DAS Loss Assist appoint CCS panel member to Leeds laundry fire

DAS appointed CCS panel member Thompson & Bryan in February to deal with an extensive fire claim on behalf of a policyholder under their Loss Assist claims fees scheme.

Details of the work undertaken by T&B is set out below.

Initial work

We attended site within 24 hours and began the process of detailing damage to equipment and customer property. We discussed with the insured the business interruption cover available under the policy and alternatives they might consider to help them retain their customer base, including sub-contracting work to other laundries.

Potential indemnity issues

Following a meeting with the insurer it became clear that there were issues within the Statement of Fact provided by the insured that they wanted to investigate further, which could result in policy liability being denied.

The additional investigations included appointing a forensic scientist to establish the cause of the fire. This work involved taking statements from employees and interrogating the alarm and CCTV footage from the night of the fire. As these investigations progressed it became clear that the cause of the fire could result in the insured being in breach of policy conditions.

Quick action

We were determined to make sure that the insurer took into account mitigating factors that were in danger of being ignored.

We advised the client to instruct their own firm of forensic scientists and through our extensive network were able to recommend a suitable firm. The scientist conducted his investigation into the fire, which included analysis of the conclusions produced by the insurer’s forensic team and a review of the statements and CCTV recording.

Our scientist’s report concluded that the cause of the fire could not be disputed. It also raised a number of issues that could affect the implication of the policy requirements and whether insurers could rely on these to deny policy liability.

Throughout this process we maintained a constant dialogue with the client’s insurance broker, keeping them up to date with all the developments. This enabled the broker to make separate representations directly to insurers in support of the policyholder.

The result

Following the submission of our findings to the loss adjuster and after further negotiations, the insurer agreed to accept liability and deal with the claim under the terms of the policy.

This enabled us to immediately negotiate a substantial interim payment for our client and agree the machinery replacement costs so that the orders for new equipment could be placed quickly.

Summary

Without professional help the client would have struggled to reach a settlement with insurers. The combined efforts of the forensic scientist, broker and T&B, working in a coordinated way culminated in a positive result being reached.

The client was very impressed that we had access to similar professions as those appointed by insurers, which is one of the reasons why special praise must go to the client for having the foresight to purchase a DAS claims fees insurance policy from their broker.

Client comment

 “… From the first phone call and our initial first meeting I knew I had a formidable team representing me. The quality of the advice and manner in which it was given filled me with confidence. 

"Not knowing if the insurance were going to accept liability was so frustrating but John Leivers remained calm throughout, which really helped me to remain positive about the final outcome of my claim. He is a very shrewd negotiator and I am so pleased he was on my side. I cannot praise John Leivers and Thompson and Bryan enough.

"The £40 premium I paid for my claims fees policy is, without a doubt, the best £40 I have ever spent!”

CCS Managing Director Paul Lawrence in the news

Paul Lawrence was asked to comment on the flooding debate recently following the announcement by the Prime Minister of a £10 million fund to help small businesses.

Paul spoke in his capacity as Managing Director of Thompson & Bryan, the company that provides the loss adjusting services for DAS Loss Assist policyholders.

Paul reflected on how the industry can help going forward and the first crucial steps that should be followed after a flood to prevent adversely affecting an insurance claim. You can read the full article by following this link

Flood victims in Hull benefit from CCS claims expertise

CCS appointed claims panel member Thompson & Bryan to help a number of businesses in Hull following a combination of high tides and strong winds caused severe flooding throughout Hull and the surrounding areas in early December.

Below are a few examples of the businesses our panel member managed to help and support. In every case they were on-site within 24 hours of the flooding.

Humber Properties Ltd, Hull

Humber Properties are landlord to a variety of businesses and the floods affected many of their tenants occupying office space on the ground and first floors.

The ground floor, exterior yards and parking areas were flooded with up to 12 inches of water that left behind a residue of mud and silt.

Because of the extensive damage Humber Properties faced considerable loss of rental income from tenants who had been forced to evacuate and relocate.

Action Taken

We worked with Humber Properties to produce a plan of action that immediately mitigated further losses. Generators were hired to provide electricity for the first floor tenants, initial cleaning and stripping out was undertaken and dryers were installed.

Surveyors were appointed quickly and a schedule of repairs have been produced and sent out to tender.

M H Industrial Ltd, Hull

Water and mud residue caused considerable damage to the Company’s offices, warehouse and manufacturing areas as the floods receded.
Damage to machinery had an immediate and serious impact on the business and damage to their forklift truck fleet restricted their ability to rent them out to customers. Further extensive damage to the company’s ground floor hit their computer installations, including the main server, which was rendered inoperative.

Action Taken

Our first task was to quickly evaluate the losses by accurately detailing the extent of damage to machinery and equipment. To get the office back in action we quickly organised sub-contractors to install temporary computer systems. This element of the claim was agreed with insurers within 5 days.

Jenko Ltd, Hull

In this incident most of the damage from the water and mud residue was to the company’s offices, including computer networks, printing machines and paper and ink stocks, the latter being particularly susceptible to damp conditions.

Action Taken

To help our client deal with the immediate issues of replacing equipment we quickly reached an agreement on interim payments with the insurer’s adjusters. We were able to do this successfully by accurately assessing and agreeing the extent of the damage.
In parallel a specialist damage restoration company was instructed to carry out removal of the remaining water and install drying equipment. A surveyor was then appointed to identify the damage to the building and produce a schedule of repairs required.

Summary

The only thing our clients had in common was geography. Despite damage being caused by the same event these examples prove the frequently repeated phrase: ‘every claim is different.’

We selected Thompson & Bryan because they really understand that. They get to work fast, prioritise quickly and concentrate on the things that are important to the client. Every claim may be different but our proactive approach never changes.