Insurance claim

heatherunited

Hi everyone just a few words of wisdom as im a bit worried, what im going to tell you will begger belief. I am a landlord, my old tenants moved out january, so went through the usual doindg the house up this time plastering the works. While plastering the plasterer noticed a bit of damp on my 30ft wal, he advised using dri coat which repells water, 2weeks later everything dry except this 10 x 4ft piece of wall he reassured me as dri coat can take an age. Monday the new tenants rung up and asked if wed go and take a look. I was mortified the paint was off, the wall looked like it had been plastered 50 years ago, I knew this was damp but where on earth from. I am a mid terrace and went next door, to my disbelief the neighbour had actually been renovating and built a lovely turfed garden up to my internal wall, all the way along! Thers no problem with the insurance I've had to get 2 quotes. What is worrying that everything has to be ripped out from floor to ceiling, all my kitchen my units, tiles floor tiles everything until down to brick then they are tanking the wall. Now what both companies have said is that the kitchen units are so damp even if they coulduse them they cant and every unit has to be ripped out, 15 years ago the kitchen cost me £15.000. even 1 large tile cost £120. Now I know they'll fix the damp problem as heyve said so then my insurance company will bat the costs back to the next door neighbours insurance. Now I'm prety sure as both damp companies have said the insurance will have to replace everything, the kitchen as they'll be ripping 75% out and it was from mfi so its obsolite, the tiles, the ceramic floor tiles, then into the lounge the carpet which runs all the way through the house 80 20 twist it goes up the stairs into bedrooms etc, the skirting boards will be no good, all plaster off the walls again to bare brick. I cant believe someone has done this, how can anyone be so stupid?? Any way they cant just rip my house to pieces tank the walls put the plaster back then leave me with no kitchen, carpets, skirtings etc?? It's worrying me to death. Theyve said its a genune claim and theyll fix it but surely they will replace all the things that they rip out or break, I could be £30,000 out of pocket. Like I say the damp people have said they see this regularly and the insurance have to replace everything, including new kitchen as the ones obsolite. What I;m asking I doubt anyone has had anything like this happen to them but will the insurance replace all the damage they cause? They wont just knock everything out, tank and damproof the wall replaster and thats it? I just thank the lord i have landlords insurance. My insurance says that even my premiums wount go up as they'll get all the work done and pass it back to the neighbours property. All the houses are mortgaged btw, I so hope its not like the usual insurance and try not to pay anything, Ive had insurance for 20 years and never made a claim. I'd be greatful for some good news for a change because this week has been terrible

Mr.Generous

the person who caused the loss is liable, if insurers won't pay your insurance will pay you out and then bring a case against them for consequential loss.

heatherunited

not botheredabout being paid out i just want a kitchen, carpets etc

heatherunited

btw how rude ty for your reply puts me at ease

heatherunited

How will the insurers decide for example what kitchen I can have and my carpets are all 80/20 wool will i get like for like? Do you receive a cheque and then go and buy everything or do you sort of pick things from a catalogue and the insurers sort everything. I have found oout today that they need to tank the wall all 30ft of it from floor to ceiling. Everything will be ripped out, I'm so upset by it all, the damp specialists say they see it all the time! How on eath can people be so stupid, the upset and hassle it has caused me already, sleepless nights, I'm worried how my tennants live through 2 months of work and thats if everything is done one after the other, ripping out, tanking, plastering, replacing all utilities replacement of kitchen, tiling, kitchen floor and carpets that match from dining room living room stairs hallway and both bedrooms. It must take dozens of tradesmen! I'm so upset by all this, if only they had thought before they did this everything would be fine. I suppose I ought to thank the lord I have landlord insurance with NIG, who I have heard are good, lord I'll be glad when this nightmare is over, its like a bad dream and the neighbours response to it all "does this mean I'll have to move my garden?" How selfish my home is destroyed and shes worried if her lovely lawn might need to be moved or altered, I feellike crying. Insurance have been great and got 2 quotations for the tanking/damproofing of the wall, I don't know what the prices are yet but I'll be recommending one guy who seemed to be considerably more knowledgeable but i suppose like anything else cheapest quote wins, my kitchen cannot be replaced like for like as it was from MFI the tiles from worktop was £600 15 years ago, one tile was £150. Ceramic floor tiles, I pray this is taken into consideration and not just some white wickes own kitchen put in. We have old bills etc which might help and the loss adjuster is coming out Tuesday, what does he do? Ty all for your help Ive never made a claim in 20 years and certainly not one to this scale. Once everything is done and paid for the bill is handed to the neighbors insurers, which is only fair that we dont have to pay excess and our premiums go up, just wish this was just a bad deam. Those poor people in the floods you can truly feel for them when not a mm of house is useable again

rs65

heatherunited wrote: »

How will the insurers decide for example what kitchen I can have and my carpets are all 80/20 wool will i get like for like? Do you receive a cheque and then go and buy everything or do you sort of pick things from a catalogue and the insurers sort everything.

It should be like for like. Some insurers will just arrange the work, others will issue cheque. Ask the adjuster.

dacouch

Do you actually have contents cover on your Landlords Insurance?

It's difficult to follow your posts so forgive me if you've mentioned it and I've missed it.

heatherunited

I pray first that I am in the right area and secondly that someone can help me as I am distraught. I am a landlord, my tenants moved out January and I spent everything I had doing the house up, replastering etc. I have buildings insurance not contents. As above story. Now after a few weeks we noticed about a 10ft part of the wall wasnt drying, I found this odd so went next door. To my horror I found the neighbours had built a garden up to the entire length of my wall, including kitchen, naturally I had insurance and informed them, they said they would probably get a couple of quotes and hand the bill to the next door insurance. What I have just been told by the loss adjuster beggers belief. They will pay for ripping out my kitchen hacking off all the damaged plaster, remove absolutely everything back to bare brick. The next step is dpc injecting and tanking the wall which will cost £1100 they will not pay for. Once I pay the £1100 for the dpc and tanking they will pay for putting everything back! Including replastering, putting plumbing back etc. When I said but the units are mouldy and the carpets in the living room have shrunk they said if necessary they will pay for the base unit once removed and only if their in a poor condition. It gets even better, the expensive tiles they will hack off the damp side they will replace with i suppose their choice, but they will not match the other side, which they will give me 50% towards the cost. I am dumbfounded! I have written an official letter of complaint, to which could take weeks to reply, I don't hold out much hope, so the next step will be the financial ombudsman, my tenants are threatening to leave if I don't get the work done quickly. What else can I do, I simply don't have £1100 or I would pay it and fight it, hopefully receiving the money back.Just to remind you it was the neighbour who built the garden up against my property. When I said to the loss adjuster that there must be a way of claiming from their insurance, or sueing he said its prooving that they did it on purpose knowing it would cause damage. Also when I asked for an appointment with a solicitor he wanted £200 plus vat for a 1 hour consultation, so my £1100 tanking charge would soon be eaten up. Please someone help me, I am already off work sick and all I can do is cry. please help heather

heatherunited

By the way just to warn you all the insurers are Towergate

heatherunited

I've been to see my neighbour who has been very apologetic, and has offered to try to rectify it by digging his garden up and installing a visqueen membrane next to my wall to alleviate the problem, if he did but visqueen down and it was done professionally by his builder, if I hacked the damage plaster off and gave it a while to dry would this stop the damp problem? He's promised to get it done professionally, would it be better building a retaining wall or will his builder installing visqueen stop the damp (though I would have to get it re-plastered etc. I am still going through with my insurance and going through the complaints procedure but would visqueen professionally installed at least stop the damp and let my wall dry out if I hack all the damp plaster off, apply dri coat etc? It at least gives me time so my tenants don't leave and leave me in further trouble fingers crossed.

rs65

heatherunited wrote: »

What I have just been told by the loss adjuster beggers belief.

Your posts are very hard to read.

It sounds like the loss adjuster has advised you correctly.

I think you need a builder to advise you about visqueen/dpc.