Burst pipe: final settlement of £50,000 after original £10,000 offer

When Mr Ward returned from a winter holiday on a Sunday night, he found a house “full of water”. A pipe feeding the shower had burst after a very cold spell, and water had poured through the building for over a week. Nearly every part of the house and almost all his possessions were badly damaged.

Mr Ward immediately contacted his insurer but couldn’t speak to anyone. He called again the following morning and spent 90 minutes on the phone, but was very unhappy with the company’s response. In particular, he was told that he should stay in one of the bedrooms which, although not badly damaged, was cold and damp: he felt this was unacceptable and found alternative temporary accommodation for himself.

Mr Ward then met with the insurer’s loss adjuster who offered a paltry £10,000 if he agreed to settle immediately, but this was far lower than the real value of the loss and damage. Mr Ward also felt that the loss adjuster was trying to take advantage of the circumstances he found himself in. In addition, the house was not being dried out properly: for example, carpets were left to rot under the car port. According to Mr Ward, “They were trying to end the process as quickly as possible and were so unhelpful about sorting things out. I have a stressful full-time job and things were getting so bad I just couldn’t cope.”

Mr Ward then searched the internet for help and found Morgan Clark: “I wasn’t getting anywhere and couldn’t see an end to it. I had to pass it on to someone else or I might have lost my job.”

The claim

Morgan Clark took over the claim and started the whole process again. They negotiated full agreement for suitable alternative accommodation, and supervised professional drying-out of the property. They then brought in specialist surveyors who drew up a priced specification for re-instating the house, and they prepared a full list of damaged contents.

The result

Morgan Clark negotiated a final settlement under the terms of Mr Ward’s insurance policy of £50,000, far higher than the original offer of £10,000, which illustrates the difference Morgan Clark can make. According to Mr Ward, “the insurer’s loss adjuster actually cost them money by being so difficult: this had caused a delay which increased my temporary accommodation costs.”

Mr Ward cannot praise Morgan Clark enough: “The stress I went through could have killed someone else. You pay your premiums and you think you will get a decent response if you have to make a claim. Morgan Clark did a fantastic job. They relieved the pressure, kept me informed and were so efficient and thorough. You couldn’t find a better company to deal with my situation and I would recommend them to anyone.”

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 Leeds Loss Assessors today to find out more.