Prendos Director based in Christchurch, Rory Crosbie, has significant experience dealing with insurance investigations for parties on all sides of the claim. He explains how working with a cross-disciplinary company like Prendos can have benefits whether you are the insured, the loss adjustor or the insurance company.
From earthquakes to floods and cyclones, New Zealand has seen more than its fair share of destructive events in recent years. Each time such an event happens, it triggers a deluge of insurance activity including claims, assessments and – hopefully with little delay – the claim settlement, remediation or rebuild of the damaged building.
But the process can frequently be held up by the sheer number of experts that need to collaborate on it. Our clients find there are significant benefits to be gained from working with Prendos, thanks to our nationwide team who provide expertise across a range of disciplines.
Significant experience in insurance work
As a company we have developed our in-house experience responding to complex claims arising from several major events. These include the Canterbury and Kaikoura earthquake events, Edgecombe floods and most recently the Auckland Anniversary Weekend and Cyclone Gabriel weather events. We have also worked on many one-off fire damage and flood events.
Over the last 10 years we have dealt with asbestos contamination of a large office building resulting from an earthquake. We’ve seen melted brick wall ties caused by extreme high temperature from a heat pump fire. We’ve worked on black flood water contamination. We’ve investigated flood damage to weathertightness compromised cladding systems. And we’ve provided expertise on earthquake-related damage where we had to differentiate between pre and post event damage.
Currently our team of building and quantity surveyors are busy managing the repairs on the significant damage caused to the many properties in the Auckland, Hastings and Napier regions following the weather events of earlier this year. Our teams are providing technical remediation advice, acting as project managers and cost controllers during the remediations.
Multi-disciplinary expertise
Prendos offers you a wealth of expertise under one roof. Combining specialisms in condition assessment, design, structural engineering, estimating, project management, cost control and valuation can speed up the claims process markedly.
Once a claim is made, our building and quantity surveyors work closely together to identify the damage caused and work on the remediation proposal or rebuild option. Our quantity surveying team review our buildings surveyors’ scope proposals and prepare reinstatement valuations to determine the true value of the claim.
We can quickly call on other experts, including our in-house structural engineers, environmental, fire, asbestos and services consultants. This saves you time, money and the administrative burden of dealing with several different suppliers.
Legal advisors can provide valuable clarity
On the many large claims we have recently assisted with, we often receive our instructions from our clients’ legal advisors. They advise us on how the insurance policy responds to the insurance event. This approach is welcomed by our surveyors as they have clarity from the outset on what damage is covered and how to frame their investigations to achieve the best outcome.
Minimising business disruption
Understandably a key focus for many of our clients is ensuring their damaged asset can remain functioning to limit disruption to their business. In these cases we prioritise our investigation and reporting to establish key risks from the damage caused. We’ll then work out what immediate response is required and prepare a robust insurance investigation plan, bringing in the most suited experts to assist depending on the drivers of the claim. In the meantime you can focus on getting back to business as quickly as possible.
Improving your asset
Our forensic approach to damage investigation ensures we capture sufficient evidence to support our reinstatement proposals. In addition to like for like reinstatement we can also assist with betterment upgrades.
Clients often further engage us to develop our reinstatement scope proposals into detailed design and repair packages. We can obtain building consent, seek tenders and appoint suitable contractors to reinstate the damaged building elements, working closely with your loss adjustors.
On a recent fire damaged reinstatement project our quantity surveying team acted as cost controller to ensure the client’s betterment works were completed as a separable portion to the insurance claim work.
Experts in your corner
Large and complex claims often require expert conferral during the investigation and settlement process to reach an amicable outcome. Where the experts cannot reach agreement on disputed matters relating to a claim, we are usually instructed by our clients’ legal advisors to act as expert witness for the client, producing joint conferral reports and briefs of evidence to assist the legal process. Usually this leads onto mediation where both sets of experts present evidence on points of disagreement, assisting the settlement negotiations facilitated by the appointed mediator. This process usually achieves a settlement outcome. Generally one where both parties come away feeling they had to comprise to settle.
We also regularly act as independent expert in claim disputes where the insured does not accept the loss adjuster’s assessment and offer of repair or re-instatement. Here we peer review the claim settlement offer and the evidence supporting the offer. Sometimes a desktop review is sufficient to identify items which might require further consideration by the loss adjustor. If required we carry out our own independent assessment to verify any points of difference and assist from there during the settlement discussions.
In an insurance event, Prendos have both the breadth of services and the depth of experience necessary to help you achieve the best outcome. We can assist you with insurance investigation reporting and reinstatement of damage anywhere in the country – just contact your nearest team, or fill in the form below and have us call you back.