Ground movement claims. Your claim - what happens next?

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1 Ground movement claims Your claim - what happens next?

2 Now you ve made a claim We want to make the claims process as easy as possible by giving you as much support and information as we can. We ve put this guide together to explain what will happen next and answer some of the questions you might have since you notified us of your claim. Useful contacts Phone: Opening hours: 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat If you still have any questions about your claim, just get in touch we re here to help. What s happened so far? You ve informed us that you need to make a claim and spoken to one of our claims handlers. They will have explained whether your claim is covered by the policy and who will be contacting you regarding the validation and processing of your claim. What happens next? Our claims handlers and suppliers will work with you throughout the claim, but we also need you to help us to progress it. The more information you can provide, the easier this will be. You might need to provide receipts or proof of purchase for your contents so we value your items correctly. There may be several people involved in your claim and at certain points, you may need to speak to them to arrange suitable times for work to be carried out, or to provide information. We might need you to move into a temporary home if there s a lot of damage to your house so we can complete the repairs as quickly as possible. Ownership of your claim Our claims team has the ultimate responsibility for your claim whether it s for 100 or 100,000 and your John Lewis claims handler is available whenever you need. However, if you have a loss adjuster appointed, they will be your main point of contact, although you can always talk to the claims team if you have any questions. Who will be involved in your claim? Depending on the size of your claim, we ll often delegate responsibility to different suppliers. This helps make sure you get the right experts in the right areas and make the claims process as smooth as possible. Claims Handlers Depending on the complexity, you might have a single dedicated claims handler who ll manage your claim from the beginning through to settlement. Our claims handlers will oversee your claim as it s moving along, making sure the payments are made on the claim and that everyone involved is progressing to settlement. Loss Adjusters Our appointed loss adjusters are representatives that we send out to manage the claims process from beginning to end. They will meet you at your home to look at the damage and work out with you how the claim will move forward. 2

3 Their typical tasks would include finding contractors to repair your home, helping validate the contents you ve lost, or arranging a temporary home if yours is badly damaged. Disaster Recovery/Cleaning Companies Ground movement claims Ground movement is complicated, can be difficult to diagnose and take time to repair. If you suffer a fire or water damage of some form then we ll often send out a company who specialise in cleaning badly damaged properties. For example, they might install dehumidifiers to dry a room that is damp, or take away and dry clean affected clothes. Surveyors/Engineers On smaller claims, a surveyor may come out and inspect your property to understand the cause and extent of the damage. Some loss adjusters are also surveyors or engineers, but if there is severe damage to your home then we might need to instruct a separate specialist. They will design the specification for what work is needed, or check that the home is still structurally secure after the damage. Contents Suppliers We have suppliers who will repair your items or can work with you to find the right replacements for your contents and deliver them to you. Contractors Our loss adjusters have a network of contractors that can help complete the repairs to your home. This isn t always necessary and sometimes we ll agree a cash settlement so you can use a local contractor, but it can be helpful on larger claims to provide this support to our customers. All the experts we use are able to provide customer support and discuss problems or questions you may have during the claims process. If however, you feel they re unable to help then you can always contact the claims team to get things back on track. What is ground movement? It s the movement of the ground on which the building stands which causes damage to the home. Your policy will cover the three ways in which the ground can move. Subsidence: This is downward movement of the site on which the buildings are situated by a cause other than the weight of the buildings themselves. Heave: This is the upward or lateral movement of the site on which the buildings are situated caused by swelling of the ground. Landslip: This is the sudden movement of soil on a slope or gradual creep of a slope over a period of time. Stages of a ground movement claim A typical ground movement claim is not something that can be easily defined. There are usually four stages which can take varying amounts of time. 1. Site Investigations This is the first real assessment of the claim where we ll visit the site to view the damage and see what the current situation is at the property. 3

4 Usually loss adjusters will measure the width of the cracks, look at the depth of the foundations and look at the presence of any trees and drains. They will also look at what type of soil is under the house as some types of soil are more susceptible to subsidence than others. 2. Mitigation When we ve identified what we think is causing the ground movement, we often take steps to prevent it causing anymore damage. Commonly this can involve repairing drains that are leaking and taking out or reducing trees which are involved. 3. Monitoring This is a crucial part of most ground movement claims. Usually after mitigation we measure how wide the cracks are or how stable the property is over a period of time (between 6 and 18 months usually) to see whether the damage is getting worse or staying the same. 4. Reinstatement/ Repairs Once we ve established that the movement has stopped getting worse or that it isn t going to stop, then we need to move on to the actual repairs. There are many different ways that repairs happen but these are basically divided into: underground repairs: to strengthen the foundations of the building super-structure repairs: repairing the damage to the property Common underground repairs include underpinning where concrete is poured into bays dug beneath the foundations to take them to a new depth. The idea is that the foundations are taken down to a depth at which whatever is causing the subsidence has no influence. Underpinning (along with most underground repairs) can be more disruptive and expensive and is only usually used when there is no other way of stabilising the house. 5. Settlement Once the repairs are complete, we ll settle the claim so you can start to enjoy your newly repaired home. While your claim is progressing, don t forget that we re always here to help. If you have any further questions or concerns, please get in contact by calling us on: Useful resources If you chose to take a cash settlement once your claim has been assessed and an amount agreed, then John Lewis can also offer a range of services for your home. From kitchen designing to flooring and carpet fitting visit or visit your local store to find out more. For more information about ground movement, visit: flooding-and-subsidence/ Terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions and eligibility criteria apply. A full copy of the policy wording and the insurance complaints procedure are available on request. John Lewis Insurance is a trading name of John Lewis plc. John Lewis plc is an appointed representative of AXA Insurance UK plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). 4

5 Use this handy calendar to keep track of your claim and any appointments you ve made with suppliers. Simply fill in the months across the top and add your appointments as you make them

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