A Leaking Pipe causes extensive water damage when the home owner was away from the property for just one night. The owner returned the next day and found the entire property water damaged from the top floor to the basement. The water pipe supply to the toilet cistern on the top floor had come away from the appliance and the leaking water caused extensive water damage to most of the rooms on the way down
The home owner did not know where to start. Luckily, we had handled a similar case for a friend of the home owner who referred him to us.
ICS were appointed to provide full claims management and claims negotiation on behalf of the policyholder of this luxury property in Dublin 4. The property is a Georgian terrace 3 storey over basement. The house retains all of its original features including fireplaces, woodwork and ornate plasterwork. The house is appointed to a very high standard and was in excellent condition prior to loss.
We immediately advised the home owner to appoint a plumber to go to the house and cap the leaking pipe. We attended straight away and carried out a thorough water damage survey. We used our specialist moisture meter to check for damage in the affected and surrounding rooms. We discovered the water from the leaking pipe had travelled into adjacent rooms that to the eye appeared undamaged.
We documented and photographed the affected rooms and areas. In the drawing room, we found that ornate ceiling plasterwork, cornicing, electrics, woodwork and carpet had been damaged. In the basement, the ceilings, wall plaster, built in wardrobes, carpets, bedding and furniture were damaged beyond repair.
We reported and met with the Insurance Loss Adjuster on-site and presented our findings, then negotiated and agreed a detailed schedule of repair works. The negotiation was complicated because many of the finishes were bespoke (specialist ornate plasterwork, timber finishes, decoration etc.), so each one had to be specified and costed individually. We agreed a settlement with the loss adjuster that will allow our clients to reinstate the property to a very high standard. Had the home owner relied on a visual inspection only the damage to adjacent rooms may have been missed and left undiscovered for a long time after the claim was settled.
