restoring a property after water damage leads to electrical fault

Accidental water damage from an upstairs vanity unit led to hot water flooding that made its way through an en suite, into a bedroom cupboard, and down a ceiling void into the hall, cloakroom toilet, and kitchen. The electrics at this property in South Suffolk had been consequently saturated and were considered to be unusable.

After carrying out the initial assessment, it became clear to our team that the property would not be habitable for some period of time due to the electrical fault which was sustained by the water damage. We quickly secured alternative accommodation for the insured party.

The priority was to secure the property and make it safe. An electrical installation condition report was commissioned just seven days later which included an analysis of the consumer unit. This informed us that some of the electrical appliances had been water damaged. The rear wall behind the cooker and kitchen units had soaked up a lot of the free water, too, leaving the whole room damp and smelly.

Once the consumer unit was dry and able to be switched back on, we began stripping out the kitchen, including its plaster damaged fabric, and installing drying equipment. Anything from the kitchen that was salvageable was stored off-site.

The policy holder used the opportunity – and their own money – to upgrade the kitchen with quartz worktops and underfloor heating during these repairs and restorations.