Supporting an animal sanctuary after third-party property damage

Introduction

We successfully resolved a standstill in negotiations between insurers and an animal conservation sanctuary, after the charity was left with property damage caused by a third party.

The situation

An animal conservation charity was left with a large hole in one of its buildings after an unattended car that did not have its handbrake fully secured rolled over the pathway and collided with it, causing significant damage and necessitating immediate repairs.

Following the incident, the third-party insurer appointed a loss adjuster to assess the damage and determine the cost of repairs, valuing them at £6,031. However, as the sanctuary is situated in a rural area, it faced difficulties finding a suitable builder to carry out the repairs for this amount.

With limited options available, the charity received a quote from the only available contractor in the vicinity, amounting to £10,201.08 – exceeding the insurer’s valuation by a significant margin and leaving the sanctuary with a financial deficit. The sanctuary tried sourcing quotes from further afield but found no one willing to undertake the work due to the distance.

How we helped

Despite the evidence of the higher repair quote, the third-party insurer was unwilling to increase its contribution, leading to a standstill in negotiations. As a result, we were appointed and contacted the loss adjuster, asking them to cover the £10,201.08 quote, arguing that this was, as the law states, the “reasonable cost of repair” given the sanctuary’s rural location and lack of available alternatives.

This was denied, so we issued legal proceedings against the insurer, and the claim was swiftly settled in full, allowing the sanctuary to proceed with the necessary repairs without incurring any out-of-pocket expenses and enabling it to continue its vital conservation efforts.

A note from Oliver Burke

The financial strain resulting from the £3,900 deficit between the insurer’s assessment and the actual repair costs left the sanctuary in a challenging position. As a charitable organisation, it did not have the spare funds readily available to cover the shortfall and proceed with the repairs.

The loss adjuster argued that the work could be carried out for just over £6,000 if the sanctuary shopped around. However, this was unreasonable – it was a completely unique case due to the sanctuary’s remote location. We are thrilled we were able to recover the costs in full, meaning the sanctuary could get its building repaired and continue its fantastic rescue and rehabilitation work.”

Contact us

Many businesses overlook property uninsured loss recovery, mostly because they are not aware the opportunity for recovery exists. Whatever the circumstances, if an incident was caused by someone not directly employed by your business, we can help you get that money back. Contact us for more information.