Home Insurance Discussion

youth_leader

The Complex Claims handler is coming at 12 noon today.  A million thanks for your help Doc_N, I just feel better that someone has heard me. 

Doc_N

youth_leader said:

The Complex Claims handler is coming at 12 noon today.  A million thanks for your help Doc_N, I just feel better that someone has heard me. 

Excellent news!  Really pleased to hear that - hope you get everything resolved quickly and satisfactorily. 

Pete_and_Marg

Good news for once! Just went to renew my home insurance with Halifax - having checked a couple of comparison sites and got nothing as cheap as their renewal quote. I phoned them to see if I could get a discount, and tweak a couple of details on the schedule. Yes I could get a bit of discount, but they also told me they now have a different insurance product for which there's an automatic 10% discount if you get it online, which might turn out cheaper. And indeed it did, about £50 less than their best quote on the phone for better cover. It's not on comparison sites, so I suggest this is another one that's worth looking at directly. Other banks in the same group e.g. Lloyds would probably have the same product.

youth_leader

The Complex Claims handler bought a surveyor with him, and my very kind surveyor also attended.  The company hope to make the roof watertight on Wednesday, then send in their 'drying out' department. 

The surveyor said their roofer teams are busy for the next twelve weeks, some people have lost their whole roof, so they are going to pay me cash so I can try to find my own roofer.  As I will have to have the whole roof done, my surveyor suggested I have it insulated.  He is actively looking for someone to do it for me.

So very very glad I came on here in my frantic state, I feel so much more positive, thank you so very much for helping me.  My kids are quite impressed, I did give you the credit! 

Doc_N

youth_leader said:

The Complex Claims handler bought a surveyor with him, and my very kind surveyor also attended.  The company hope to make the roof watertight on Wednesday, then send in their 'drying out' department. 

The surveyor said their roofer teams are busy for the next twelve weeks, some people have lost their whole roof, so they are going to pay me cash so I can try to find my own roofer.  As I will have to have the whole roof done, my surveyor suggested I have it insulated.  He is actively looking for someone to do it for me.

So very very glad I came on here in my frantic state, I feel so much more positive, thank you so very much for helping me.  My kids are quite impressed, I did give you the credit! 

Not at all - delighted to have been able to help, and my wife's as pleased as I am that you've been able to get something sorted out.  We were both horrified at your situation.

Thanks for feeding back - always nice to see a good outcome - and hope you get everything completely resolved soon.  Have a great Christmas!  

tg99

Hi, I know I’ll need to ready my policy details in full but in the first instance does anyone know if you would normally need to inform your buildings insurer of an attempted break in even though not making a claim (as only superficial damage to window)? Separately I have contents insurance but no contents were accessed given the break in was unsuccessful.
thanks 

youth_leader

Sorry I can't help tg99.

I've just popped in with an update, I don't really know what to do now. 

The insurer's sent a very pleasant roofer on Thursday, who went up and did something, and said I should be watertight.  The drying agent came about an hour later with a huge red drying machine, asked a lot of questions, he left me at 4.30 pm.

At 9.30 pm we had torrential rain - and I had torrential rain inside the extension.

I texted the drying agent to say water was pouring in and he could collect the machine on his way through if he wished, but he told me to keep it running.

The next morning I went onto the customer portal, said I wasn't watertight, and was still running the drying machine as instructed.
I also asked if I was lucky enough to find a roofer, if I had permission to instruct.

All I got in reply was a cash settlement message, a blanket figure, listed under Building Damages.  No breakdown at all, and the insurer's surveyor had said that he would send a schedule of works. 

I've no experience with trades and don't know what this settlement figure is supposed to cover.  I can't believe tomorrow is the start of week three and I've still got a leaking roof, but now a hugely hot empty lounge and kitchen. 

Doc_N

youth_leader said:

Sorry I can't help tg99.

I've just popped in with an update, I don't really know what to do now. 

The insurer's sent a very pleasant roofer on Thursday, who went up and did something, and said I should be watertight.  The drying agent came about an hour later with a huge red drying machine, asked a lot of questions, he left me at 4.30 pm.

At 9.30 pm we had torrential rain - and I had torrential rain inside the extension.

I texted the drying agent to say water was pouring in and he could collect the machine on his way through if he wished, but he told me to keep it running.

The next morning I went onto the customer portal, said I wasn't watertight, and was still running the drying machine as instructed.
I also asked if I was lucky enough to find a roofer, if I had permission to instruct.

All I got in reply was a cash settlement message, a blanket figure, listed under Building Damages.  No breakdown at all, and the insurer's surveyor had said that he would send a schedule of works. 

I've no experience with trades and don't know what this settlement figure is supposed to cover.  I can't believe tomorrow is the start of week three and I've still got a leaking roof, but now a hugely hot empty lounge and kitchen. 

Sorry to hear that - not at all what you were expecting.  I'm afraid building work, and organising it, is way beyond my competence, but have you accepted a cash settlement from the insurer?  If that's the case, it will be down to you to organise the work, but your mention earlier of a surveyor suggested to me that you had a surveyor organising it for you.  

The schedule of works is certainly needed, but the downside of a cash settlement is that it's you, rather than the insurer, having to organise the work - and deal with any issues arising from it.

If the cash settlement has been accepted you may have to stick with it - but part of the deal (if it's actually been concluded) was the schedule of works.  If it hasn't been accepted, and you don't have a surveyor overseeing it, it might be worth reconsidering.  What do your children say?  Do they have the ability to sort out the works for you?

One thing I would say, if you are doing the work, is that you do need (I know it's obvious, but it's worth mentioning) a competent and reliable, recommended roofer.  That's where insurers come in handy - they have their own lists, and they take responsibility for the work.  If you don't mind my asking, how big a job is it?

youth_leader

Morning Doc_N, I spent a sleepness night wondering if the tarpaulin would fly off, we had such strong winds.

Unfortunately only half the roof broke off, it is resin, so half remains over the bathroom and back bedroom.  My surveyor, who surveyed the property for me when I purchased, said the insurance company would only repair the broken half, and to ask for a cash settlement so I could replace the whole roof and have it insulated at the same time. 

He thinks the cash settlement figure they have offered only covers repairing the broken 'half'.  So far not a roofer to be had for love nor money, so I have no idea what repairing the half or replacing the whole will cost.  He is coming today to look at the customer portal with me to see what has been said, I can only access the portal with a code sent to my phone.

I don't even know if it's possible to fully waterproof an open hole with a tarpaulin, perhaps the man that came on Thursday did everything that is possible.  

My kids are not able to help me, too young and too distant.  

It is a big job, about 40 foot wide by 12 deep.  

Thanks for writing, I feel so helpless and desperate.  

Doc_N

youth_leader said:

Morning Doc_N, I spent a sleepness night wondering if the tarpaulin would fly off, we had such strong winds.

Unfortunately only half the roof broke off, it is resin, so half remains over the bathroom and back bedroom.  My surveyor, who surveyed the property for me when I purchased, said the insurance company would only repair the broken half, and to ask for a cash settlement so I could replace the whole roof and have it insulated at the same time. 

He thinks the cash settlement figure they have offered only covers repairing the broken 'half'.  So far not a roofer to be had for love nor money, so I have no idea what repairing the half or replacing the whole will cost.  He is coming today to look at the customer portal with me to see what has been said, I can only access the portal with a code sent to my phone.

I don't even know if it's possible to fully waterproof an open hole with a tarpaulin, perhaps the man that came on Thursday did everything that is possible.  

My kids are not able to help me, too young and too distant.  

It is a big job, about 40 foot wide by 12 deep.  

Thanks for writing, I feel so helpless and desperate.  

I think your best bet is to take the advice of your surveyor, assuming that he's qualified and competent.  I don't know how big the claim is, but it strikes me that the amount the insurer is due to pay could well be arguable in the circumstances you outline.  

This article may be of use, depending on the size of the claim:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/loss-assessors/

Frankly, if you feel unable (and it's entirely understandable) to organise the work you'd be better off allowing the insurer to do it - have you agreed to the cash settlement, or is it still under negotiation?