Case Study Archive: Archives: Case Studies

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Managing Extensive Water Damage in a Period Property

Morgan Clark was recommended to an elderly and vulnerable client in Wanstead, East London, after their period property suffered significant water damage due to a burst pipe over the Christmas period. The property, a four-bedroom detached house with original features like parquet flooring, was unoccupied at the time of the incident, leading to the water leaking for an extended period before discovery. The client, recovering from breast cancer and living with hearing loss, required a sensitive and comprehensive approach to their insurance claim, which covered £100,000 in contents and £200,000 in buildings damage. 

The Claim 

The burst pipe caused severe water damage throughout the property, impacting antique furniture and a valuable vintage Steinway piano. With separate insurance companies for buildings and contents, Morgan Clark took on the challenge of navigating the complexities of the claim. The team worked closely with the client to ensure all aspects of the damage were assessed, including facilitating renovations and upgrades such as replacing rotten windows. 

Recognising the client’s vulnerable status, Morgan Clark negotiated a cash settlement in lieu of temporary accommodation, allowing the client to stay with family during the restoration process. The claim lasted 20 months, and the home was completely renovated and updated. 

Results 

Morgan Clark’s expertise and proactive approach led to a successful outcome, with the client’s home fully restored while also enabling improvements beyond the insurance coverage. Managing such a complex claim, particularly with separate insurance companies and a very significant contents claim, would have been overwhelming for the client without Morgan Clark’s support. 

The client’s home is now back to its former glory, with additional upgrades ensuring long-term value and comfort. Morgan Clark’s commitment to guiding the client through each step of the process made all the difference during a particularly challenging time. 

Using Morgan Clark a second time for flood insurance claim

When the river Eden flooded in Carlisle in 2005, water poured through David Allen’s substantial five-bedroomed semi-detached home. There was extensive damage throughout the downstairs which was likely to result in an insurance claim of around £100,000.

As a senior police officer, Mr Allen felt he would be able to handle the insurance claim himself and started the process for both buildings and contents. While both of these had been taken out with the same insurer, different loss adjusters were appointed for the two separate claims.

The contents claim progressed smoothly and it was obvious from the start that Mr Allen would receive his full entitlement. The same could not be said of the buildings claim.

 

Buildings claim issues

Mr Allen’s Victorian home had some rare and high-quality original features, including beautiful tiled fireplaces and hearths; he also had a very expensive fitted kitchen. All of this had been completely ruined by the flood and needed to be replaced. According to Mr Allen, “All we wanted was like-for-like replacements which we were entitled to under our policy, but the adjuster argued with us and wanted to put a lot of the original damaged material back.”

The adjuster then sent in a building contractor to start the reinstatement but, according to Mr Allen, “it was all so shoddy – I could see the fireplaces falling apart as soon as they were put back. And the electrical work they did looked dangerous. So I threw them out – and then nothing happened for two months.”

It was at this point that Mr Allen realised he needed professional help. So he turned to professional loss assessors Morgan Clark “and that changed everything and made all the difference. We were able to step back from an emotionally-charged relationship with the loss adjuster where we’d reached an impasse and couldn’t communicate. Morgan Clark had the technical knowledge and experience to make sure the right things were done.”

Once Morgan Clark took over the claim, the loss adjuster agreed that Mr Allen was entitled to like-for-like replacements throughout: “That’s all we wanted; we weren’t trying to rip anyone off. Morgan Clark put everything back on a professional footing and achieved what was needed to restore the house to how it was before.”

 

Second flood in 2015

So when the river flooded again in 2015, Mr Allen immediately contacted Morgan Clark: “As soon as it happened I was on the phone to them again. I had no idea if we would have the same bad experience but I couldn’t take the risk. Morgan Clark did such a fantastic job last time and it’s a godsend having them do it all for us again.

“And I’d say to anyone else who is in a similar position: don’t hesitate to use a loss assessor such as Morgan Clark. What you face is inordinately complicated but Morgan Clark does this for a living. It simplifies everything and in our case it ensured we received what we were entitled to.”

Flooding – £630,000 business interruption claim

In 2007, the town of Doncaster was hit by two floods in very quick succession. A large trading estate was very badly affected, including a successful steel processing and stockholding company. Three of its industrial units on the estate were contaminated by flood water and most of its stock damaged. This had a significant impact on its trading operations.

The claim

The company turned to Morgan Clark’s team of commercial loss assessors to manage its claim for business interruption. Morgan Clark’s business interruption specialists worked with them to ensure they received their full entitlement: in short, what was needed to re-start trading and to secure the future of the business.

In particular, Morgan Clark and the company’s management worked together to draw up imaginative plan which did not mirror operations prior to the disaster. This would not only enable a quicker resumption of trade but would also rationalise the company’s operations.

The results

With the help of Morgan Clark, the company successfully claimed £630,000 under the terms of its business interruption policy, covering:

  • The cost of rationalising its warehousing structure. Rather than re-instate and move back into the three existing warehouses, the company moved all its operations into one warehouse on another site.
  • Compensation for the theoretical period it would have taken to re-instate the existing warehouses and move back in.

A very favourable settlement for loss of turnover: despite an increase in turnover in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Morgan Clark successfully argued that this growth would have been even greater without the flood.

No matter what has caused the damage to your home, Morgan Clark will guide you through the insurance claim process and ensure you are back in your home as quickly as possible while ensuring you receive the full settlement you’re entitled to. Contact our Doncaster Loss Assessors today to find out more.