When a fire broke out in one of Amherst Properties’ commercial buildings in the early hours of a Saturday morning, it was clear the claim wouldn’t be straight-forward. The multi-storied building housed several businesses, each with their own insurance arrangements, and with an entire floor virtually gutted and some smoke damage to the rest of the building, things were not looking good.
Amherst director Lindsay contacted his insurance broker Derrick Abbott to alert him to the fire and, despite the early hour, was impressed to see Derrick on site within 30 minutes of his call.
Derrick knew the claim would be complex because of the many ‘moving parts’ – insurer, loss adjuster, fire investigator, multiple tenants (and their insurers) – so he made sure to provide Lindsay with a personal and continuous level of service for the duration. He started by securing a progress payment from the insurer for the anticipated ‘Loss of Rents’ Amherst Properties would suffer while the claim was assessed.
Even though the fire investigator determined the fire was caused by the failure of a tenant’s own electrical multi box, the claim took 18 months to resolve. But with Derrick’s insight and persistence, the loss adjustor’s expertise, and an insurer that delivered on its promises, Amherst Properties was awarded a favourable settlement to fully repair the damage.
‘Throughout the claims and investigation process, Derrick made himself readily available and was very hands-on. In fact, we’re still getting personalised service two years after the claim was settled.’
