CDM, take into account the possibility that the artex may contain asbestos and will need to allow for testing costs. It is unlikley to contain it if it is post 1985ish but you never know and it should be taken into account.

The joists and other timbers above should be fine if they are dried- a single dehum and air mover is a combined £125ish per week to hire.

If the builders have quoted anything about Part P in what works they need to do for electrical works then it is likely to be wrong in my experience.

Wol2

Thanks Flame cloud. That's helpful. It's the whole ceiling. The spec is as follows: Remove/replace the whole plasterboard ceiling (foil-backed or water resistant with scrim joints/skim finish 5sqmetres) together with the unpatterned plaster coving (9lm, 8 angles) Renew loft insulation at 6sqm (200mm). Mist emusion the new ceiling plasterwork and then apply two coats of emulsion to everything.(Ie smooth finish, no artex) No work required to walls. Remove, replace and re-test/certificate light fitings (ceiling and wall).

I's a 3-4 day job with two visits scheduled from the electrician.

The walls are completely tiled right up to the coving so I am slightly worried about damage to the tiles occurring during the re-instatement.

Edit: no drying/dehumidifiers allowed for - inspector said they wouldn;t be necessary but that the timber joists would be allowed to air dry before putting in the new insulation.

FlameCloud

Whats the size of the room?

The only thing which stands out for me is the electrical testing- what is wrong with the lights, how old is the property and has it been rewired?

Wol2

The property was originally a bungalow and had a first floor put on it in 1995 by the previous owners. The ground floor was totally rewired in 2008 (but not the first floor). A new consumer unit was put in last year and tested and I have the IEC certificate.

The upstairs lights in the bathroom (ceiling and wall) are no longer working but are not (as i would have expected) tripping the circuit breakers. (I believe they're on different ciruits). The worst of the water leak was directly onto the ceiling light, and this is where the ceiling fell down.

More than half of the ceiling area is bowed/blown and water stain stretches from one end of the bathroom to the other....right up to the coving. I have checked the ceilings/walls either side of the bathroom and can see no evidence of water staining

The room size is 2.4 x2.1 x 2.35(h) m

huckster

Just let the Insurers sort out the repair job. If they arrange the work, the works completed will be guaranteed and you have come back on the Insurance, if the works are not up to scratch.

My experience of people getting cash settlements is that they have friends in the trade who will do the job for a cheap rate and then they will pocket the difference. The Insurers know this is the case. If you don't think £590 is enough for you to get the work done, ask the Insurers for a breakdown of the calculation to justify how this amount was arrived at.