The Great Hunt: Have you used a loss assessor to help with an insurance claim – and was it worth it?

LesD

Lots of confusion here between assessors and adjusters - despite this being clear in the OP!
So I thought I'd contribute about the ADJUSTER we had to deal with when burgled about 10 years ago.
Many computer games stolen along with the consoles.  A good job my son works in the industry.  The LA said we couldn't claim as the games could be re-downloaded.  My son pointed out that any downloads are tied to the consoles so couldn't be downloaded to any replacement machines.
The moral is.....never believe a word any adjuster says.  They are only interested in proving that you're underinsured!  As soon as we proved we weren't, they upsticks and settled the claim.

Sardeman

I had invaluable help from a Loss Assessor for an insurance claim which he assessed at around £25k. The damage to my property resulted from a leaking shower undiscovered for many months. He was precise, courteous and was great at removing stress. I even managed to show a very small profit after settling with the contractor. I would thoroughly recommend using an LA for any sizeable insurance claim, however since their fees are usually around 10% of the proposed amount claimed, they are unlikely to be interested in accepting small fry.
Simon.

Eileenpamela

We used a loss assessor when our house was flooded for the third time in 3 weeks in November 2012 in Devon. The house next door also flooded on the third time ours did. We used the same loss assessor so he was rubbing his hands at how much money he was going to make. Not only from us and our insurance but from the builders/craftsmen he was using.

There was no quality control or checking of the work that was quoted for was being carried out. We all had to move to temporary accommodation and if we hadn’t checked in daily we would not have realised that insulation was NOT being installed that was quoted for and agreed by the insurance loss adjuster had passed. We discovered very shoddy work. If we hadn’t managed to negotiate that the insurance company paid direct to us and not the loss assessor, we would have been left with the shoddy work. We were able to hold back money from the builder until the work was completed to our satisfaction. Of course, the work was not done, but we could then afford to employ alternative trades people to do the work. I must add that not all those trades used were bad, for instance the tanking,  kitchen and electricians were amazing. It was the builders, mainly, who thought they could do other trades, like insulation and plumbing!!! 

On our claim, the loss assessor claimed for storage of our furniture for 8 months when it had been delivered to our own temporary accommodation. A very nice earner for the loss assessor and an arrangement he had with the storage company. When I realised and informed the insurance company, they were  not interested in pursuing it. 

We also provided evidence to the insurance company of the responsibility that Devon CC had in not repairing the drains in the village that had been designated as ‘urgent’ 3 years earlier. The insurance company was able to claim 70% of our claim from them and Devon CC also carried out the replacement of the drains in the village which means we have not been flooded since. We are not in a flood risk area but are still penalised by alternative insurers for having been flooded at all.
 As for loss assessors, be careful who you use. If you use the insurance company builders you get a guarantee for the work. 

egarobar

A good many years ago, the flat which I rented and shared with some friends was damaged by fire. We came home to find the fire brigade clearing up - quite a shock. A loss assessor turned up in the street, and offered his services. He went around the property with us and made a list of the items damaged. I was quite surprised at the things that he told us were damaged beyond repair, and would need to be replaced. But he was right - e.g. the stereo would have been affected internally by the smoke - and the insurance company paid the full amount of the claim. I am glad to have had the help, because I would not have claimed so highly and would have put up with a lesser amount of help, which would have been more stressful.

walesdave

Can anyone advise how they found a good loss assessor as I've got a disputed Buildings Insurance claim I might need a hand with (there's a thread about it - conservatory subsidence)?
I spent the evening looking online but a lot of companies look like the sort of 'If there's a blame there's a claim / Ever had PPI etc.'  sharks who promise the world then rip you off while delivering the minimum.
lossassessors.org looked good but when I follow the links to 'subsidence' assessors a lot of websites are out of date or not taking any new cases on.
Cheers

Zana711

walesdave said:

Can anyone advise how they found a good loss assessor as I've got a disputed Buildings Insurance claim I might need a hand with (there's a thread about it - conservatory subsidence)?
I spent the evening looking online but a lot of companies look like the sort of 'If there's a blame there's a claim / Ever had PPI etc.'  sharks who promise the world then rip you off while delivering the minimum.
lossassessors.org looked good but when I follow the links to 'subsidence' assessors a lot of websites are out of date or not taking any new cases on.
Cheers

I'm not sure that this is necessarily the best way but I found my loss assessor through finding building companies that specialise in specific issues, in my case, water damage restoration from flood. I called a few construction firms that claims to have the expertise for water damage restoration and at least two offered the services of a loss assessor that works for an affiliated firm. I was told that there would be no upfront payment to the loss assessor if I agreed to use contractors affiliated with the loss assessor for refurbishing my flat (but I did agree to a 10% fee for my contents claim.)
I interviewed the "free" loss assessor and it was evident that he has worked on many flood related insurance claims and knew exactly what to do. I'm sure that had I been less clueless about how to go about an insurance claim, I would have done more "homework" but I was very lucky to have stumbled onto someone who could help this way. 
The loss assessor has since introduced a surveyor & multiple builders to refurbish my flat. I have found that an added benefit to hiring contractors this way is that the "team" have typically worked together on many jobs before and they coordinate very well between them - everyone from the floorboards fitter, plumber, kitchen fitter, project manager to surveyor know each other well. No doubt they too benefit financially from being the preferred contractors to this loss assessor firm but I have also saved time in not having to find these contractors myself, get quotes and ensure that they coordinate with each other in getting the job done.
So perhaps you find a builder that specialises in subsidence and see which loss assessor firms they're affiliated with?

Alex0857

Eileenpamela said:

We used a loss assessor when our house was flooded for the third time in 3 weeks in November 2012 in Devon. The house next door also flooded on the third time ours did. We used the same loss assessor so he was rubbing his hands at how much money he was going to make. Not only from us and our insurance but from the builders/craftsmen he was using.

There was no quality control or checking of the work that was quoted for was being carried out. We all had to move to temporary accommodation and if we hadn’t checked in daily we would not have realised that insulation was NOT being installed that was quoted for and agreed by the insurance loss adjuster had passed. We discovered very shoddy work. If we hadn’t managed to negotiate that the insurance company paid direct to us and not the loss assessor, we would have been left with the shoddy work. We were able to hold back money from the builder until the work was completed to our satisfaction. Of course, the work was not done, but we could then afford to employ alternative trades people to do the work. I must add that not all those trades used were bad, for instance the tanking,  kitchen and electricians were amazing. It was the builders, mainly, who thought they could do other trades, like insulation and plumbing!!! 

On our claim, the loss assessor claimed for storage of our furniture for 8 months when it had been delivered to our own temporary accommodation. A very nice earner for the loss assessor and an arrangement he had with the storage company. When I realised and informed the insurance company, they were  not interested in pursuing it. 

We also provided evidence to the insurance company of the responsibility that Devon CC had in not repairing the drains in the village that had been designated as ‘urgent’ 3 years earlier. The insurance company was able to claim 70% of our claim from them and Devon CC also carried out the replacement of the drains in the village which means we have not been flooded since. We are not in a flood risk area but are still penalised by alternative insurers for having been flooded at all.
 As for loss assessors, be careful who you use. If you use the insurance company builders you get a guarantee for the work. 

I am currently using a loss assessor for my subsidence claim. Instead of claiming for cash settlement for me the loss assessor tells the insurer that they will do the repair job, without asking for my consent. I have been asking the loss assessor to show me the proposal from the insurer but they refuse. They keep telling me verbally that insurer will normally do a poor repair and they instead do very good repair for my house and I don't have to pay them any fees. They avoid my questions of the difference between their proposal and the insurer's proposal.  I understand that the insurer's loss adjuster's job is to save money for the insurer so they tend to ask their contractor to do just the decoration jobs. However they are obliged by law to do a proper repair job and provide a guarantee. If I go with my loss assessor's repair then there is no guarantee of what they do, especially I find that they have not been very honest with me and not passing all the information from the insurer to me. I have heard many people saying how happy they are with their loss assessors repairing their flooded home for them saving them time and hassle, but I suppose that's the difference between flooding and subsidence cases, or I just happen to be the very unfortunate one? What shall I do now? Thanks for your time.

winsand23

Hi

I have a commercial property set out as a shop and two maisonettes.. Some unusual cracks appeared at the property.
I am insured for subsidence and accidental damage, and have been for more that 30 years with the same insurer., RSA. I also have a LOREGA policy.

As the property had been previously underpinned (under the RSA insurance policy) , I contacted my Broker. RSA sent out Crawford Subsidence  Surveyor, who identified in his opinion areas of subsidence (thought to be caused by neighbouring trees)  and also accidental damage by the property next door in the terrace pulling on my property due to subsidence. He advised opening another claim for accidental damage with RSA.

We are now 2 years on. Trees have been removed, trial pits dug. monitoring has taken place, a certificate of adequacy has been issued by Crawford's for RSA. (No Engineer's name on the certificate, and to my knowledge Crawford never sent a structural engineer out, although I asked and asked and pleaded with them).RSA are refusing (so far) to further continue insuring subsidence cover on my property having insured this risk with me for more than 30 years. 

The accidental damage hasn't been attended to at all. My Broker seems unable to get LOREGA to act for me under their accidental damage policy until they have proof the damage isn't being caused by subsidence.

My tenants want to know when the works will be done. Crawford are sending out a building contractor to assess the repairs under subsidence cover in the next fortnight. No mention of accidental damage works at all.

Can any one with knowledge of insurance claims help? What are my insurance options going forward please?

Annemos

Just to say. I am not an expert, but have had a Tree Root Subsidence claim for a home. 

I have always thought that Accidental Damage was for a "sudden and unexpected event". 

I feel like your damage must all have been caused by Subsidence. So it would be all part of your Subsidence Claim? 


If this was a home, I know we all have certain rights about "Repairs must be lasting and effective".  (If repairs fail, they have to re-open the old claim.)  Also we have rights re "continuation of cover" after a home has had Subsidence.

And we can go to the FOS for assistance  on these issues if we are not happy, as a homeowner. 


But I really do not know what happens when the property is a Commercial Property. It may be that they have no obligation to provide Continuation of Cover? 

But I think you would have rights if the repairs were to fail again. I think I have seen FOS decisions about Rental Properties, but I am not sure whether a shop makes a difference? 


(Just to add, the Cert of Struct Adequacy will be necessary when you go to a Broker to source a new policy. Mine also did not have the name of an Engineer on it. Just the Company name.

Also you may need to get your own Structural Engineer in to look at the property and provide a report for a new Insurer/Broker. And he/she can check that what RSA have advised as remedy and repairs seems reasonable.)

Annemos

https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/topics-and-issues/flooding/recovering-from-a-flood/guidance-on-continuation-of-buildings-insurance-cover-while-a-property-is-undergoing-repairs/


I found this on the ABI website. It is in the Flooding section. But as you read through it, it seems to apply in general. And also to Commercial Properties. As an ABI member they should not be dropping you, if you are still in the middle of a Claim. (Claim is not closed, repairs not yet done.)