Kitchen fire – £35,000 buildings and contents claim

Location Manchester

Customer Mrs Delaney

After Mrs Walmsley had started the washing machine, she stayed in the kitchen to cook her husband’s lunch. This was very fortunate as, soon afterwards, the washing machine caught fire. She immediately called the fire brigade and the fire was put out. But the kitchen was badly burnt and there was smoke damage throughout the ground floor.

Mr & Mrs Walmsley are elderly and they were very distressed by the experience – particularly as their house was uninhabitable. Their daughter Mrs Delaney knew she would have to handle everything for them.

Mrs Delaney felt she couldn’t cope on her own – as well as having her own family, she has a busy job. She wasn’t aware at first of the role a loss assessor plays in an insurance claim but, after exploring this further and speaking to a number of the major UK loss assessors, decided to employ Morgan Clark to handle the claim on behalf of her parents.

The claim

The most urgent action was to find somewhere for Mr & Mrs Walmsley to live. They were initially put into a hotel but needed to find another solution as they insisted on keeping their dog with them. With Morgan Clark’s help, Mrs Delaney quickly found them a property they could rent while their home was restored.

Morgan Clark then handled the complete building and contents claim, liaising with the insurance company and their loss assessor, dealing with all correspondence and attending any meetings. They also brought in specialists contractors to carry out the house re-instatement. According to Mrs Delaney, “I’m just so glad Morgan Clark knocked on my door – they did everything for us. But they kept me informed every step of the way. Using them was the best thing I ever did.”

The results

Morgan Clark successfully negotiated a £25,000 buildings and £10,000 contents claim, plus the full cost of staying in temporary accommodation until the house was restored. Four months after the fire, Mr & Mrs Walmsley moved back into their home. According to Mrs Delaney: “The quality of the workmanship is amazing – my parents’ house is like a palace. Mum and Dad are so thrilled with it.

“I’ve never had to deal with a fire before and I didn’t know what to do. It would have been a lot of work for me if I’d handled it myself and I certainly wouldn’t have achieved the same level of settlement. Morgan Clark told us about things we could claim that we wouldn’t have known about – right down to the oven gloves. I can’t praise them enough.”

More Case Studies

London

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 o..."

Read more

Cambridge

Fire damage in thatched cottage

"Mr and Mrs Hampshire suffered a fire at their thatched cottage, which started in the middle of the night when the family were asleep. The accidental fire was caused by a lighter being ignited, which resulted in blankets and pillows catching fire and ..."

Read more

Cumbria

Flooded bakery in Kendal: £100,000 insurance claim for machinery, st...

"Ginger Bakers is a very successful specialist cake producer based in Kendal, Cumbria, supplying commercial outlets across the country. When Storm Desmond wreaked havoc across the north of England in December 2015, the bakery’s leased premises were ..."

Read more

Cumbria

Flooding at kitchen worktop manufacturer: £1.2 million claim

"Stoneworld is a very successful manufacturer of quartz and granite kitchen worktops, importing expensive materials from across the world and using sophisticated precision cutting machinery. Based in Kendal, Cumbria, it distributes its high-end produc..."

Read more

Carlisle

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..."

Read more

Doncaster

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 contamin..."

Read more