Flood claims Your claim what happens next?

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1 Flood 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. If you still have any questions about your claim, just get in touch we re here to help. Useful contacts Phone: Opening hours: 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat Notes:

3 What s happened so far? You ve informed us that you need to make a claim and spoken to one of our personal claims handlers. They will have explained whether the event you are claiming for is covered by the policy once it is validated and who will be contacting you regarding the validation. What happens next? Our personal 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 could 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. If there s a lot of damage to your home, we might need you to move into a temporary home 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 personal claims handler is available whenever you need them. 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 makes the claims process as smooth as possible. Personal Claims Handlers Depending on the complexity, you might have a single, dedicated personal claims handler who ll manage your claim from the beginning through to settlement. Our personal 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 claims specialists 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. 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 If a large amount of water has come into your home, it may be necessary for a company which specialises in drying property to be instructed. Usually they would either provide advice, or if there s a need, install specialist drying equipment such as dehumidifiers and air movers to promote rapid drying.

4 If your contents are also insured and damaged, the disaster recovery specialist would take anything salvageable and clean it before returning it to you. Surveyors/Engineers On larger 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 specify what work is needed, or check that your home is still structurally secure after the damage. Contents Suppliers We have suppliers who will repair your damaged contents, or if they re damaged beyond economic repair, they will source comparable replacements and arrange to have them delivered 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. With larger water damage claims it can be difficult to understand the extent of the damage until the property has dried out. This means that we often have to wait until the property is dry to work out what repairs are needed. We ll sometimes strip out the most obviously damaged elements to speed up drying. Flood claims Flood damage can be difficult to deal with because the amount of damage the water has caused is not always immediately clear. If the water has been standing for some time then it s likely that the walls and plaster will be saturated and need stripping back 150mm above the water line. Another key issue is that the flood water may be dirty. It might not be safe to stay in the property even though the upstairs of the home is likely to be unaffected by the water. Stages of a flood claim A typical example of a flood would be a river bursting it s banks during a period of extreme weather. If you live in low-lying areas or near a river, the water can then seep into your home, causing large amounts of damage. 1. First visit A loss adjuster will visit your home to look at the damage with you and see what steps need to be put in place to plan the repairs. 2. Alternative accommodation If your home can t be lived in because of the damage, the loss adjuster and ourselves will help find you somewhere else to live while the work is carried out. The policy pays for the additional costs of short term accommodation and because our customers have different needs, we try to be as flexible as possible. Some people prefer to stay with friends or family and if this is the case we can pay an inconvenience allowance to compensate for this. With a large

5 claim however, it s more likely that you ll need a rented home to stay in as the process can take many months depending on the damage. 3. Drying/stripping out There are many different types of houses and their age and construction play a big part in what steps are needed to dry them out. Some areas, like downstairs walls and floors may need to be stripped out all together, but the important thing is to make sure the home has the right atmosphere for the repairs to take place. If a home isn t properly dried out there s a risk that when the works are done, moisture can cause damage to reappear. The home will often look dry before it s truly ready for repairs, so this can be a frustrating time for customers. 5. Settlement When the repairs are complete, we ll either pay our supplier directly, or make the payment to you once we ve received an agreed invoice from your supplier. 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: Repairs or cash When the home is being prepared for the repairs a schedule of works will be drawn up which will list everything that needs doing to complete the job. Where there is significant damage, we may use a surveyor with specialist knowledge to put together this document. Loss adjusters will have their own network of contractors who ll be able to price for the work. We can also consider your own preferred contractor if you have one, to put together their price for the work. If the work is completed by our approved contractors then they ll guarantee the repairs and work with you to make sure they re completed to your satisfaction. If you prefer to manage the repairs yourself then we can cash settle the claim once a price is agreed. This does however, mean that you ll have to manage any building works yourself and we re not able to guarantee repairs that are carried out by contractors who we have no links with.

6 Useful resources If you choose 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 advice on flood safety, visit: John Lewis Insurance is a trading name of John Lewis plc. Registered office: 171 Victoria Street, London SW1E 5NN. Registered in England (No ). John Lewis plc is an appointed representative of Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc. John Lewis Home Insurance is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc (No ). Registered in England and Wales at St. Mark s Court, Chart Way, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1XL. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register No ). Calls may be recorded and monitored. JLI_HCGFL1