Here, we discuss how our in-house Claims Team negotiated the settlement of a complex claim involving damage to a heritage wall due that was damaged by a third party.
Our client informed us of an incident which involved a third-party driver who had blacked out behind the wheel, losing control and veering off the road, colliding with the client’s heritage Ha-Ha wall. This incident resulted in significant damage to the structure surrounding our client’s property, and a complicated claim.
Given the unique nature of the incident, our Claims Team had to act swiftly in order to protect our client’s interests. Furthermore, to prevent impacting our client’s policy, rather than processing the claim through their insurance, we pursued it directly with the third-party’s insurer.
From the outset, the claim process proved challenging; while the third-party insurer admitted liability and appointed their solicitors early on, there was significant disagreement over the amount of the claim, particularly in relation to the contractor costs. The third-party insurer’s initial settlement offer was £22,500 — substantially lower than our client’s quote of £37,800 for the repairs.
We stood firm and contested the valuation at every step. Over the course of negotiations, the offer increased incrementally – first to £24,150, then to £29,150. However, these offers still fell too short of the actual costs needed to restore the heritage wall.
To strengthen our client’s position, they sourced a second competitive quotation for the repairs, allowing us to continue negotiations. After extensive discussions, we and our client ultimately agreed on a settlement sum of £31,105. While this was not the full amount of the initial quote, it was significantly closer than the third-party insurer’s original and provided a fair resolution for our client.
This case highlights the importance of perseverance and expertise. Having a broker that can and will continue to work determinedly to do the right thing for you, with the experience and know-how of negotiating with insurers and establishing how and why a policy should react to a claim. Ultimately, even although liability was conceded early, the majority of McClarrons’ Claims Team’s efforts were spent negotiating the amount that would be paid out.
If you’d like to understand more about how our Claims Team operates and the value they bring to our clients, visit our Claims page here. Alternatively, if you would be interested in working with an insurance broker like McClarrons, who work independently to source the right insurance for our clients and help them in securing a fair settlement in the event of a claim, you can contact us for a complimentary review.
