During the catastrophic floods of January 2014, houses along Blackett Close were subject to severe water damage, forcing homeowners to move out of their houses while trying to deal with their insurers.

You really don’t know what devastation acts of god might bring about. The situation was made worse by the sheer volumes of claims, which left insurance companies, surveyors and contractors unable to respond efficiently, and created a shortage of local alternative accommodation.

We were appointed by a group of homeowners along the Close, and were able to get to the scene quickly, kicking off the necessary procedures much sooner. The insurer’s adjusters had proposed using their own surveyors, but the residents wanted to use an independent party who would work with their best interests in mind. We take water damage very seriously, especially when there’s a high risk of contamination, as you can never be too careful when it comes to protecting your home. Therefore, when the adjusters argued that certain parts of the building didn’t require further investigation, we insisted on a thorough examination to identify the full extent of the damage.

Various properties had to be stripped out, which involved multiple insurance companies, adjusters and drying companies. The Harris Balcombe team coordinated the entire project from beginning to end, making sure each house was reinstated to a quality determined by the homeowners rather than the insurers. Our work in the Close showed others the benefit of appointing us, and has led to more people employing our services in order to get a quick and satisfying outcome after the devastating floods.

“When you see people being flooded on tv, you think to yourself how awful it must be having your home and belongings ruined. When it actually happens to you and your family , it is very upsetting and the stress it causes is unimaginable.

You assume that you pay your insurance premium and that all will be resolved quickly and you will be put back to the state you were in before.

However, the process you have to go through is complicated (not what you need when you are so tired, upset and traumatised) and the insurer’s responsiveness is incredibly slow. You feel that the insurance company loss adjustor is trying to reduce the claim in any way possible and you never get responses or returned calls to progress your claim.

The best thing we did during this time was to appoint Harris Balcombe to assist in our case. They explained the process of the claim and were on the phone daily chasing the insurer and loss adjustor to progress the claim. They helped us appoint a good quality surveyor to ensure the reconstruction was fully up to standard and met current regulations. Crucially they made sure that no corners were cut and ensured all work completed was to as good a standard as it was before.”

“Harris Balcombe provided us with excellent representation for both our buildings and contents claim. They expedited the whole process as they knew how to professionally manage the claim and who and when to contact to progress things.”

“I would recommend to anyone who has been flooded to engage Harris Balcombe who will manage your claim effectively in this complex area.”