July 2007; the nightmare continues

A question about : July 2007; the nightmare continues

I'm in Gloucester and my house was flooded on July 22nd 2007. My house was declared 'dry' and the building work was completed in January this year. So far, so good.

Since May I've been renting the house out, and today my Letting Agent has rung me to inform me that upstairs is now damp and mouldy. Prior to the flood, my house was never damp, so I can only assume that this is due to the damp in the plaster from downstairs having risen. I've got onto my Insurance Company and am awaiting their call as I write.

Has this happened to anyone else? How did your Insurance Company deal with you? I assume I'm going to have to have done upstairs what was done downstairs, ie. plaster off the walls, dehumidifiers, new skirting boards, floor boards etc.etc. Will the insurance company pay me the income lost from rent?

This is just a complete nightmare and I feel very upset and alone right now.....

Best answers:

• Hi Duchy
  Big hugs - you are not alone. I too was also flooded last July (I'm in Sussex) - and only moved back in in August this year - to find the reinstatment works have been a complete disaster and am now trying to find my way out of the mess in terms of responsibility of insurance company, who pays for rectification etc etc. It is extremely daunting and I have discovered there seems to be little information/help around for folks like us who find themselves in this position.
  You had a contract with your insurance company to reinstate the house to its previous standard following the flood. If the work has not been conducted to satisfactory standard or is defective, the insurance company should be liable (check the small print) and should pay the cost of rectification and your out of pocket expenses (i.e. lost rent). Providing you have adequate proof, and are still within the "defects period" you can write a letter of complaint to the insurance company and if they don;t play ball, send a last letter re-stating your compalint and asking for their "final reponse". If still not satisfactory, you then take them to the Ombudsman (who you can ring before it gets that far- they are quite happy to have a chat and provide some measure of advice)
  However before tackling the insurance company, it's important to establish yourself if possible whether the damp/mould is indeed due to the house not being dried out properly (the words are "work being conducted to a satisfactory standard and with due care and diligence") or whether it is down to a different lifestyle by the tenants now living there (as can happen) due to - e.g. not using extractor fans,never opening any windows or ventilating the house properly whilst at the same time drying washing on radiators, cooking, steamy bathrooms etc.
  If the problem is upstairs, it is more likely to be the latter.... unless the drying out and reinstatment works were not conducted properly and this will depend upon the following:
  Firstly ref drying out works:
  How deep was the water in your house and how long was it there for before it drained away? Was it also contaminated with sewage?
  At what point after the flood did strip out works commence (removing wet carpets etc), what was done (were skirting boards,floors,plaster etc removed?) and if the plaster was removed - how much was taken off the walls? What type of floor do you have (a concrete one or is there a void under the floorboards?) When were the driers introduced, where were they put and how long were they kept running for? How many months elapsed before your drying out certificate was issued Who was reponsible for overseeing the work and signing off the certificate - were you allowed to appoint your own surveyor or was it all handled by the insurance company's drying out team/loss adjuster?
  Depending on how deep the water, and how long the house sat there "wet" before strip out/drying out works commenced will dictate how much plaster/other materials should have been removed (as they will have soaked up the water by capillary action to a much greater height than the original flood water) and therefore how long the drying out period should have been.
  Secondly with regard to the reinstatement works - theses were presumably done by a builder appointed by the insurance company? Who oversaw the work, was there a contract with a defects period and who signed off the completion certficate (You should have been permitted to appoint a surveyor to act in your interests) What plastering work was done downstairs and was it allowed to dry out properly before final decoration was made? Were any remedial works done to the central heating system? How long was the house empty over the cold winter period and were there any burst pipes discovered upstairs at the time (I had 3 pipes burst in my loft but luckily I had turned the water off so damage was minimal when the builders finaly connected up and turned on the central heating)
  Depending on what your insurance company say in reponse to your initial phone call, you may like to consider paying a surveyor to make an independent report on your behalf which will make the insurance company sit up and take notice.
  Hope this helps - and sorry for all the questions. I am very happy to chat over the telephone if you would prefer and provide what help/info I can during the process. Just PM me your phone number.
  You WILL get this sorted out...it's just a bit daunting and frightening at the moment. Stay strong - and remember you are not alone.
  Hugs
  Wol2
  xx