Working with Restoration Companies

Transcription

1 Working with Restoration Companies

2 Agenda This session will explore how best to work with restoration companies It will cover the following :- Initial instruction of restoration companies, what information do they require? How do you protect Insurers interests and manage Policyholder expectations? Drying techniques and the factors that need to be considered when deciding the most appropriate approach. Removal and restoration of contents what actually happens on the ground and why items are written off Monitoring of drying activities and awareness of cost/reserve implications.

3 Your presenters Bernard Connolly F.I.Diag.E M.S.O.E M.I.Plant.E Major Loss Specialist Crawford - Corporate and Major Incident Team Global Technical Services UK Bernard joined Crawford as a major loss specialist in 2009 following 21 years in the restoration industry Simon Hurst BA (Hons) ACII FIRM Chartered Insurance Practitioner Major Loss Director Polygon Simon joined Polygon (Munters) in 2010, following 24 years insurance experience as a Loss Adjuster, Risk Manager and Global Claims Consultant Steve Harsant BDMA Senior Technician Group Training Manager - Polygon Steve joined Polygon (Munters) in 2001 and has had various operational and training roles, culminating in his recent appointment as Group Training Manager for Polygon in the UK.

4 Polygon Core Services 24/7/365 Property Damage Restoration Water, Fire and Accidental Damage Major and Complex Loss HNW, Commercial, Industrial and Specialist Leak Detection, Trace & Access Non Destructive Graffiti Removal Environmentally sensitive Temporary Humidity Control Bespoke Drying Projects and Rental 15 countries + worldwide 250,000+ jobs per year Revenue 436m Focused only on property damage restoration & industrial humidity control

5 The FNOL call / Where losses can go wrong Be clear with your instructions Be specific if you want the restoration company to report only, to mitigate and stabilise or to carry out a full installation regime. Be clear to confirm if you are instructing directly on behalf of the insurer or are introducing the restorer on cases where policy liability has not been accepted or insurers instructions remain outstanding. If not instructing directly, manage the policyholders expectations that the restorer will need to ensure payment

6 Considerations pre-visit Should you appoint a DR company immediately you are appointed on a fire, E of W or flood loss? Should you wait for your first visit and asses the situation for yourself? Should you aim to agree a joint visit? Could the premises dry naturally without unduly adding to the settlement time Am I likely to cash settle some or all of the claim I need to make sure the DR contractor is aware of the implications. Have I advised the DR contractor that there is significant BI or AA implications and accelerated drying or less invasive techniques may be considered, accepting that this will be at additional cost.

7 What should you consider at the loss Fire can be one of three types different considerations Natural (wood / paper) Protein (ignition of the Xmas turkey in the oven or worse! often leaves no visible evidence of damage other than a strong odour) Chloride based (combustion of PVC materials leading to Hydrochloric acid deposits) Water Penetration into the fabric of the building Water trapped in cavities and / or within floor insulation Secondary damage - Mould growth / hazard Classification of the water damage

8 Case Study Mr Smith Suffolk Five bedroomed detached property built early 1970 s of standard, brick and tile construction. Incident reported 28th February 2008 Peril EOW burst water tank in loft Insurer ABC Loss Adjuster AN Other Date of first visit - 28th February 2008 Damage Category MCG / Flood

9 Background Policy holder was on holiday at the time. Polygon dealt with his daughter onsite. PH did not return until 2-3 weeks after the incident and was unaware of the scale of the damage He returned to find his house empty and severely damaged Loss Adjuster was changed from a general adjuster to a member of their Major Loss Team.

10 Ceiling collapse Is there artex?

11

12 Summary of situation as found The building had sustained major damage to 13 rooms, from the loft to the cellar significant drying requirements and also extensive building works would be needed. Substantial damage to contents Furniture, Documents, Paintings and Photos How much could be restored What specialists would be needed? The house was not habitable

13 What happened next Following emergency strip out all BER items were listed and skipped with LA approval Harwells (documents and photo s) Allan Farr (furniture restoration) and Steve Lomas (removals) to remove furniture, artwork and documents for offsite drying and triage assessment Appointed TAG to test walls and ceilings (which were over boarded on top of artex) which proved positive (No drying could be carried until the existence of asbestos was proved or disproved ) Upon completion of removal of ACM s Polygon submitted a strip out estimate which after our 3 rd visit was approved and completed on our 4 th visit

14 Drying The drying regime was prepared by the Polygon Project Manager Considerations :- Does he use Desiccant and / or Refrigerant dehumidifiers? What size are the rooms / areas of damage What is the severity of the damage Is there heat in the premises If not, is the ambient temperature appropriate for refrigerant use? Are self purging machines needed or is there regular attendance at the property to empty machines What level of air movement is needed Does the layout allow for the use of a smaller number of high capacity machines to be used? What (if any) innovative drying techniques are appropriate Consider the construction, fixtures and fittings. Establish a datum point to confirm pre loss moisture levels. Set a drying date.

15 Drying is the Goal. Air Flow DRYING GOAL Heat Drying Rate Fastest When: Air Is Very Dry Air Moving Fast Air And Concrete Both Warm X Diff 1.12 kg/m² /hour Air 32 c, RH = 60%, Velocity = 7m/sec Dew Point = 23.3 c, Concrete = 32 c kg/m² /hour Same Conditions Except Velocity = kg/m² /hour Same Conditions Except RH = 10%, Dew Point = -3 c

16 DRYING PRINCIPLES Excess water removal. Evaporation. Dehumidification. Temperature Control.

17 THE DRYING PIE Moisture content Airflow Temp

18 Three Ways that moisture moves. Diffusion. Condensation. Pressure Evaporation Rates Temperature Airflow Moisture Content Material Permeance

19 Targeted drying (also known as cocooning or encapsulation drying) focuses on specific items / areas.

20 Typical Material Drying Curve TYPICAL MATERIAL DRYING CURVE

21 Bathroom internally appeared undamaged One wall was saturated and backed onto the landing Could the expensive tiles be saved? Drying considerations targeted drying, via cocooning or heat mats in order to try and avoid the need to remove the tiles / bathroom fixtures and fittings

22 Drying Polygon carried out 7 further readings visits before signing the property off dry on days drying cycle taking into account waiting for Asbestos results and removals which added 4 weeks to the cycle Furniture was finally returned on 8 th October 2008

23 Furniture restoration for Mr Smith Before After

24 Table restoration Before After

25 Financials Polygon drying charge Electrical work Skips x 2 Strip out Asbestos removal French Polishing Harwells Removals Storage from 1 st May 08 o 3331 o o o 1000 o 3698 o 8923 o 4336 o 900 o 3838 Total

26 Financials considerations Certified drying may be considered essential Electrician, Skips, Strip-out etc Unavoidable French Polishing Very expensive as involves craftsmen and very labour intensive Always establish replacement cost ahead of restoration replacement value in this instance 23,000 saving insurers over 14,000 Pictures / photo s, antiques documents etc Involves highly skilled conservators Their involvement will always seem expensive though they tend to restore the irreplaceable Difficult to post Claim and Adjustment Removals different from a long planned house move Typically moving wet and dirty contents in tight timescales. Storage can seem expensive consider all options

27 Questions