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Fire/water damage & Insurance problems
Shazza75
Posts: 7 Forumite
On the 18th October our next door neighbours who are council tenants had a severe house fire which gutted their property and caused damage to both adjoining properties as it's a mid terrace.
Both adjoining properties are privately owned and 1 is my home.
Now i have buildings & contents insurance with a very well known company so even though i was upset about the damage i trusted my insurer to sort out the mess for me. They initially put us into a Hotel as the entire upstairs of our property is damaged and forwarded us some cash to pay for clothes & food as all we had was what we were wearing the day of the fire.
A cleaning company was sent out to look at how much property needed removing to empty the upstairs for repair and also to check what was destroyed.
Next stage was an assessor coming out to look at the damage and this is where the problems started as he played down all the damage and cancelled the cleaning company as he told me to clean it all up myself and that all the water would dry out eventually and the laminate flooring would lay back down, the TV's would dry out after 2 days and be fine for me to plug back in and that the smoke damaged clothing i should just wash. The ceilings were barely staying up due to the amount of water pouring through them as we lost part of the roof as the fire took hold and the firemen were hosing inside our loft to put it out. He told me these would dry out and all the insurance company would do was to paint over the plaster board!
When i pointed out the several very large cracks in the party wall that was now over an inch from our ceiling he said they would just plaster over it and it would be fine.
The bedroom window has melted and the glass cracked but as it was on the outside he said they won't replace it as we can't see it from inside our bedroom.
He also said he would cancel our hotel and we should move back into the property immediately even though it smelt so bad i felt ill and we had no electric upstairs as the wiring had all melted and was sparking out with water coming out all the light fittings and we had no bed to sleep on as it was all soaking wet.
I was NOT happy with any of his plans and told him so (politely), i was very upset.
He then sent another guy out to look about doing the decorating and he was shocked at what he was told to do and the clearly large amount of damage we had so he went back to the insurer with a list of what needed doing.
Next came a guy with a damp meter who said everything needed to come out and the house was un-inhabitable as all the ceilings/floors needed to come out and half the roof off. His report at least meant our accommodation was continued and we didn't have to move back home.
We have waited almost a month for anything else to happen and have had the heating on full blast every day as well as washer/dryer to clean everything we own that could be saved (i dread the utility bills).
Today the builders started tearing out the floors/ceilings and said they had contacted a building inspector to come and look at the cracked wall.
We were told to find a rental house for 6 months whilst the work was being carried out which we have done and are due to move in this Friday. Today the insurance assessor told us they will cover the rent but not the deposit but we do not have the funds to pay it, he then said i should use the money they forwarded to us 4 weeks ago but i have used that for us to eat and other necessary expenses from us being away from home.
He then said he would forward us the deposit money but would not be paying for any contents that we have lost at all as he considers these 2 amounts more than adequate to cover their replacement cost as he will only honour a small number of items damaged and not the entire damaged contents list because he cannot prove what we have thrown out as we did it ourselves after he told us to because he cancelled the cleaning crew that should have done all this for us and would have proven what we lost.
I am so stressed it is unreal as i feel that even if they carry out repairs we will only get the minimum cover ups done so it looks right and not what should be done. I am also going to end up paying out to replace my own furniture and possessions because we aren't going to get anything for them and what we have had to spend to survive the last 4 weeks was actually meant to pay for our belongings.
Any help or advice would be gratefully received as my head is spinning and i don't know what to do next.
Both adjoining properties are privately owned and 1 is my home.
Now i have buildings & contents insurance with a very well known company so even though i was upset about the damage i trusted my insurer to sort out the mess for me. They initially put us into a Hotel as the entire upstairs of our property is damaged and forwarded us some cash to pay for clothes & food as all we had was what we were wearing the day of the fire.
A cleaning company was sent out to look at how much property needed removing to empty the upstairs for repair and also to check what was destroyed.
Next stage was an assessor coming out to look at the damage and this is where the problems started as he played down all the damage and cancelled the cleaning company as he told me to clean it all up myself and that all the water would dry out eventually and the laminate flooring would lay back down, the TV's would dry out after 2 days and be fine for me to plug back in and that the smoke damaged clothing i should just wash. The ceilings were barely staying up due to the amount of water pouring through them as we lost part of the roof as the fire took hold and the firemen were hosing inside our loft to put it out. He told me these would dry out and all the insurance company would do was to paint over the plaster board!
When i pointed out the several very large cracks in the party wall that was now over an inch from our ceiling he said they would just plaster over it and it would be fine.
The bedroom window has melted and the glass cracked but as it was on the outside he said they won't replace it as we can't see it from inside our bedroom.
He also said he would cancel our hotel and we should move back into the property immediately even though it smelt so bad i felt ill and we had no electric upstairs as the wiring had all melted and was sparking out with water coming out all the light fittings and we had no bed to sleep on as it was all soaking wet.
I was NOT happy with any of his plans and told him so (politely), i was very upset.
He then sent another guy out to look about doing the decorating and he was shocked at what he was told to do and the clearly large amount of damage we had so he went back to the insurer with a list of what needed doing.
Next came a guy with a damp meter who said everything needed to come out and the house was un-inhabitable as all the ceilings/floors needed to come out and half the roof off. His report at least meant our accommodation was continued and we didn't have to move back home.
We have waited almost a month for anything else to happen and have had the heating on full blast every day as well as washer/dryer to clean everything we own that could be saved (i dread the utility bills).
Today the builders started tearing out the floors/ceilings and said they had contacted a building inspector to come and look at the cracked wall.
We were told to find a rental house for 6 months whilst the work was being carried out which we have done and are due to move in this Friday. Today the insurance assessor told us they will cover the rent but not the deposit but we do not have the funds to pay it, he then said i should use the money they forwarded to us 4 weeks ago but i have used that for us to eat and other necessary expenses from us being away from home.
He then said he would forward us the deposit money but would not be paying for any contents that we have lost at all as he considers these 2 amounts more than adequate to cover their replacement cost as he will only honour a small number of items damaged and not the entire damaged contents list because he cannot prove what we have thrown out as we did it ourselves after he told us to because he cancelled the cleaning crew that should have done all this for us and would have proven what we lost.
I am so stressed it is unreal as i feel that even if they carry out repairs we will only get the minimum cover ups done so it looks right and not what should be done. I am also going to end up paying out to replace my own furniture and possessions because we aren't going to get anything for them and what we have had to spend to survive the last 4 weeks was actually meant to pay for our belongings.
Any help or advice would be gratefully received as my head is spinning and i don't know what to do next.
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Comments
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go see your mp would like to know is name too? its the best way now trust me0
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buy the way you can be back in for x mas0
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i think you should see a lawyer, ask for advice on what to do regarding this. it is always better to ask a legal advice rather than deciding it ourselves.
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On the 18th October our next door neighbours who are council tenants had a severe house fire which gutted their property and caused damage to both adjoining properties as it's a mid terrace.
Both adjoining properties are privately owned and 1 is my home.
Now i have buildings & contents insurance with a very well known company so even though i was upset about the damage i trusted my insurer to sort out the mess for me. They initially put us into a Hotel as the entire upstairs of our property is damaged and forwarded us some cash to pay for clothes & food as all we had was what we were wearing the day of the fire.
A cleaning company was sent out to look at how much property needed removing to empty the upstairs for repair and also to check what was destroyed.
Next stage was an assessor coming out to look at the damage and this is where the problems started as he played down all the damage and cancelled the cleaning company as he told me to clean it all up myself and that all the water would dry out eventually and the laminate flooring would lay back down, the TV's would dry out after 2 days and be fine for me to plug back in and that the smoke damaged clothing i should just wash. The ceilings were barely staying up due to the amount of water pouring through them as we lost part of the roof as the fire took hold and the firemen were hosing inside our loft to put it out. He told me these would dry out and all the insurance company would do was to paint over the plaster board!
When i pointed out the several very large cracks in the party wall that was now over an inch from our ceiling he said they would just plaster over it and it would be fine.
The bedroom window has melted and the glass cracked but as it was on the outside he said they won't replace it as we can't see it from inside our bedroom.
He also said he would cancel our hotel and we should move back into the property immediately even though it smelt so bad i felt ill and we had no electric upstairs as the wiring had all melted and was sparking out with water coming out all the light fittings and we had no bed to sleep on as it was all soaking wet.
I was NOT happy with any of his plans and told him so (politely), i was very upset.
He then sent another guy out to look about doing the decorating and he was shocked at what he was told to do and the clearly large amount of damage we had so he went back to the insurer with a list of what needed doing.
Next came a guy with a damp meter who said everything needed to come out and the house was un-inhabitable as all the ceilings/floors needed to come out and half the roof off. His report at least meant our accommodation was continued and we didn't have to move back home.
We have waited almost a month for anything else to happen and have had the heating on full blast every day as well as washer/dryer to clean everything we own that could be saved (i dread the utility bills).
Today the builders started tearing out the floors/ceilings and said they had contacted a building inspector to come and look at the cracked wall.
We were told to find a rental house for 6 months whilst the work was being carried out which we have done and are due to move in this Friday. Today the insurance assessor told us they will cover the rent but not the deposit but we do not have the funds to pay it, he then said i should use the money they forwarded to us 4 weeks ago but i have used that for us to eat and other necessary expenses from us being away from home.
He then said he would forward us the deposit money but would not be paying for any contents that we have lost at all as he considers these 2 amounts more than adequate to cover their replacement cost as he will only honour a small number of items damaged and not the entire damaged contents list because he cannot prove what we have thrown out as we did it ourselves after he told us to because he cancelled the cleaning crew that should have done all this for us and would have proven what we lost.
I am so stressed it is unreal as i feel that even if they carry out repairs we will only get the minimum cover ups done so it looks right and not what should be done. I am also going to end up paying out to replace my own furniture and possessions because we aren't going to get anything for them and what we have had to spend to survive the last 4 weeks was actually meant to pay for our belongings.
Any help or advice would be gratefully received as my head is spinning and i don't know what to do next.
Can you give us an idea of the amounts involved?
What are you claiming for contents? What have you been offered?
It's quite common, and sensible, for the deposit when returned to form part of the contents settlement, but the other issues you've faced don't sound very good0 -
We were initially given £1000 and told it was for out of pocket expenses due to being made homeless and having to buy clothes, food etc. I was told it would not have to be paid back and would not be deducted from our settlement as it was to cover the extra expenses we would incur.
Now i have been told that we need to pay £1000 deposit ourselves on a rental property that the insurance is covering for us, when i said we don't have it they forwarded the £1000 to us and said that the £2000 settles all the loss of contents and we would not receive any further money.
The first £1000 just lasted us 4 weeks and the second £1000 will pay the deposit on the rental but from past experience i have never gotten any deposit back on the properties i have rented because the landlords have never returned any of it so i am guessing this is why the insurance refused to pay it themselves.
I am thinking when we move back into our property i will have to re-furnish the upstairs ourselves at our expense so everything we lost will not be replaceable as i simply cannot afford it, we live on a shoestring as it is and i still have to afford bills for 2 properties whilst we are living in the rental house as well as being a lot further away from work so extra fuel required to get there.
All in all this is going to end up costing us a fortune and apart from the building repairs being done we will still be a lot worse off after it's all finished.0 -
Now i have been told that we need to pay £1000 deposit ourselves on a rental property that the insurance is covering for us, when i said we don't have it they forwarded the £1000 to us and said that the £2000 settles all the loss of contents and we would not receive any further money.
I've had every deposit I've ever paid for a property back. Make sure it's lodged in a scheme and take care of the house!
The first £1000 just lasted us 4 weeks
What on? Clothes? B&B? Food?
the second £1000 will pay the deposit on the rental
Yes, it's your responsibility to take care of the rental so you get this back, and you can then spend it on replacement contents.
I am thinking when we move back into our property i will have to re-furnish the upstairs ourselves at our expense so everything we lost will not be replaceable as i simply cannot afford it
So you threw out all of your upstairs furniture? How much would you say it's worth?
What have the insurers agreed should be replaced? ie. What is the £2k supposed to cover?
we live on a shoestring as it is and i still have to afford bills for 2 properties whilst we are living in the rental house as well as being a lot further away from work so extra fuel required to get there.
All in all this is going to end up costing us a fortune and apart from the building repairs being done we will still be a lot worse off after it's all finished.
You can claim for increased electric and gas used while drying out.
Get a reduction from Council tx for your own house while not living there.
Present additional fuel costs to your insurer as part of the claim.0 -
Similar happened to us on 30th july, we are still living in the mess now, waiting for an offer from the plumbers insurers....it is a long process. Good luck I feel for you. We have not had a penny yet, and have a 7 month old and 4 year old living with us!!0
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oh you poor thing! Sounds like the the assessor I had!
Keep receipts for EVERYTHING. Read your policy booklet and get some guidance from that. Would a crisis loan from the council help? Maybe you should make enquiries about it.
All the best.Loving the sunny days!0 -
Well hopefully things are settling down now and the insurance are playing ball.
The £1000 had to cover some emergency clothing, fuel (as we had to get to the house and back every day) and food for 4 weeks, eating out isn't cheap and even basic meals could easily top £30 a day.
The deposit on the rental house won't be given back until at least 3 weeks after we move back home leaving me with no money to replace the furniture so we would be sleeping on an empty bedroom floor. I have discussed this with our insurer and he has now agreed to pay out for contents to be replaced before we have to move back home.
I haven't even begun to add up or get an idea of replacement costs so have no idea what that will come to.
I can't get the council tax reduced because the house is still half furnished (downstairs) and needs to be empty for a reduction and the fuel bills will be reimbursed by the insurance but of course i still need to pay the DD's every month until i can submit the bills and get the money back. I'm feeling more confident that it will be settled but in the meantime i am having to fund 2 houses (bills) and it's a worry as i only work PT and hubby is unemployed at the moment so we could have done without this as i was already struggling to make ends meet.
I initially panicked with my original post because the asessor was seriously playing down all the damage and refusing to fix it properly, he just wanted to do a quick cosmetic fix and not replacing anything.
When the repairs company arrived to look at the decorating he was shocked and confirmed what i thought that the ceilings, floors, roof and window needed to be replaced and there was structural damage to the party wall. He went back to the asessor and is dealing with him on our behalf to get the work done properly which the insurance have now agreed to.
Seriously who says that ceilings with water pouring through them will dry out in a couple of days and will be fine with a lick of paint! The bedroom window frame had melted and the glass cracked but the insurance man said as it was the outside we couldn't see it from inside the bedroom and water wouldn't come in so it wouldn't be replaced either, i was livid that i'd paid insurance and they didn't want to fix things properly.
The builders have only been out to the house once and the ceilings & floors have been removed and the house has been scaffolded but the roof is still open. We now have to wait for the structural engineer to come and look at the wall which has several very large cracks and has moved away from the house. It is a reinforced concrete wall so no idea how they will fix it.
At least we have a rental house now and have settled in and will be patient and more relaxed until our house is put right.0
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