If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to make a claim on your building insurance it is worth obtaining some advice on how best to approach matters. Managing a claim can be stressful and fraught with issues that homeowners are not commonly accustomed with. A chartered surveyor can represent your interests and guide you through the process, helping to take the load of you and allow you to have one point of contact who you can trust. We feel this is an invaluable service and in the vast majority of cases our costs are agreed with and covered by the insurance company if the progression of a claim is successful.
Claims can arise from various incidents such as fires, leaks, floods, subsidence and more. In most cases one of our surveyors can assess the cause, scale and cost of the damage and advise on whether it is appropriate for a claim to be made. Depending on the nature of your claim, your insurer may ask you to obtain an independent report from a chartered surveyor in order to progress it further.
Insurance companies commonly appoint a loss adjustor to assess whether your claim is covered by your policy and to report their opinion of an appropriate settlement. It is important to recognise that the loss adjustor is appointed by the insurance company to achieve an economical settlement rather than ensure you receive the full cover that you are entitled to under the policy.
MSA provides a full management service acting as the policyholder’s agent from start to finish. We can provide expert advice, technical knowledge, experienced negotiation and project management of any of the repairs or works required.
Our service includes inspecting and reporting on the damage, securing the property and organising emergency repairs, conducting investigations such as soil testing and monitoring, negotiating the extent of the claim and potential cash settlements with the insurer, preparing a specification of works to rectify damage, tendering the works and appointing a contractor, preparing and administering a contract between the policyholder and the contractor, interim valuations and final certificates.
MSA have been involved in a vast array of small and large claims including substantial fire, flood and subsidence total loss claims requiring full demolition and reconstruction of buildings.
If you have recently bought a new build property with a warranty such as those provided by the NHBC or other similar schemes, we can advise on the cover you have under such a warranty, the grounds and the process for making a claim and provide expert reports to substantiate the claim.
Please feel free to contact us to discuss the specific nature of your query.
