Do you notice that your chimney is now starting to fill up your room with smoke?

If so, read on as the possible consequences of not acting on smoke damage within a timely fashion could be fatal.

If your chimney liners are breached, there is a risk of carbon monoxide entering your home which can cause fatal consequences. If this occurs to you, it would be a good idea to purchase a carbon monoxide alarm and place within the room, remember to keep the device low down so that it can detect the gas, this is due to the fact that carbon monoxide is heavier than oxygen and carbon dioxide therefore by the time the gas reaches higher levels fatal effects may have occurred.

Regarding the liners themselves, a large amount of chimney fires go undetected therefore a general CCTV survey will determine the level of damage within the liner and dictate the scope of works necessary to repair your loss.

You can appoint a loss assessor before or after this event, a good loss assessor will advise you on the following,

• Was the insurance policy inception recent?
  • Should there be a recent policy inception there will be an argument between insurers as to whom is liable.
  • Shared chimney stacks, this is a complex area and a loss assessor will advise of who is the correct person responsible to pay for the damage.
• Scope of works.
  
  • A loss assessor will outline all the items that you are entitled to claim for that the insurance company’s loss adjuster forgot to include.
• Settlement terms.
  • A loss assessor will bring about a swift insurance claim settlement agreement for you on the best possible terms available.
• Betterment.
  • When you have a shared chimney stack, there may be no diving wall between the chimney liners an insurance company may try to class this as “betterment” however certain insurance policies allow for such provisions therefore they are liable for these costs.
• Claim Preparation.
  • A loss assessor fully prepares your claim and submits it on your behalf to the insurance company.
• Claim Settlement.
  • A loss assessor gets you on average a 30% better settlement.

With all the outlined benefits, why would you complete a claim yourself?

Contact us today for a no obligation conversation to see if we can assist you within your loss.

Disclaimer.

This article discusses general information based on insurance claims. Please note however that it does not constitute loss assessor advice, nor is it intended to create a loss assessor-client relationship. Neither is it intended to provide a comprehensive or detailed statement of an insurance claim. No liability whatsoever is accepted by Pro Insurance Claims for any action taken in reliance on the information in this website.