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Our story starts in the winter of November 2009, as a qualified building insurance validation surveyor with years of trade back ground experience I suddenly found my self in the middle of the worst winter period for 20+ years, at the time i was working 16 hours per day 7 days a week to service the excessive number of buildings insurance claims for multiple insurers throughout the UK. As a surveyor with delegated authority to an approximate value of £10,000 per claim, our remit was to predominantly confirm the cause of break down and any liability to the insurer for the property damage repairs detected at the time of the inspection. Claims would range from minor to major roof damage to escape of water or any impacted damage sustained to the property during adverse weather conditions, it was during the storms of 2009-10 that i began to realise that the number of rejected claims reached levels of approximately 90% for storms and 50-60% for escape of water buildings claims, each claim outcome was based on the physical evidence harvested on the date of the inspection through images and data gathered relating the damage detected and dominant cause of break down, or in other words the source and cause of any damage. Any decision, entitlement or settlement in relation to the buildings insurance claim outcome ultimately came down to a number of factors such as, policy cover and claims considerations such as poor workmanship or gradual process loss, (ware & tare), these factors ultimately dictated whether the claim submitted by the property owner was either successful and accepted as a liability by the insurer or repudiated (rejected) either in part or in full. Over the subsequent months a common pattern began to form that seemed to be directly connected to storm related buildings claims being rejected by the insurers, the two most common reasons for any claim being rejected was found to almost certainly be attributed to either Poor workmanship or Gradual Process Loss (ware & tare), further investigations into this metric revealed that approximately 45% of the claims made by policy holders were associated to new build properties or recently purchased homes. A particular case study revealed severe inadequacies relating to the property survey (Home Report) carried out on a first floor flat 2 weeks prior to the home owner making a claim on her buildings insurance for storm damage, the property visited was a two storey building located within a suburban area and displayed severe water penetration cascading through the lounge ceiling damaging the ceiling, floors and floor coverings of the recently purchased property. A comprehensive external and internal inspection revealed missing roof slates, mortar decay to the chimney stack roof abutments and ridge directly above the affected lounge area not detected by the previous attending surveyor, this was subsequently attributed to the lack of experience and insufficient equipment or training in comprehensive building inspections. This in turn resulted in the insurer rejecting the claim on the basis that the external defects detected were pre existing and therefore pre inception to the policy cover and therefore would not be accepted as a liability by the insurers for any internal or external repairs required, which were also confirmed to be historical defects associated to gradual process loss, (ware & tare) faults that should have been detected by the buildings surveyor prior to the property purchase. The direct failings on the part of the buildings surveyor inevitably cost the present home owner thousands, which should have been highlighted prior to purchase and either repaired or resulted in an amicable settlement reduction on the purchase cost to cover the cost of the repairs prior to completion. As we approached the winter period of 2010-11 heavy snow fall was again dominating the news headlines with a high volumes of storm related claims being registered throughout the uk again, as storm conditions started to get worse with heavy snow fall and freezing temperatures we started receiving claims relating to collapsed guttering on new build properties, namely timber frame housing developments of 20 or more properties within certain geographic areas. 10-15 storm related buildings insurance claim Inspections within my dedicated post code area started coming through on a daily basis for the next 3 months, most relating to damaged or collapsed guttering, each inspection was surveyed on its own merit based on the physical evidence relating to the cause of break down and resultant damage which again revealed a staggering 90% plus repudiation rate (number of claims rejected by the insurer) which in almost all cases was found to be the result of poor workmanship on the part of the developer, an exclusion on all buildings insurance cover policies. Having visited a number of properties damaged by the recent storms i was presented with a copy off a letter from this particular developer directing the home owner to contact their buildings insurer with any defects relating to the recent storms and that no liability would be accepted by the developer for any damage irrespective of the insurers decision regarding any claim made. It became clear within a short space of time that other surveyors throughout the UK were seeing a similar pattern unfold, with a high volume of insurance claims relating to gutter and roof line failures on a number of new build properties within development sites spread over a number of different developers, all of which rejected any liability that could be associated to poor workmanship, in almost all cases the NHBC warranty was found to be ineffective and again provided no help or financial support for the building defects found. Home owners throughout the UK were now left with damage to their properties and no help from insurance companies or warranty assistance for the required repairs, in some cases properties were left exposed causing further internal and external damage to the buildings, all due to the lack of regulation and standards implemented by the developers who at present can self regulate. In most cases the 10 years insurance backed NHBC warranty seemed apparently worthless, the first 2 years of the warranty falls under the remit of the developer to ensure that any defects detected are repaired or replaced, the final 8 years falls under the remit of the NHBC Warranty, however this only seems to apply to serious structural building defects and does not cover any defect not considered to be a major defect. In short it was clear by our own experience and physical inspections that there was a need for change, it was during March 2011 that HICH Ltd was formed with the intensional of providing help and assistance to Home Buyers and Property Owners, the business model was simple, carry out accurate property appraisals with the use of specialist equipment that could access multi storey properties including the roofs and all connecting elements, we wanted to create a one stop shop that also provided Thermographic surveys and asbestos management surveying so that a full building defect analysis could be comprehensively provided at a customers request with out having to engage multiple companies. We then set about providing this service at the most competitive cost possible with complete transparency for all, through market research and experience we were able to provide a pricing structure that was fair for all, this resulted in set survey fees based on the number of bedrooms and not the value or location of the property without adversely affecting the quality of the service standard expected. Although the survey report is a crucial part of the service we wanted to ensure that we created a seamless experience for our clients, through am advanced AI system clients send an email through our website with their requirements, this automatically populates our booking system and prompts an email quote outlining the survey cost and remit, on acceptance the booking team arrange the inspection in-house and inform the client when the survey will be completed and when they can expect the survey documentation usually within a 7-10 day period from contact. The report also provides guidance on buildings insurance policy cover and types specific to the property, there is a link that also directs clients wishing to hire a local contractor all outlined on the survey documentation with no added cost or referral fees, this enables all our clients to make an informed decision that’s right for them. Although we have along way to go, customer satisfaction is the main priority as can be seen by our excellent TrustPilot reviews, we intend to continue to help customers get value for money by providing a unique service to all and continue to add to our amazing team of recruiting the very best Structural & Building Surveyor & Engineering talents out there, so watch this space as we continue to push the boundaries of the norm and help as many people as we can. HICH Ltd carry out surveying inspection nationwide, our reports are carried out by BSc (Hons) C Build E, MCABE Building Engineers/RICS surveyors with practical building experience together with qualifications attained in Asbestos Management, Buildings insurance validation and NHBC compliance, recognised by most of the leading insurers in the U.K. Se mer