barbeque fire wreaks havoc with neighbour’s double garage

Your Claim were called to assist the policy holders of a large five bedroom detached property with double garage in Braintree. The double garage had caught fire from a neglected barbeque next door, which in turn had caught the boundary fence alight and burnt the soffits on the garage roof. The timber constructed roof collapsed, bringing the weight of the roof onto the stored vehicle within.

The issue was largely limited to structural damage of the garage and the link-attached utility room and its external elevations, though there was also smoke damage to all four side of the property.

Our first priority was to determine the integrity of the remaining structure. Working closely with the policy holders’ preferred builder, we removed and stripped out the burnt and damaged fabric.

Having been authorised to manage the claim on behalf of the policy holders, we instructed a structural engineer to undertake a thorough and forensic inspection of the remaining garage structure. We also found out the vehicle stored within the garage was a work in progress project / restoration; it was uninsured and registered as SORN.

We put together an accurate scope of works to include full height decoration and ensure the renovation would closely reflect the building’s pre-loss condition. We put the work out to tender and submitted the findings to the insurers for approval. The project was undertaken in 8 weeks – with stage payments secured – and everything was completed within a satisfactory timeframe.

Initially, the insurers were reluctant to assist the policy holders in the recovery of their uninsured and now damaged vehicle. However, our team challenged the insurance company on their statutory obligations to recover all uninsured losses. After some correspondence, the insurers reluctantly agreed to appoint a third party solicitor to help in the recovery of the damaged vehicle, which was estimated at the time to be worth £17,000. We left our client feeling comfortable that the uninsured loss would be met by their newly engaged solicitor. If you need a fire insurance claim adjuster, get in touch with us immediately and we will help you get back to your normal life.