Listed Buildings Insurance - Claim update

[Pford75]

Is this value, the value of the property on the open market or the rebuild cost? For a modern house, the value of the property is likely to be more than the rebuild cost. For a period property, the rebuild cost will be significantly higher

Moo is correct...it is whatever figure your total cover is for. Which as you correctly point out, for a Listed Building could well be more than the cost of a modern rebuild.

But, bear in mind that the payout will require you to pay for site clearance (which in the event of total loss could be expensive), plans/professional fees and the rebuild. And at the end of it all, as someone else commented, you will not be able to afford to rebuild something close to what you currently have.

 

[Moo]

So, would it be an idea to factor in these extra costs when working out the total sum for which one wants to be insured?

And - another question:
If one lives (as I do) in a terrace, what would be the position if the fire spread enough to do serious damage to next-door?

 

[Penners]

I read the renewal quote right through and the policy had changed to "in the event of damage, properties dating back to before 1960 will be repaired using modern materials and methods".

Yikes! I'm off to read my policy from cover to cover.

Many thanks for that, Anita.

 

[skier-hughes]

We are also with the NFU.

 

[Nemesis]

Hsa anyone tried the insurers connected with PPUK?

I add, just out of completeness, that normally a de-listing application cannot be considered if a building is currently the subject of an application for listed building consent, or an appeal against the refusal of consent, or if action by a local planning authority is in hand.

A rather major developer I could mention overlooked aspects of this earlier this year, and wasn't too pleased when I pointed it it out to the DCMS and the applicant's legal firm. The DCMS has held the line, despite a great deal of legal posturing, bluster and threats by the applicant's major City law firm. The ramifications of this are pretty big and costing would be demolisher and developer zillions.

Ho ho ho.

 

[Flyfisher]

If one lives (as I do) in a terrace, what would be the position if the fire spread enough to do serious damage to next-door?

I believe you would be covered under the 'third party liability' part of your policy.

 

[Pford75]

BACS payment arrived today!



They even applied a 'generous' figure for the replacement rhubarb crowns and fig trees which were flattened under the wall.

On a perhaps related point, they also enquired if I would be pursuing my formal complaint to the FSA.....

 

[Nemesis]

Now we all know you can't kill off rhubarb that easily.

You are certainly ripping them off there... Sad about the figs though.

 

[Pford75]

Now we all know you can't kill off rhubarb that easily

Agreed...i suspect the rhubard survived the fall of the wall

I think it is the 4 months of builders tramping over it which is the problem. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see it sprout again.....the real work however is not with the replacement of the plants....it's the groundworks to dig the beds again and remove the excess soil mounds created by the footings.

Any volunteers for a lengthy double-digging session?

 

[Nemesis]

Agreed...i suspect the rhubard survived the fall of the wall

You see - it's all this claims inflation which is raising the cost of our insurances...

Find the crowns and replant and I bet you have a fine crop next spring.

No, I'm not volunteering, thank you. My sciatica has suddenly returned at the thought.

 

[Pford75]

it's all this claims inflation which is raising the cost of our insurances

I do hope you are joking....

The cost of 6 rhubarb crowns = GBP20 (their figure...not mine)

The total claim = GBP 104,000

They should be thankful that I haven't billed them for my time in doing the job of their loss adjusters :wink:

In fact, if I were to employ a landscaping co to do the garden work, it would cost significantly more. This is my problem with insurers...they assume that everyone is inflating claims....yet conveniently 'forget' about all of the additional costs which I have incurred, but they don't cover....eg

26 letters
Multiple phone calls over 11 months
43 emails
Countless photocopies of A3 plans
5 round trips to my surveyors (26 miles away)
3 days off work for site visits with the CO and insurer's inspector

Some people might feel it is reasonable to make a claim for these things...since they are a result of the claim and the insurers poor handling of the claim.

In terms of the groundworks, they inspected the site, formed their own view of the work required and offerred me a figure to 'settle'.....so I would imagine that the 'real' cost is significantly higher

 

[Nemesis]

Well, that's about right for the rhubarb but they haven't allowed for the horse muck.

I'd put in another claim for several bags.

Seriously, just be thankful that you've got what you have - I appreciate the hassle and the worry and the fact you have lost out a bit but at least they have settled. And the tree didn't kill anyone.

But it's worth a try...

 

[Pford75]

Like you say...it's just great to have it finished (and to have the wall built with the right materials and workmanship)

I'm also thankful that they haven't mentioned another (even larger) Beech tree which is much closer to the house. Our arboriculturalist called it 'over mature' and believes it is perhaps 150 years old. We were really concerned at one stage that the insurers would insist on it's removal......

 

[Penners]

'over mature'

A term that Mrs P uses for me all the time.

Congratulations on getting it all sorted out satisfactorily - at last! After all that work you certainly deserve it.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Ouch. All that made very painful reading. So glad it's sorted. As you say, a lesson in checking the policy very carefully.

 

[middi]

If your " arboriculturalist" was refered to as " the man with a chainsaw", a couple of thousand quids could have been saved.

( on the other hand if he adds " enviromentally friendly" to arboriculturalistic, he could get away with charging three times as much)

The power os speach is a cause for inflation, it confuses the mind for some of us which are not so arboriculturalistically adept.

 

[Penners]

arboriculturalistically

That's a village in north Wales, isn't it?

 

[Flyfisher]

Can't be - too many vowels.

 

[Pford75]

I beg to differ....there is a huge difference between a 'man with a chainsaw' and an arboriculturalist.

It's like saying that all builders are the same. Men with chainsaws do tremendous damage to wonderful old trees....and these changes cannot be reversed (unless you can wait 200 years)

Like most trades, the training & experience comes at a price.

 

[middi]

I beg to re-differ. The human race has invented the arboriculturalist purely to scientifically evaluate which branch or part of a tree has to be removed with surgical precision so that it does not spoil one's view, power lines don't get tangled in it or that it may fall on someone's head.( exc. cultivated fruit trees)

It appears quite obvious that trees have no say in the decision making process in deciding which of their limbs need to be mutilated. As they are unable to speak, therefore totally useless to participate in a debate, they are unable to explain why they can live perfectly well ( some) for a few thousand years without the help of an arboriculturalistically minded help.

We have invented this arbo-man because we were stupid enough to build houses, install elecrticity poles, build walls, etc. etc... too near pretty looking shrubs and forgetting the fact that some of these ( shrubs) turn out to grow into great big sprawling monsters which get in our way and need to be removed to safeguard our lives.
It would be too crude and feel very guilty for us to just get a man with a chainsaw to get rid of a problem which we created.
We need to justify our cock-ups by calling in the" arbo-man"

There should be no room for an expensive "arbo-man", all you need is a chain saw and enough intelligence to stand on the right side of the branch or trunk when cutting.

HIC.....HIC...