Total loss home insurance claim - hire of furniture

kiagirl

Hi
- thanks for reading
Last year we lost our house and its contents to a fire that started next door. The insurance have been great and we are currently in a rented house whilst ours is being rebuilt. They provided us with emergency furniture and appliances and the delivery people think that the ins co will make us an offer to keep it as it will all be over 12! Months old (nearer 18) when we are ready to move back. Is this standard and how much roughly would we be looking at? 50% or a nominal fee? . We are talking beds, wardrobes, white goods etc

Thanks in advance

paddyandstumpy

What nominal fee would you expect?

As far as I've read it, you've had brand new furniture and white goods already, and you suspect the insurer will ask you to keep them, rather than buying new stuff for you, for a second time?

Mungo76

Depends where the furniture came in from, if it was from a hire company, they may want it back, otherwise if it's cheaper stuff bought in (it's cheaper than hiring) they may then make you an offer to keep it for a nominal price.

Assuming they have bought in cheaper goods for the rental property.

If the case is this, have an idea that they would have had to pay anyway for the emergency furniture as part of the alternative accommodation costs, so this would already be your entitlement under the policy.

That doesn't mean it's yours from the outset, but for an adjuster to sell on or dispose would be a pain. Adjusters and underwriters don't have big warehouses full of kit waiting to go to auction.

I'd offer 25% telling them it doesn't affect the overall entitlement under the policy (i.e. they still have to pay out as they would had you not accepted the goods).

kiagirl

Thanks for responding. It came from a furniture and removal company in Fyfe, they brought it down and stayed in a hotel for a night and came first thing the next day to instal it all and unpack them all. I did wonder if they would have bought it outright under the alt accom section of the policy. The guys who brought said it wouldn't be worth their while to come back and collect it and ship it back there.

Paddyandstumpy Yes they said the insurance co would try it rather than buy it again. I have no idea on a nominal fee as I can't see anything g on it when I've done a google search.

Thanks Mungo, that's a good starting point.

Quentin

Second hand furniture goes for next to nothing in auction, and you would presumably have to arrange carriage/delivery

Make no more than 10% of retail value your final offer