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INCREASE IN BURGLARY CLAIMS
INCREASE IN BURGLARY CLAIMS
We have noticed a significant increase in burglary claims in the past few months and want to advise you how to best protect your property and valuables against opportunistic burglars.
Domestic property insurance policies will only cover burglary claims if there is evidence of forced entry. It may seem obvious but the best deterrants are often the most obvious. Chubb locks on all external doors, window locks and serviced alarms are effective in keeping the burgler at bay. Establish a routine of checking doors & windows when leaving the house and set the alarm.
Isolated houses in the countryside can be more vulnerable. We had one instance recently where thieves broke into a house where a teenage daughter was alone in the house. They worked their way through the house and discovered and removed a safe from the master bedroom. Then then realised that the girl was in the house and left without harming her. It is probable that they left without challenging the girl because they had what they were looking for.
From out experience the best advice is;
1. If you must keep cash and/or valuables in the house install a dummy safe in the master bedroom/closet with a small amount of cash in it.
2. Install the real safe under a floor, not in any of the bedrooms.
3. Leave car keys on the hallway table at night, discouraging the intruder from going to bedrooms.
4. Cash and gold jewellery are the main targets. Better to leave some around in the event of no safe. Note that when making a jewellery claim the following items can be very helpful for each item of jewellery;
a. original receipt if possible
b. new valuations
c. photo of item – party and wedding photos usually show the jewellery items
If you have any questions or concerns about he above article, please don’t hesitate to call us on Lo Call 1890 711 711 or 01 897 0700. Property Claims Direct act for members of the general public when they have a property damage claim for Fire, lightning, Smoke, Storm, Flood, Riot, Water/Oil from heating pipes, Subsidence, Theft, or Impact Damage to all types of properties.
INSURANCE COMPANIES INCREASE EXCESSES
Since our last news article we are glad to see Insurance Companies have revised their stance on enforcing their builders on clients in the event of a property damage claim. This practice was negatively received by clients and insurance companies were inundated with complaints of poor workmanship by some of their builders.
We are however noticing a serious increase in policy excesses particularly for water damage. We would strongly advise all members of the general public to ask the following questions when taking our a new property insurance policy.
1. What are the excesses on the policy – standard? subsidence? water damage? . What happens to these excesses in the event of a claim?
2. Can I use my own builder or am I forced to use a network builder?
3. In the event of a claim and if I’m underinsured and you apply average can you hold back a retention?
4.Define non standard construction ? I’m not an architect/engineer/surveyor
5. In the event of a claim can my reinstatment works be supervied by my own architect/engineer/surveyor ?
6. Are all contents new for old ?
7. What is the single article limit on contents?
8. Can I check my own claims record ?
9. Is it just the claims on this property I must declare or claims on all my properties.
What we need in Ireland are new insurance companies entering the market so that we can see excesses return to normal levels.
If you have any questions or concerns about the above article, please don’t hesitate to call us on Lo Call 1890 711 711 or 01 897 0700. Property Claims Direct Ltd. act for members of the general public when they have a property damage claim for Fire, Lightning, Smoke, Storm, Flood, Riot, Water/Oil from heating pipes, Subsidence, Theft, Stealing, Impact Damage to all types of properties.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING YOUR BOILER
AS the cold season approaches, everybody with oil fired central heating should have their boiler serviced annually. The risks involved in not doing this can be immense. Colm Sheedy with Boilerfix (www.boilerfixdublin.com) reckons that the majority of Home Heating oil spills in Ireland could be prevented by annual maintenance.
So what happens if there is a spillage of oil?
Oil when it goes into the ground will take the path of least resistance. It could follow the stone fill surround on the supply and return pipework into the house from the boiler. If oil gets under the floors in your home, the consequences can be disasterous, not only to the structure but to the general health of the occupants of the house.
The good news is that Property Claims Direct have the solution to these problems. We can survey the damage and report the claim to your insurance company. We will meet the representitives and ensure the claim goes smoothly.
The clean up company we would recommend to clean up the oil spillage is Microclean Environmental. (www.microclean.ie) We have been dealing with Microclean for 10 years now and have yet to receive a complaint about their finished product. Oil spillage on any property can be a major crisis but with Property Claims Direct on your side it will seem like a minor drama.
Please see below case studies of works carried out by Microclean.
Oil Spillage County Meath 1
Photograph 1shows the site upon arrival by Microclean after a leak from the oil feed line. Note the dieback of the lawn between the oil tank and boiler unit. Significant hydrocarbon contamination was encountered along the entire length of the property boundary wall.
Photograph 2shows the contaminated area during the remediation works. Treatment solutions were applied on a regular basis to impacted area to degrade the oil in-situ.
Photograph 3: Please note the reinstatement works completed at the property upon conclusion of the remedial programme.
Oil Spillage County Meath 2
Photograph 1: Initial findings from a site investigation oil spillage incident in Meath. Heavily contaminated soil and groundwater encountered within the rear of the dwelling.
Photograph 2: Photograph showing the ongoing remedial works conducted at the property to remove the contamination.
Photograph 3: Please note the reinstatement works completed at the property upon conclusion of the remedial programme.
Photograph 4: Please note the reinstatement works completed at the property upon conclusion of the remedial programme.
Letter of Commendation
Letter of Commendation from the Moriarty Group. Another satisfied customer.
Financial Regulator Press Release
The following is an extract from a recent press release from the Financial Regulator.
Home Insurance Claims
“The Financial Regulator inspected the eight largest firms in terms of the number of claims processed for the inspection into home insurance claims. The firms chosen were responsible for over 98% of the claims processed during the review period.
The main finding of the home insurance inspection was that while the majority of claims are processed in line with the requirements of the Code, there were a small number of cases where claims cheques were not issued to claimants within 10 business days. The Code requires that firms pay all claims to the claimant within 10 business days of an agreed settlement as it is important for consumers payment is made promptly.
It was also found that some firms are moving to a process where claims can only be settled using the firms’ approved repairers. Firms are expected to satisfy themselves that their use of approved repairers is consistent with the Code and where firms intend using approved repairers, they must ensure that consumers are aware of this at the time of entering into an insurance contract. There are also concerns that as the claimant is not an expert, a claimant should not have to sign a document for the insurer attesting to the quality of the work completed or to give a view on whether it was completed in accordance with the scope of the work, as per the firms’ specifications. Firms should make it clear to claimants that where the firm appoints a repairer, the firm is ultimately responsible for the work undertaken.
The Financial Regulator has recommended that firms write to claimants when a payment is made to builders or other similar third parties, to inform claimants of the amount paid in respect of their claim, as this could impact on their future premiums.”
To read the press release in its entirety click here.
The questions you should ask before taking out an insurance policy
Irish industry is going through tough times and the insurance industry is no exception. Who would have guessed that Quinn Insurance group would have been taken over by administrators 12 months ago. The industry is volatile and insurance companies are focused on cutting costs and outgoings. As regards how this affects policyholders (the general public), nobody knows better that Property Claims Direct (PCD). PCD is at the coal face of property damage claims every day and we believe that people should ask the following questions before taking out a policy.
1. Can I use my own builder to carry out repair work in the event of a claim?
2. If an insurer wants to send out their own builder will that builder be forced on us or will my own builder have an opportunity to quote?
3. Are there any special conditions in place when we go on holidays or leave the house for an extended period?
Fire Damage to Barn
As you can guess from the questions some insurers are insisting on using their own builders. If you google ‘builders ripping off insurance companies’ interesting stories appear in the UK in the aftermath of the Hull floods. Insurers in the UK have come full circle i.e. they sent their own builders out to claims for the last 10 years but are now returning to the traditional way of settling claims ie by payment to the policyholder and the policyholder can then use their own tried and trusted builder and the majority of policyholders dont want strange builders working in the home.
Call Property Claims Direct for free advise before taking out a policy.
Property Claims Direct act for policyholders when making an insurance claim for fires, floods , storm, burglary, malicious , subsidence , water, oil , contaimation damage. Our first survey is free and we are a no win no fee company.
Interesting times ahead !
Property Claims Direct gets a fantastic response to Ideal Homes
We were delighted to the response to our stand over the weekend 16th -18th April at the Ideal Homes Exhibition. We had several hundred entries to our Free draw for a case of wineand the winner will be announced soon.
At the exhibition we answered queries on
- The best Property Insurance cover – ie which are the best companies to deal with in the event of a property damage claim.
- Are peoples premiums affected by property damage claims.
- What happens in the event of a third party claim e.g if there is a fire in a neighboring property that affects your property.
- Then we had the general queries for fire, smoke, explosion, oil, water leaks, burglary, theft, storm, flood and subsidence damage.
Given the response to the spring show we intend to attend the October Ideal Homes Exhibition and we look forward to seeing you again.
Thank you for visiting us.
To view the Ideal Homes website Click Here
PCD at the Ideal Homes Show, Dublin 16th – 18th April
Property Claims Direct Ltd is delighted to announce that they will have a stand at the Spring Ideal Homes Exhibition at the RDS, 16th – 18th April.
As in previous years, visitors to our stand will receive expert advice on selecting insurance coverage, reinstatement values and advice on how best to manage property claims.
Our team of qualified surveyors are on hand to advise on all types of property claims including fire, flood, storm, malicious damage, water leaks, escape of oil and subsidence.
Property Claims Direct has over ten years experience in assessing property claims and is the leading property assessment company in Ireland. We look forward to meeting you at our stand and done forget to enter our free draw for a case of wine.