National Share a Story Month 2022

This month is National Share a Story Month – an annual celebration of the power of storytelling. That’s why we’re here to tell the story of Property Claim Assist. Find out more about our journey, how we make a difference in the insurance industry, meet our directors and hear our expert advice on the best way to get a full and fair settlement for your property insurance claim.

In October 2020, we founded Property Claim Assist with the sole intention of making a true difference in a systematically flawed industry. Our mission was to educate policyholders on their legal right to appoint a Loss Assessor, to ensure they obtained full and fair compensation for their property insurance claim. This is an area in which the UK is currently lagging behind the USA; most US homeowners already appoint an independent representative to guide them through their property insurance claim, recognising all the pitfalls that can befall them if they don’t.

Our efforts to make a difference have not gone unnoticed. This year, Prestige Awards chose Property Claim Assist as the winner of Loss Assessor of the Year 2022! This was a fantastic achievement for our team who have worked and continue to work tirelessly to assist and fully support policyholders with their property insurance claims.

Simon: “We were, and still are, very proud that our hard work, and that the entire ethos of our company – to offer a really professional, friendly and supportive claims management service – has been recognised. The whole team at Property Claim Assist feel truly honoured to have achieved this award”.

As the directors, we have been involved in the insurance industry for many years, specifically within the area of property claims, prior to us founding Property Claim Assist. We became well aware that many policyholders were struggling to obtain full and fair settlements for their property claims, and finding it incredibly difficult and stressful attempting to deal with their claims alone. Elderly and vulnerable people found it almost impossible. At the same time, dealing with a claim was becoming more and more long-winded and complicated. We realised that a fresh, proactive and professional approach to independent claims management was required.

Our director, Simon Colburn, explains: “We can’t change the fact that policyholders have suffered a loss due to fire/flood etc, but we can ensure that the entire claims process that follows, is as painless and stress-free as possible. We take the weight off policyholder’s shoulders – and remove the anxiety. We do understand, empathise and actually care – as well as having all the expertise to fight the claimants corner. That’s one of the things that makes us different”.

Along with our experts, we work as your partner throughout the insurance claim process by translating policy clauses, negotiating your settlement, refuting reasons to reduce or decline your claim, taking the stress off your shoulders and helping you return to your pre-loss condition as swiftly as possible. We also help progress your claim in the event that it is unfairly delayed. The last thing you expect is to be waiting months for your claim to be advanced, but sadly, without a Loss Assessor on your side, this can be a harsh reality. Take the London floods of July 2021 for example. Our flood insurance claim experts discovered that three months after the floods, some insurers had still not sent out loss adjusters to inspect the damage caused. These delays caused unwarranted stress to policyholders who were then further delayed in being able to rebuild their lives. By appointing a Loss Assessor, you have someone on your side. They can speed up the process on your behalf and achieve the settlement you are entitled to.

Additionally, by appointing a Loss Assessor like us, you will have access to full property claim management and representation, an accurate claim valuation and a full property repairs service, for FREE. The burden of sourcing tradesmen quotes and the prospect of becoming a victim of cowboy or poorly-skilled tradespeople no longer falls on your shoulders. Property Claim Assist manages and oversees the entire claims process for you.

For more information on how we can help with your property insurance claim, click here.

Through no fault of their own, vulnerable adults are likely to find it harder to fully understand all the information presented to them during their insurance claim negotiations. Because of this, they are more likely to struggle with the deliberately constructed hurdles within the insurance claims process. Some of these hurdles include unreasonably slow insurer response times, refusals to pay out, unfair attempts to reduce claim settlements, intimidating the claimant to accept inadequate offers and a complete lack of respect for the claimant’s needs.

According to the Financial Services Authority (FSA), more must be done to protect such adults in the financial sector, stating “[Vulnerable] consumers may not be able to understand the information they are sent or may struggle to communicate their needs to firms”.

Entitled To More: Our helpful guide on how we can best help vulnerable policyholders across the UK. Click here to find out more.

By appointing Property Claim Assist, claimants have access to professional, experienced and committed support to obtain full and fair settlement under their property insurance policy. We understand the importance of supporting policyholders, particularly those that are elderly or vulnerable. Our director Simon Colburn, points out “Making a claim is generally difficult, time-consuming and causes undue stress and anxiety. Without being fully able to understand an insurance policy, and all the loopholes and small print it contains, vulnerable claimants often give up and accept settlements well below the true and fair value of the claim”.

Our team is highly experienced at assisting the elderly and the vulnerable. We take the stress of managing a property claim entirely off their shoulders, a godsend for both the policyholders and their families.

To further make a difference to vulnerable adults across the country, we have partnered with Child’s Vision- a charity that works with vulnerable adults and children who have been affected by domestic abuse. For every new property claim we manage; we will donate £100 to Child’s Vision when code VISION is quoted. Together, with Child’s Vision, our work will make a huge difference in the lives of vulnerable adults across the country. Gary Rogers, one of our directors explains: “Partnering with Child’s Vision, has allowed us not only provide vital support for victims of domestic abuse, but also to further educate the public about what we do, making them aware they have the choice to appoint an independent assessor to guide them through the maze of their insurance claim”.

Simon Colburn, Director of Property Claim Assist

Simon has been in the insurance industry for over twenty years, and has been within the Loss Assessing industry for the last twelve. After college, he worked as a claims clerk at South Essex Insurance Brokers. A few years later, he took a senior property claims role at Commercial Union Assurance, where he was actively involved in the handling of property claims, including those from The Great Storm of 1987. After periods at Equity Insurance Association and Red Star Policies at Lloyds, he moved to the City of London, where he spent eight years as a claims manager for The Black Sea & Baltic General Insurance Company. As well as being a Loss Assessor for the last twelve years, Simon has gained knowledge and experience in the building industry, having project-managed refurbishment contracts on numerous properties.

In addition to his role as Company Director, his duties include handling, presenting and negotiating settlement of major & complex property claims. Simon is a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters and the Society of Claims Professionals.

When asked his favourite thing about being a Loss Assessor, Simon replied: “Seriously, it’s the difference we make to people’s lives. It’s hugely satisfying to assist people through to success on a claim – particularly if it’s a really complex one, or where we are dealing with a particularly unhelpful loss adjuster. It always, without fail, gives us both a fantastic feeling to see smiles on the faces of the policyholders – and to know how pleased they are with the outcome, when they return to their home or affected premises after all the repairs and redecoration”.

Gary Rogers, Director of Property Claim Assist

Gary has worked as an assessor for the last 15 years and began his passion for claims management following training at The National Flood School where he studied BDMA & IICRC standards in Fire & Flood Damage management. Having developed contracts with CILA Loss Adjusters such as Davies MS, Crawford International and Sedgwick he was soon working with insurers such as RSA, AXA and Zurich.

Gary gained extensive experience and expertise within the industry, additionally gaining valuable insight into Loss Assessing/Loss Adjusting markets. It was here he recognised that the public did not have a strong enough voice within insurance claim negotiations and he vowed to make a change. After joining a well-known Loss Assessor as a consultant, Gary eventually joined the Board of Directors operating a Regional office covering the South East & London.

When asked his favourite thing about being a Loss Assessor, Gary explained: “I get a great feeling of personal achievement and satisfaction working for our clients by guiding them through the complexities of an insurance claim that has life changing effects in many instances. I feel a great sense of pride seeing our clients return back to their home or business. Removing their stress and anxiety and obtaining what they are rightfully entitled to under their insurance policy means a lot to me personally.”

The insurance industry has changed drastically since our directors first began their careers. The process of making a claim has become increasingly complicated, stressful and long-winded. Additionally, there has been a huge decrease in the ‘personal touch’, leaving room for little or no empathy or support.

Often, traumatised policyholders are unable to actually speak to a human-being at the Insurance Company, instead having to make do with complex form-filling, with no help or guidance. Not only this, but delays – often really long delays – have become much more commonplace – not just due to Covid, but because of the increased levels of claim complexity. Insurance companies are also well aware that delays can work in their favour – often, a worn-down policyholder is more likely to just accept any offer.

In addition to this, according to Gary Rogers, “insurers are now continually looking for ways to reduce claim settlements”. This means that those insured are frequently not receiving their entitlement settlement and on many occasions, their property is not restored back to its pre-loss condition. It’s clear that change needs to happen. Policyholders across the country must be made aware that it is their right to appoint their own Loss Assessor. The directors at Property Claim Assist feel it is their duty to spread the message and help every policyholder across the country.

When asked about the future of the industry, Gary Rogers hopes there will be big changes. “There needs to be a policy that allows for an independent Loss Assessor to be immediately appointed to an insurance claim. This is so that the policyholder no longer has to feel overwhelmed by insurance jargon, is not pressured to accept substandard offers, does not have to go through the stress of negotiations and can have their claim progressed within a reasonable time.”

If you choose to deal with your property insurance claim alone, the insurer and their loss adjuster hold the upper hand in the claim negotiations. This may leave you feeling frustrated, defeated and highly stressed, but there is an alternative.

If you have suffered damage to your property, our advice is to get help. Do not rely solely on the insurance company doing the right thing. It costs you nothing to get advice and support from an independent Loss Assessor, such as ourselves. The sooner you appoint, the easier it will be to achieve the full and fair settlement you deserve. Our directors are prepared to – and often do – go the ‘extra mile’ to ensure this happens. We are truly determined.

Call us today on 0333 577 2720 to find out how we can help you.