That’s all good advice Mark and you make some good points there, including asking them if they want that kind of insurance for a hotel and to raise the rent if so next time round. Really useful thank you.
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Attend to assess and fix the problem is something simple, like tripped switches and low pressure to boiler/frozen condensate.
Followed up with visit by engineer ASAP if unresolved. Temp measures until fix ie portable electric heaters.
No compensation due, if you offer a one off good will gesture make it clear that it is that and not their right to avoid confusion.
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Very unreasonable. They do have water and I assume they do have clothes they can put on to keep warm… The engine has been called and there is a timeframe for the problem to be rectified
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Yes thank you correct.
I had a flood in my block of flats taking out 2 of them.
One tenant moved into a serviced apartment for 2 days with full kitchen facilities as in his flat, then reconnected the power himself as he wanted to go home - cost £95.00.
The other checked into a hotel for 10 days and submitted bills for meals, including fancy restaurants, and bar bills - cost £1,100, excluding the meals and bar bills… Having said that they are great tenants, just a bit misguided which is mostly the agent’s fault of providing no proper arrangements / direction.
NB: Insurers did not pay for meals and bar bill, and the agent is history…
They both put up with the disruption of the work and I gave them a month at half rent in compensation.
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Thanks for sharing your experience. Did your insurance cover for alternative accommodation? I know in the past they would not cover a reduction in rent should it be needed, however the tenant did stay put.
The insurers paid for the alternative accommodation and the tenants daily disruption allowance for the periods displaced from their accommodation. They only pay one or the other, so I did not receive any extra for the rent reduction I afforded the tenants, but it is my understanding I could have claimed for that instead of the disruption allowance.
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Thanks Chris. Can you tell me who your insurer was please? I was with Frontier last year. The bath leaked and brought the kitchen ceiling down and they wouldn’t pay toward any expenses for the tenant. Only if they had alternative accommodation
I use Alan Boswell Brokers, and they put us with Aviva who have been fantastic regarding our flood claim, couldn’t have been more helpful, patient and considerate.
However, watch this space, we have another potential claim for another properties suspected subsidence, the new claim handler at Aviva is clueless and the loss adjuster does not appear to recognise the problem could be serious. Having said that it is nearly Xmas, and we should give them time to investigate properly which, I believe I convinced him to pursue. Hence my return home to Thailand as the job is on hold and the builder is off on another job, best laid plans of mice and men…!
How different the experience can be depending on the individual you deal with is yet to be determined.
Yorkshire Water took over 7 weeks to investigate the drains, supposedly a 28-day window which doubled and not without numerous phone calls and threats to stop the rates payments. They are a monopoly which has farmed out all the work to a money grubbing private / shareholder company who obviously care more for their shareholders dividends than the customers.
Unbelievable that the government allow a public utility company to get away with it when the PRS are being hounded with new legislation year after year.
One our tenants flood related expenses, furniture damage, food loss was not included, but I believe that was more due to the complete incompetence of our old letting agent, hence my return to UK to see them off and sort out their collaborative / inept contractor and finalise the claim to include all the damage.
I will compensate them as the latest adjustment of the flood settlement on that claim has now been settled to cash and has an element of tenant allowances.
Bit of a pain having to run back and forth to UK to sort it out, but at least it gives me an opportunity to compile information towards an incompetence / mismanagement claim against the useless letting agent, who claim to be the #1 letting agent in West Yorkshire - laughable!
Thanks Chris I have used that broker before. That all sounds like such a headache. I’ve had a major claim gone on before and I know how stressful it is. I wish you all the best with it and hope it’s settled for the best soon.
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