Claim for water damage succeeds after Oakleafe’s navigation

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That was the question one distraught owner, a joint freeholder in the five-flat property, was asking Crusader once she realised the complications involved. These risked the claim floundering forever if not handled properly.

Multi-layered, such claims often have several or more stakeholders including third party users such as someone renting a garage. 

“We manage the building ourselves, share costs and pay for our insurance cover out of a common repairs fund,” Sarah Williams explained. 

“One flat owner is blaming another for the leak, which has caused his ceiling to collapse and wrecked the kitchen. He says their negligence means they must pay.

“We have looked at the policy and the small print, but sorting this out is beyond us. We desperately need support to guiding us through the claims procedure and calm everyone down.” 

Escape of water, be that flood or leaks exacerbated now by more extreme weather events and climate change, makes up the majority of property insurance claims.

Submissions are closely scrutinised – insurance covers peril but not poor maintenance – and the bar set by insurers is increasingly high, so every detail has to be pinpoint accurate, from cause and repair to agreed settlement.

A trusted professional intermediary is what Sarah’s group needed. But public awareness is low about how they can help and there aren’t many anyway. 

One however is Oakleafe Claims which handles calamities from flood and fire to theft and business interruption. 

Following Crusader’s request, it agreed to support the group in this case. 

The claims loss consultant operates UK wide, with manned offices in Essex, Stoke-on-Trent, Cardiff and Glasgow. 

It specialises in advising on the best policy that’s correctly tailored to a customer’s needs in the first place as well as loss assessment and claims management for both domestic and commercial clients.

Claim sizes range from £2,000 to £20million. 

Fees are taken only after a settlement is achieved with charges spanning six to 10 per cent of the sum, depending on the size and complexity of the case.

Authorised both by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Oakleafe “gives back control to the policyholder during a claim so they are not left at a disadvantage. Our remit is to obtain the best possible settlement,” says group managing director Lee Goodwin.

The company will deal with the insurer, handling all meetings, calls, loss adjuster visits and bring in extra expertise if required.

“We negotiate any interim payments, arrange alternative accommodation, estimates and valuations, then accurately quantify, catalogue and present the claim,” adds Goodwin. 

Oakleafe stopped the toxic blame game in Sarah’s group with peril accepted, and the repairs process properly executed.

Three months later much to all the group’s relief their claim for £4,000 has been paid.

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