Subsidence & Insurance Claim/Repair Questions

fgcann001

Hi,
We live in a cottage and have experience subsidence after the super hot summer a couple of years ago, this was due to a tree in the garden - which the insurance company arranged to have removed.
We are now at the stage of getting quotations, for which I sent them through and they've queried the amount as it's 3 x times higher than they expected.  They sent an assessor who came to view and he said it would probably be that much due to the extra cracks that have appeared.  I have a couple of questions/queries as to what we should accept and what we shouldn't, and hoped someone is able to help/advise:

• Nearly every room required repair and repainting due to cracks on walls and ceilings.  This has not been an issue.  However, we need plaster removed in chunks and walls re-plastering.  There has also been two areas of damp which have arisen since the subsidence issue - the assessor said this is just salt and happens, should this be repaired though as it arose when the subsidence happened.
• The stairs have come away from the wall too where a lot of the cracks have appeared.  They have agreed to fix this and repaint the gloss on that particular area - but we have gloss painted hand rails/ballustrade and skirting from the hall to the landing - should the glossing not be included for that as it will be a different colour?
• There is mortar in places on the cottage (front/back/side) and there are cracks from the subsidence in some of these areas which need repair - they have said they'll repair the mortar but won't paint it.  Is that right?  I thought they had to make good and it'll look rather odd and horrible if the mortar is repaired and then a different colour to the rest of the mortar.  What should I do, just accept the repair to the cracks or push for the whole outside mortar to be re-painted so it's all the same colour.
• There are 3 x feature walls in each bedroom which do not show signs of cracking, but the walls and ceilings all need repair - would this mean they'd have to strip the wallpaper off and re-wallpaper those individual walls as part of the repair/redecoration?
• Also, our chimney is badly leaking smoke now too - so we are requesting the builder review this to check if there are cracks caused by subsidence in the chimney breast inside the roof (ceilings have smoke damage and house filled with smoke from the loft into the house when had one open fire in winter this year).  Hence our worry that the chimney is compromised - should I make sure that this is included.

The assessor wants to come back out with the building company when they visit - is this normal?

Appreciate any guidance that can be given.

Thanks.
fgcann

DullGreyGuy

Have you checked your policy to see if it has Matching Set cover or not? 

With Matching Set cover they need to deal with things that match each other irrespective if they are all damaged or just some. Without matching set cover they are only obliged to deal with the items that are damaged, they need to make reasonable endeavours to make the match the rest but if paint colours are slightly different etc then... Depending on exactly what it is then they may be required to make a 50% contribution towards making the rest match the replaced/repaired aspects. 

BarelySentientAI

fgcann001 said:

The assessor wants to come back out with the building company when they visit - is this normal?

I can't beat what DGG said about matching set, but for this point it's pretty usual for the Adjuster (not Assessor, they have a different role) or another relevant expert to visit - especially if there's a debate about what should/should not be included and the price is so much different from the expectation.

DullGreyGuy

BarelySentientAI said:

fgcann001 said:

The assessor wants to come back out with the building company when they visit - is this normal?

I can't beat what DGG said about matching set, but for this point it's pretty usual for the Adjuster (not Assessor, they have a different role) or another relevant expert to visit - especially if there's a debate about what should/should not be included and the price is so much different from the expectation.

From classic insurance terminology that would be correct, Adjustor works for the insurer and an Assessor works for the insured. Same training/expertise, just representing the opposite parties. 

That said, Insurance is an industry divided by a common language and some companies do call their loss adjustors an assessor. 

fgcann001

Thanks - I can't find anything that relates to the detail in how they will make repairs - I've looked in the handbook online and my policy - it doesn't state anything.  Would I have had to ask for this specifically? Where would I find this if it is written in the policy?

It was the contracts Manager who came down to assess and has decided to get the insurance company's own builders onto it - they have yet to contact me though, but the contract manager has been already - but sounds like he'll come again with the building company - not that it's a problem at all, just seems weird.  Why didn't they both come togther originally - I don't have loads of time to keep showing people every crack in the house!!!

Also, is it right that I pay the £1k up front before the contractors have been agreed and the work isn't yet done?

DullGreyGuy

You'd normally be able to find it by searching the document for "matching" or "undamaged" 

The excess is payable once the claim has been accepted, some will ask you to directly pay it, some will just short authorise the work to the builders and they collect it or they cash settle less the excess.

BarelySentientAI

DullGreyGuy said:

BarelySentientAI said:

fgcann001 said:

The assessor wants to come back out with the building company when they visit - is this normal?

I can't beat what DGG said about matching set, but for this point it's pretty usual for the Adjuster (not Assessor, they have a different role) or another relevant expert to visit - especially if there's a debate about what should/should not be included and the price is so much different from the expectation.

From classic insurance terminology that would be correct, Adjustor works for the insurer and an Assessor works for the insured. Same training/expertise, just representing the opposite parties. 

That said, Insurance is an industry divided by a common language and some companies do call their loss adjustors an assessor. 

And the best assessors that I've worked with used to be adjusters but jumped ship.  It is amazing how, in an industry that relies so much on wording, we can't keep to agreed terminology.

Could be down to the call-centre mentality for claim handlers that seems to be replacing the properly expert adjusters in many places, but that could just be me being old-fashioned.

fgcann001

Found the matching set info and it's not covered - so I'm assuming that they plaster the cracks, but don't have to paint say the area to cover the new plaster?  Our Front part of the masonry is cracked, but would they just leave it with the new plaster and not re-paint it at all?

BarelySentientAI

fgcann001 said:

Found the matching set info and it's not covered - so I'm assuming that they plaster the cracks, but don't have to paint say the area to cover the new plaster?  Our Front part of the masonry is cracked, but would they just leave it with the new plaster and not re-paint it at all?

If it's painted now, they will paint it.  With something that attempts to match the rest.

They probably won't repaint anything that hasn't been replastered though.

Similar answer applies for all the other parts. 

DullGreyGuy

BarelySentientAI said:
And the best assessors that I've worked with used to be adjusters but jumped ship.  It is amazing how, in an industry that relies so much on wording, we can't keep to agreed terminology.

Could be down to the call-centre mentality for claim handlers that seems to be replacing the properly expert adjusters in many places, but that could just be me being old-fashioned.

I think marketing have more to do with it than anything... "adjusting" could have negative connotations as most will assume there is only one direction in which the adjustments will go (though in a prior fire claim the adjustor actually increased the claim) whereas an "assessor" is a little more neutral. 

Similarly when the FSA was getting stricter on non-advisory business it was decided to rename our "Customer Service Advisors" because the name implied they advised and they were about to become Cust Serv Executives until some iNED stated he was concerned people may mistake them for board members (cos board members really take dozens of phone calls an hour from customers). 

The schisms are much bigger between Lloyds and Company business and Life & non-life. A number of big insurers have entered the Lloyds market and have had to sign up to 3-5 year support contracts as they just really struggle to understand how the market operates etc or fundamentals like what Company calls GWP in Lloyds is GGWP