We interviewed Paul Ainsworth-Lord, co-founder and director of Ainsworth-Lord Estates, and asked him to share his experience of working with AIR. You can read all about this case study here.
How did you find out about Action Insurance Repair?
I was introduced to Joanne from Action Insurance Repair by a mutual contact. We had a meeting and she explained how the service works and straight away I could see how this would benefit not only our landlords but also us as a business. It’s inevitable that incidents will occur from time to time when you manage a lot of properties; a big leak, a storm, a flood etc. and the damage could either be costly to repair or costly to investigate. On occasions like this, we suggest the landlord considers making a claim on their buildings insurance and this is when the AIR team comes in. They are much more experienced and better set up to assist the landlord in dealing with the problem. They work with loss assessors who will deal directly with the insurance company, they can organise drying equipment, undertake emergency repairs, gather the appropriate reports and carry out all necessary repairs. What’s more, we don’t have to get involved in arranging various contractors to go out and look at the job then chase up quotes, or answer the insurance company’s queries providing information and documents for them to process a claim, so it saves us time to get on with other stuff.
What prompted you to contact them?
On this occasion, we contacted AIR because a vehicle had driven into the front wall of a ground floor flat that we manage. It had left the property uninhabitable. We knew that the repairs were going to be expensive but we didn’t know if there was any structural damage. We introduced our landlord to AIR because they have the right team in place to deal with the claim and get the property repaired properly.
How did you find the repairs process?
It was really straightforward, we made one phone call to AIR, introduced them to the landlord, and they took over from there. The only problem was, the repairs were authorised just before the first lockdown in March so the job had to be put on hold until restrictions were lifted and Highways could approve traffic management for the work to take place. Of course, the loss assessor claimed loss of rent for the duration, on behalf of the landlord.
Why do you think it’s important to use a team of insurance specialists?
It takes the strain off us and ensures the best possible outcome for our clients/landlords. We have a great team of contractors but they don’t know what to quote for when it comes to insurance claims and also, we don’t have to organise the various trades to quote and then manage the repairs. What’s more, we all know that insurance policies can be tricky and sometimes claims get rejected, so we don’t want to be responsible for saying the wrong thing!
How did our team stand out?
The landlord was happy, the work was completed to a good standard and we didn’t have to do anything which made me happy too!
What were the main benefits of working with AIR?
In addition to the above, the reward scheme is the icing on the cake!