Fit Smoke Alarms to Prevent Fire Insurance Claims

On February 1, 2022, Scotland’s fire regulations were tightened. Interlinked fire and smoke alarms are to be fitted in all households, by means of either traditional cabling or wireless connection.

Similarly, heat alarms must be fitted in kitchens and carbon monoxide alarms are also required, where carbon-burning appliances are present. Meanwhile, in contrast, nearly one-in-ten households in England and Wales do not have a working fire alarm.

At Property Claim Assist, we see first-hand the devastation and destruction property fires bring. Fire can easily take hold in one room, whilst the homeowner is busy elsewhere. Before they discover the fire, it can have spread to other spaces, fed by flammable materials and destroying all possessions in its path. The average area damaged in 2020-21 in domestic properties was 16.4m. More than one-in-ten fires (13%) extend beyond the room of origin.

Even when flames are extinguished, fire damage has not ceased. Toxic deposits inside the fabric of the home continue to erode the framework. Smoke odours simply do not disappear overnight and damage from hose water causes its own problems.

As professional Loss Assessors we know that assessing how much damage has been caused by a fire needs careful consideration. Not to mention, we can offer you a considered service for free.

Scotland’s action on fire alarms makes sense. Even residents who do have working smoke alarms may not necessarily hear one go off. This is especially true if they are in another part of the property. In Scottish homes now, if one alarm goes off, they all go off.

Now, in Scotland, a three-bedroom, two-storey house requires three smoke alarms, a heat alarm and potentially also a carbon monoxide alarm. Smoke alarms need to be fitted in every circulation space (hallways and landings) on each floor and in the room most frequently used for general daytime living.

Those English and Welsh homes without this level of fire protection, or with smoke alarms fitted with dead batteries, are endangering lives and risking a major loss.

Should the worst occur, we can be your side throughout your fire insurance claim. We offer professional loss calculation advice, insurance negotiation and property repair management services. However, we’d rather not see you have to go through this. The best thing you can do? Make sure you fit and maintain your smoke alarms.

In 2019 (the last figures available), the average fire insurance claim amounted to £19,527. However, in London, the average fire claim amounted to £51,138.

But these are average figures. Much higher pay-outs for fire insurance claims were made in places such as London (£241,676), Bristol (265,386), Greater London (£119,794) and Reading (£124,423).

Could you really calculate your fire insurance claim entitlement accurately and, hand on heart, say you have covered all bases when it comes to the unseen, as well as obvious damage? Many of our clients could not.

Fire insurance claims were, most worryingly, linked to arson in 46% of cases in 2018-19. Nearly a quarter (23%) were caused by electrical faults and 15.5% of claims were the result of cooking-related incidents. The same sort of percentage stemmed from issues with the heating system.

Overall, fire and explosion claims comprise around 17% of all home insurance claims. 17 in every 100, or 1.7 of every ten domestic property claims.

The percentage linked to arson should give a homeowner extra cause for concern. With figures this high, the possibility a homeowner has deliberately set their own fire is always at the back of an insurer’s mind. If there is the slightest discrepancy in the presentation of the facts, an insurer could claim arson, and void the insurance policy, even if that assessment is not true.

Be honest and open from the word go. Notify your insurer about the fire quickly and do not clear away or throw out any evidence from the fire. That is, unless your insurer agrees you can do so.

Try to validate all that you say you have lost, producing receipts, or finding emails that show when you purchased items and what you paid for them. Produce photos that might show valuable items, kitchen units, furnishings and other items.

Limit any further damage by boarding up windows, if necessary, and taking other remedial action. Do not, however, put yourself at risk, or start any repair work, until all has been agreed with your insurer.

But the best advice of all is to make sure you have someone fighting your corner and offering a second viewpoint on your claim. By appointing your own Loss Assessor, you will get the strong voice you need in the negotiations, professional expertise throughout the claim and repair process, the services of someone who can translate the policy wording correctly and deliver your rightful entitlement and a person who will take the burden of your claim off of your shoulders.

Best of all, if you work with their trusted tradespeople and contractors, this service will be free to you and give you no cause for alarm about their workmanship.

Call us today on 0333 577 2720, if you have a fire insurance claim to handle.