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White goods appliances – mainly washing machines and tumble dryers – account for as many as 60 house fires a week in the UK alone according to Which?
The number of fires has increased each year for five years.
Which? wants the authorities to tackle the issue of fire damaged properties due to appliance failure within three months. Of course the appliance manufacturers have questioned some of the data that Which? used. There is a growing fanbase of people and organisations that want an overhaul of the UK’s product safety system. This follows the series of well publicised fires such as the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which was started by a faulty fridge freezer. Fire Insurance claims rate into the millions so Insurance Claims Management Companies are being resilient to any claims and it is always advisable to get a Insurance Loss Assessor to check your policy in such an event.
One example of a defect affecting millions of tumble dryers under the Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit brands has apparently led to hundreds of fires since 2004. The Commons Business Committee made public that more than one million potentially dangerous dryers were still being used in people’s homes.
In fact a freedom of information request to fire authorities and the Home Office shows the scale of faulty appliance fires in Britain. faulty kitchen appliances have accounted for over 16,000 fires across the UK over the last 5 years.
Branded washing machines and tumble dryers accounted for one third of fires, followed by cookers and ovens, dishwashers and fridge freezers.
A series of adverts are due to be aired. This is just the first step. According to a claims management company It is essential that consumers have access to this information to let them know there is a risk of smoke and fire damage to their property. They advised the government to create a database of recalled products so people can buy based on fact when it comes to safety.
Rachel Reeves, who chairs the Business Committee, said: “While we welcomed the decision to establish an Office for Product Safety and Standards, we agree the government must make sure it has real teeth and ensure it leads to more people registering their products, a better recall regime and ultimately a reduction in the number of fires that place so many homes and lives at risk. In any case if you did suffer a fire seek the help of a Loss Assessor who will prepare and present the claim for you.
The damage caused by fires are more devastating then most people thing. Even small fires that have been contained still pose a big risk. The Smoke Particulates from Smoke Damage can still cause substantial problems to both the property and the occupants inside of it.
If you have been declined whilst trying to claim on your domestic or commercial insurance, we can help. We can also help with professional services, for example, Brokers, VAR Valuations and Managing Agents.
