Loss assessor - worth appointing early?

michellecovell

Over the weekend, we had a car crash into the house.
It's breached the external wall and done a number on our kitchen.
It's a total mess and damaged the corner of the house to the point of structural repairs/ rebuild being needed. 

Not to go into too much detail into the damage but we expect this is going to cost 10s of thousands to get fixed including a replacement kitchen.

We are waiting for our insurance company to get an appointment for a loss adjuster (Sedgwick we believe, but they don't rate well online).

The question is, the claim will ultimately be against the driver's insurance company but I hear loss adjusters try and keep the claim as low as possible. Is this likely the same strategy they'll employ on our claim, even though it's a 3rd pty insurer ultimately covering the costs/paying out?

Are we best getting our own loss assessor now to ensure we get the best/fair payout?

Is there any chance we will recover the cost of a loss assessor as part if the claim as it will be a 3rd pty insurer paying out?

TELLIT01

Wait until the insurer's loss assessor's report arrives and take it from there.  If you believe the figures are too low question them with your insurer.  No point paying out for your own assessor if the initial figures are OK.

Smithcom

michellecovell said:

Over the weekend, we had a car crash into the house.
It's breached the external wall and done a number on our kitchen.
It's a total mess and damaged the corner of the house to the point of structural repairs/ rebuild being needed. 

Not to go into too much detail into the damage but we expect this is going to cost 10s of thousands to get fixed including a replacement kitchen.

We are waiting for our insurance company to get an appointment for a loss adjuster (Sedgwick we believe, but they don't rate well online).

The question is, the claim will ultimately be against the driver's insurance company but I hear loss adjusters try and keep the claim as low as possible. Is this likely the same strategy they'll employ on our claim, even though it's a 3rd pty insurer ultimately covering the costs/paying out?

Are we best getting our own loss assessor now to ensure we get the best/fair payout?

Is there any chance we will recover the cost of a loss assessor as part if the claim as it will be a 3rd pty insurer paying out?

Please bear in mind that, if your own insurer are initially dealing with the claim (which is almost certainly the best thing to do), they may not be able to recover 100% of their outlay.

This is because your policy coverage could be wider than the liability that is owed by a 3rd party to you.

Has your insurer intimated if they plan to use their own repairer network?     You may possibly wish to look at your own contractor. 

A loss assessor could add value, but they will charge you a percentage of the claim, and it's unlikely to be recoverable.

There is a half-way house available, which is a building network/assessor like Aspray (other firms are available!). People may have varying views on this type of company, but the ones I have used, I have found to be very helpful and useful and add loads of value to the process.     There should be no charge for this type of service, except to the extent that they will require you to utilise their repair services.

I hope the matter is progressing for you.  Sounds like a right old pain

SC

DullGreyGuy

michellecovell said:

The question is, the claim will ultimately be against the driver's insurance company but I hear loss adjusters try and keep the claim as low as possible. Is this likely the same strategy they'll employ on our claim, even though it's a 3rd pty insurer ultimately covering the costs/paying out?

Are we best getting our own loss assessor now to ensure we get the best/fair payout?

Is there any chance we will recover the cost of a loss assessor as part if the claim as it will be a 3rd pty insurer paying out?

As a claimant against the driver you are entitled to indemnity which means being put into the same financial position as you were moments before the accident. So if you had a 10 year old dishwasher thats been damaged beyond repair you are entitled to a 10 year old dishwasher.

Most home insurance is written on a new for old basis not indemnity and so that 10 year old Miele dishwasher gets replaced with  a brand new Miele dishwasher which costs a lot more than the value pf a 10 year old one. The third party insurer is unlikely to payout on brand new items to replace old items.

Loss Adjusters help the insurer to ensure a value for money settlement inside the terms of the policy, the fact they'll get some of the monies back from the third party doesnt change their role and their job towards your insurer.

You could appoint a loss assessor but its highly unlikely their cost would be recoverable, though they naturally say their advices will most likely increase your settlement by more than what their fees are. It would be slightly perverse for the TP to pay for your insurers loss adjuster to keep the claim low and your loss assessor to inflate your claim. 

michellecovell

Thanks for the replies so far, they've been very helpful. 
We managed to get the loss adjuster company changed. In fact, the insurance company realised that the claim would likely move into a higher threshold for them and so appointed another firm that handles their larger claims. They seem fairly good so far, pretty efficient. 
I'm not sure if the fact we have a good policy / level of cover in place, which has helped get things moving. 
They have already had the engineers round to stabilise the property / support the walls but we haven't had anything yet on the schedule of works or what is being planned for the replacement kitchen. Will see how it progresses for now. 

DullGreyGuy

The biggest issue with claims about kitchens is when people dont have Matching Sets cover, if you have a high tier policy as you state hopefully you have this coverage.

michellecovell

The level of cover we have is categorised as 'Platinum'. I read through the entire policy after it happened to be clear what we were covered for and gladly there is a section on matched cover. 

Situations like this though, you don't always know what you are going to need/be covered for until you are put into a situation where you need it. 

We are still in the early stages of making good and of the claim but as it's stands, I'm relieved we seem to have sufficient cover for it.

DullGreyGuy

michellecovell said:

I read through the entire policy after it happened to be clear what we were covered for and gladly there is a section on matched cover. 

Situations like this though, you don't always know what you are going to need/be covered for until you are put into a situation where you need it. 

Matching set cover is one of those things that most people could do with, especially on buildings, but people just assume that if one wall in a fully tiled bathroom is damaged that the insurer will retile the whole room if matching tiles dont exist but thats not the case without it. Same goes for kitchen units/doors, sofas, same carpets/laminate in multiple rooms etc.

They seem to assume matching set is if you have matching earrings and necklaces and lose one or the other... it does that too but its not just that. 

michellecovell

It's exactly what we're experiencing. The flooring runs right through from the kitchen to the diner (open plan) and also into the hallway (no door runners or dividers). It seems the whole lot might end up having to be replaced. I would want that to be confirmed in writing though