BUILDING INSURANCE

For most flats, the building insurance is arranged by us through a Block policy – a summary of which is available upon request. There may be some blocks where the insurance is arranged by the freeholder and if yours is one of those, the details below may not apply in full although the general principles will be the same.

The insurance policy covers the following risks to the building:

• Fire / Flood / Storm
• Terrorism Cover (if requested)
• Subsidence or heave – subject to certain conditions
• Vandalism – subject to certain conditions
• Theft and/or attempted break in – subject to certain conditions
• Escape of water (e.g. a water leak from a tank or appliance such as a radiator or washing machine
• Collision with the building by a vehicle
• Third party and public liability cover
• Excess. As with the majority of block policies there are excess charges in respect of each and every claim made. A copy of the policy summary and schedule is available detailing the level of excess as well as the extent of the policy.

Insurance Claims
Each Lessee is an insured person under the terms of the policy and as such if you have a claim which relates to your flat – or those conduits which serve your flat – you have to complete a claims form and arrange to have the work done. Where there is a claim which affects the communal areas, the structure or several flats within the building, then we would deal with both the claim and the works required.
The procedure for making claims is as follows:

You contact us and we will either send a claim form to you for completion, or we will direct you to the insurer’s free telephone help line.
If you carry out the work – except as noted below – before acceptance of your claim, you do so at your own risk.

When the claim has been approved you have to pay any contractors employed by you and forward the original receipt to insurers for you to be re-imbursed. When large amounts are involved the insurer will normally pay the contractor direct upon receipt of a satisfaction note. Where works are of any emergency nature either to secure the premises or to prevent further damage you will usually receive a verbal authority from us to proceed with essential works without the need for an estimate for that part of the works.

When the damage to your flat is to such an extent that the flat is uninhabitable, the policy provides cover for alternative accommodation. It would be for you to negotiate with loss adjusters the type of alternative accommodation to be provided.