Holiday home insurance claim from the restoration companies perspective

Last Updated on August 24, 2015 by admin

In this article we look closely at a holiday home insurance claim from the restoration companies perspective.

Holiday Home in Cornwall

The property is a terraced house split into 3 holiday flats, all of which had suffered a vertical Escape of Water (clean) in April. All three of the flats are used as holiday properties and had summer bookings, therefore the property needed to be restored as soon as possible to minimise the loss of rental income.

The Holiday Home Insurance Claim | Escape of Water causing a Vertical Flood

On the 7^th of April a vertical flood was discovered as a result of a leaking pipe under the bath in the 2nd floor bathroom (Flat 3); Water escaped downwards in to 1st floor (Flat 2) and ground floor (Flat 1).

As a result of this leak there was a lot of work that needed to be carried out to restore the apartments, one of the first things being a check of the electrical circuit. This was to ensure that the electrics were safe and that water damage had not compromised them. If it had been found that they had been affected by the water, a temporary board would have been installed so that there was no further risk of electrocution or fire, as well as enabling the drying equipment to run safely and the occupants to have a safe electricity supply.

First response

The loss adjusting company first called Richfords in the morning of the 8^th of April. Within two hours Richfords senior technician attended site with a fully equipped response vehicle and was immediately able to assess the incident.

Upon arrival our technician carried out a thorough survey of the property and found that the construction of the floors in the apartments could trap moisture from the incident leading to secondary damage.

Initial Concerns and Damage Limitation

The technician removed the wet and damaged carpets as soon as possible, to prevent any further damage to the flooring. Also trying to save the carpet so it can be cleaned and refitted rather than being left wet, which could result in the carpet being written off and having to be replaced. We also lifted the kitchens vinyl so save the cost of replacement. As this an uncommon kind of floor insulation, it would be a challenge, but one that we are capable of dealing with.

Standing water was extracted to prevent secondary damage from happening. The technician quickly installed state of the art dehumidifiers to reduce the humidity, followed by specialist injection drying. This technique is used to release trapped moisture and avoids the disruption and cost of removal of the insulation and screed.

Installation | Ground Floor Lounge and Kitchen

• In both the Lounge and the Kitchen we Installed Kruger Air drying into the plasterboard to release any trapped moisture, once the walls had been dried we would then fill the holes in preparing them for redecoration.
• Installing Kruger Air drying into the floating floor and filling of the holes once dry, to save the cost of replacement.
• We also refitted the carpet and underlay once the building was dry and cleaned the carpet to save the cost of replacement.

First Floor Lounge and Kitchen

• Unfortunately we were unable to save the Vinyl, Carpet.
• In both the lounge and the kitchen we Installed Kruger Air injection drying system into the plasterboard to release any trapped moisture, once the walls had been dried we would then fill the holes in preparing them for redecoration.
• Installing Kruger Air drying into the floating floor and filling of the holes once dry, to save the cost of replacement.
• Removal of kitchen units/breakfast bar and bookcase. Lifting of existing chipboard floor plus two layers of plasterboard and insulation layer (approx 25sqm) and replace. Refit kitchen units, breakfast bar and bookcase.

Second Floor Bathroom

• The floor had bowed therefore we had to remove the entire floor and replace it.

Conclusion

In total the drying project took 20 days. The quick response by the owner of the property in notifying the claim to their holiday home insurers resulted in Richfords being able to respond to this incident within hours.

The use of modern drying equipment and specialist injection drying resulted in a short project time scale and helped to keep the financial loss to a minimum. In addition the use of injection drying has reduced the possibility of trapped moisture causing further building issues in the future. All three of the holiday letting apartments were up and running again by the 25th May and occupied by paying guests.

Boshers offer specialist holiday home insurance to owners across the UK. For more information on how a specialist insurer can help and support your holiday home business, please give us a call on 01237 429444.

You may find the following holiday home insurance articles of interest:

• Boshers holiday home insurance frequently asked questions
• Holiday home insurance – A guide to sums insured
• 12 things to consider when buying holiday home insurance

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

• Cick here if you own a single furnished holiday letting home, cottage or apartment
• Click here if you own a listed holiday home or cottage complex
• Click here if you own a holiday cottage complex