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If you choose to own your own business, and you have the public coming onto your property or you are involved in a repair type service where you either destroy or fix clients property, then one thing that you will need is Bespoke Insurance like public liability insurance.
The most common court cases in the UK is public liability claims. There are a large amount of injuries which occur in the workplace and more frequently your injured client will sue your company for “damages” to their person or personal property.
The most common Public Liability Claims are of these which are relating to a construction company, where a lot of injuries happen due to accidents of a freak event or the general public doing stupid things on the site. In some cases they are secondary to other events such as fire or flood damage and an insurance claim for this may also be underway.
To enable firms to be protected from a lawsuit or claim against them they must make use of a fit for purpose public liability insurance company, who specialises in providing the right coverage for the specific risks you are exposed to. The online world offers little protection on reality as these package products are one size fits no one. Leading claims management companies warn that each business owners risks are different and that no single product fits perfectly.
If you are one of the statistics that are unlucky enough to have a claim made against you, if you have public liability cover you will be able to challenge the charges against you, without having to worry about and making payouts from your business account, as many insurance companies ensure that not only are you covered for emergencies but you are also covered for public liability claims, financial Loss, product liability cover and cover for all your legal expenses as a result of the action.
In life accidents do happen on a daily and trying to risk your business and the financial income which you make, on the hope that you will never have an injury or even a public liability charge against you is a bit premature on your part, and in the case if an accident happening and the wrong person getting hurt you could end up with a massive lawsuit on your hands and look back after the lawsuit is settled no amount of insurance costs UK will even come close to what you would have lost.
Choosing not to make use of an insurance policy to protect your company from any form or financial loss due to public liability claims are accidents, can have a negative effect on your company which could lead to your firm being made insolvent. You may want the help of a public liability loss Assessors to help either defend or attack the allegations
Bespoke Insurance means that your Insurance policies are tailored to your business. When the need to make an Insurance Claim arises, you will need the assistance of a Professional Loss Assessors.
Loss Assessors are experts in managing Insurance claims and can spot potential issues in Insurance policies that need attention.
According to a leading Insurance claims management company, Insurance Complaints are on the rise! About 2 in 10 of the Insurance claims assigned end up with an Insurance complaint. These are valid insurance claims that have been accepted by Insurers but have failed to meet with the policyholders expectations.
It is often surprising that in the event of a water damage insurance claim or fire insurance claim most insurance companies treat their clients, some of whom have been loyal premium payers for many decades, with the opposite level of apathy that they showed when they were taking their premium.
The figures shown below are only those that the FOS (Financial Ombudsman Service) have registered, that have been escalated by the policy holder as a result on the Insurance companies conduct. These do not include the insurance complaints the actual insurers receive. They will outnumber these many times over. Aviva alone for example published complaints figures for the 1st six months of 2017 at 78,436. Yes that’s right 78 thousand four hundred and thirty six from January 2017 to July 2017.
Set up by parliament, the Financial Ombudsman Service or FOS is the UK’s official expert in sorting out problems with Insurance claims and Insurance companies. If a financial business and a customer can’t resolve a complaint between themselves, the Financial Ombudsman can give an unbiased answer about what’s happened. If they decide someone’s been treated unfairly, they have legal powers to put things right.
Figures from the Financial Ombudsman Service have revealed that Direct Line Group, via the business name UK Insurance, was the most complained about provider in the first half of 2017. It is no wonder that many policyholders choose the services of an Insurance Loss Assessor and willingly pay Insurance Claims Fees. The insurer received 1,447 new general insurance complaints during the period. These Insurance complaints exclude PPI. Aviva was the next most complained about with 1,051 followed by Ageas (773), Axa (623) and RSA (622).
There are a number of reasons why you might make an Insurance complaint about your insurance company.
If it is often the case that wording on policies can be very complex and hard to read for some people. Therefore some conditions in the policies which must be met, for example. it is the responsibility of the policyholder to to mitigate any damages from spreading after the incident.
After you make an Insurance complaint, your insurance company will have an opportunity to look at the dispute again and may compensate you. You can follow the FOS online guide to help you through the process to try and resolve the problem. First you will have to complain to your insurance company. Only then can you get the FOS to investigate your complaint, which I add is at no cost. Always try to resolve any misunderstanding amicably and between the parties involved.
If your insurance broker set the policy up, they might also make an Insurance complaint for you. Its always good to try to resolve the Insurance complaint face to face with your loss adjuster or a phone call to the insurance company. Always make sure you write down who you spoke to, times and the particulars of the conversation in case this is needed to be presented as evidence to the FOS.
The fire triangle- Fuel, Oxygen and Heat are the 3 main attributes of fires. In laboratory conditions these 3 elements balanced result in complete combustion. In the real world of Fire insurance claims, the unequal balance of the 3 elements result in smoke residue (soot) being produced to some degree. If you have complete combustion you have no soot. Therefore, soot is the product of incomplete combustion and in technical terms combustion is the chemical process of burning or changing a solid into a gas via heat.
Oakleafe Claims as the leading Insurance Claims Loss Assessors understand how to identify the Characteristics of fires and how to effectively deal with the components and effects of smoke and heat damage. Oakleafe claims loss assessors understand that in a fire damage event the gases generated are extremely dangerous to individuals directly and indirectly exposed.
The many loss assessors that currently exist within the insurance claims handling industry lack the diverse and technical knowledge to understand the effects of contamination from fire event. A burning structure and its contents produce literally thousands of different gases which generally fall under two categories- Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulphur dioxide.
Oakleafe Claims will be able to effectively and competently deal with the secondary effects and damage from not only the fire itself but also the subsequent water contamination from fire extinguishing and suppression. The insurance loss adjuster will expect You the policyholder to mitigate the damage to your property or its contents by taking steps to prevent further damage to contents and building materials.
Oakleafe Claims will be able to draw on its wealth of experience like the Characteristics of fires to ensure the cost of the fire insurance claims are reduced by identifying acid soot residues, implementing moisture control measures to reduce mould contamination and safely remove smoke damaged contents and neutralise acid soot residue.
Oakleafe Claims take seriously their professional responsibilities to be sufficiently knowledgeable and technically experienced in fire insurance claims and the restorative process that follows. Insurance claims for fire damage and the proceeding insurance claims handling must always be performed by a loss assessor who is positive and reactive in the way they are performing their duties- something that Oakleafe Claims and their expert team of loss assessors possess.
If you are unfortunate enough to require fire claim help through the use of an experienced Loss assessor then Oakleafe Claims will draw on their integral tried and tested strategy’s and Insurance claims handling skills to organise and route the tasks and operations required to avoid unnecessary delays and repetition of services. You may know the Characteristics of fires but are you experienced enough to handle the whole Insurance claim by yourself?
Fire damage insurance claims are complex and time consuming and it is therefore imperative that quick decisions are made to prevent long term and costly damage to your property and its contents.
Loss Assessors are independent Insurance Claim experts that can Identify traits of Fires and can take the stress away from your insurance fire claim. They work for you the policyholder, and only you. Using their expertise knowledge of the characteristics of a claim and skills Loss Assessors will aim to get everything you are entitled to.
A Loss Assessor from Oakleafe claims will simplify the importance of a fast response- ultimately saving money, trauma, liability and inconvenience to the policyholder and subsequent fire damage insurance claims.
A fire at home is not something anyone wants to think about and much less stop to consider the true cost After a Fire in My home. We all hope that it never happens but if it does knowing what to do after a fire and properly assessing any damage are crucial. The truth is that an accidental fire in the home is a common occurrence and one every house owner should be prepared for.
Kitchen fires account for a large percentage of accidental fires in the home. An average stove fire restoration work can start at around three thousand pounds but depending on the damage caused by the blaze and water, proper restoration can sometimes run up to tens of thousands of pounds. With that much to lose it may be worth to know what the most common causes are and how to prevent them and what to do after a fire.
The most common causes of fires in the home are accidents while cooking, smoking and improper use of portable heaters and candles. It may seem common sense not to leave anything on the stove unattended, but this is still the number one cause of all fires in the home and more common than either smoking or using portable heaters. We all have busy lives and as you are happily preparing dinner and the phone rings it only takes a moment to become distracted.
Overloaded extension cables also account for a significant percentage of fires in the home .There is an overwhelming number of electrical devices in each household today and being mindful with how to charge them all is important.
As does failure due to lack of maintenance on heating systems and chimneys which is probably not on top of anyone’s task list but should be scheduled on a regular basis.
Gas leaks account for a portion of fires at home and are particularly dangerous because they spread very quickly. Careful use and maintenance of any gas appliance is essential to prevent fire in the home. Faulty electrical wiring can also sometimes be the culprit because as wires get old and frayed, they may cause sparks.
The cost after a fire varies greatly depending on the size of the burned area and materials which burned. Synthetic materials cause a lot more damage than organic when burned and produce more harmful soot and smoke. The actual cost can be anywhere between a few hundred pounds and as much as £ 30,000 if remodeling the kitchen or a bedroom is necessary.
There are two types of damage after a fire: damage from the fire itself and damage from putting the fire out. The second type is from smoke and water and any other substances which were used to contain the blaze. Most structural damage to a home is caused by this secondary type as soot and smoke get into the structure and become corrosive when cooled.
If you are insured, an insurance adjuster works for the company, not for you. What they assess as damage might not include all long-term damage to your home and may not include damage to your furniture or personal items. Oakleafe is 100% on your side and works to both maximize your claim and make it easy for you to deal with the entire process, which is already hard enough.
Some fire damage is obvious such as anything that burned like a stove, cabinets or furniture and any structural damage to the home itself such as burned walls and ceilings. Other types of damage after a fire in your home may not be so easily noticeable but harmful to health if not properly removed. Soot and smoke can settle on anything and sometimes you may not be able to see it.
Smoke damage is harmful to health as smoke can easily become toxic, settles on all contents of a home and stains walls. The odor of smoke after a fire can linger and usually requires professional restoration to remove. If water was used to put out fire, there may be water damage which in turn may cause mold to form.
Careful assessment of all damage and gathering detailed evidence for your claim is very important. This is where Oakleafe can make a difference as they look out for you and not the insurance company’s best interests. What you need after a fire are qualified professionals who know the different types of damage and how to assess it.
The most obvious way to prevent a fire in the home is to never leave anything on the stove unattended even for a moment and make sure you have a working fire alarm. It is also important to maintain your alarm by testing it and checking the battery on a regular basis.
There are other things you can do: purchase fire extinguishers for your home and make sure you know how to work one. Keep all flammable products such as household cleaning products away from heat. Make sure children do not handle kitchen appliances and do not have access to anything flammable. Inspection of heating systems and checking conditions of electrical cords regularly can also prevent many accidental fires.
Finally, keep your insurance documents in a safe place and have a clear plan to evacuate quickly in case of fire. Make sure everyone who lives in the household knows and follows it.
Accidents sometimes happen even if you are careful, so the next best thing is knowing how to deal with a fire in your home if it does happen. Always call the fire department first and evacuate quickly. After a fire contact an insurance assessor such as Oakleafe to properly assess all damage and guide you through the insurance claim.
A fire in your home can be a devastating experience but knowing what to do and knowing you have qualified people on your side throughout the ordeal can help a lot. A dedicated claims technician who will advise you on your insurance policy and whose priority is to get you the best settlement possible will make taking care of all the details much easier on you.
After a fire minimizing and assessing the damage becomes priority and knowing how to properly address this can make a big difference in restoring your home. Oakleafe will properly assess your damage and expedite your claim so you can go back to what’s most important in your life quickly.
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.
