Home Insurance Claim - Help Please

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  datafellows on 24/04/2021 - 11:48

  +4

  Get your own quotes and professional assessment of the scope of works and submit to the insurer.

  I went through this. Insurer assessor came to see the hail damage, didn't see the roof at all and said 200 tiles will be replaced and some interior work done. Finally got whole new roof and ceilings and all internal walls painted, new AC and electrical work done. Took 1 year for the work to start.

  • 

    john_conner on 25/04/2021 - 12:47

    Yikes! 1 year is heaps! Glad you got everything you needed in the end. Thanks for sharing.

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  Seraphin7 on 24/04/2021 - 12:01

  +2

  Pay someone to independently prepare a scope of works and/or analyse the information provided by the insurer. This can be used as a basis for comparison and set up an fact-based conversation with the insurer.

  • 

    john_conner on 25/04/2021 - 12:50

    +1

    Thanks, will do

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  AndyC1 on 24/04/2021 - 12:19

  +14

  The insurer is not obliged to provide you with other quotes, but do NOT sign off on anything until you are 1000% okay with what the insurance company wants you to sign, no matter what as once you sign off then the insurance company is off the hook for anything else.

  I had a backyard shed (okay more of a workshop size shed) fire last year and they supplied one quote for replacement of the shed and it was deficient in a number of spots and I went back and said the quote did not include the following and listed the items and also the following items do NOT match what as originally part of the shed and listed what the original and new was and asked that the quote be updated for the missing and wrong sized items. This took two goes to get this right. The shed contents took about 4 months to resolve as they did not allow certain items and I kept remembering things and adding them in, which in the end the amount came to the same amount as I originally claimed.

  Get photos of the house before it was damaged and if you do not have all of the photo's look for sale info from the real estate agent you bought the place off as they may have photo's used for the sale. Use these to ensure that the quote includes the internal work like cornices and other items that may not be standard. This will also show that quality of the rooms w.r.t. finishing, floors and light fittings and built ins.

  Make sure you go though each room and check off what was part of the building like floors, wall paint, built ins, power points, light fittings & fans, light switches, windows, window frames, window blinds and anything else that was nailed or stuck to the walls/ceilings as this is part of the building. Anything not stuck or nailed to the walls is contents, which you also need to claim on. Carpet it part of the building, but rugs are contents.

  To check the finish make sure the painting and finishing on the floor has the correct undercoat and two coats of quality Dulux or Taubmans quality paint, NOT the cheap trade versions. Watch the floor w.r.t. them using water based finishing as it will wear allot more than oil based.

  If you think the insurance company is not doing the right thing then you will need to pay for quotes that are itemized so you can compare against the insurance company quotes.

  • 

    havebeerbelywillsumo on 24/04/2021 - 14:05

    +3

    Now THAT is what I call a helpful reply, well done for all that effort.

  • 

    john_conner on 25/04/2021 - 12:54

    Thanks heaps for sharing your experience, very comprehensive. Some great tips which I hope can help others too!

    Insurance companies can be pretty dodgy, taking their maximum time to decide on claims, which in turn wears you down and more likely just to accept what they have proposed.

    Will definitely pay for quotes and go through everything with a fine tooth comb - going through each room in details seems like a must. Oil vs water based paints! I would have never thought of that but it's actually a very good point!

    Cheers :)

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  [Deactivated] on 25/04/2021 - 18:05

  We had a $65k claim with NRMA for a burst water pipe, I told accessor I wanted a local builder, they were brilliant payed for everything, holiday house for 8 weeks, removalist, dog in kennel, internet, all deposited into my account
  Took 3 months to start and 2 to finish it.

  • 

    john_conner on 26/04/2021 - 12:04

    That's amazing. Yeah but 3 months to start is a bit long. It's because they have 3 months to 'make a determination' which sucks

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 26/04/2021 - 12:16

      Well our's happened on 3/1 so most tradies on holidays for most of January, also the one we chose schedule and we had to find a house to rent etc.
      It wasn't a emergency could still live in the house.

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  john_conner on 26/04/2021 - 12:09

  Hi all,

  Just wondering - how much would you expect to pay for an itemised scope of work? I've contacted a few places, still waiting to hear back.

  Also if anyone has any recommendations for local builders for inner Melbourne suburbs that could produce a comprehensive scope of works that would be much appreciated!