Couple still not back home after Storm Arwen damage blame insurer for delays

Ged and Paula Thomas claim that their efforts are being hampered by their insurance firm – LV= – and Mr Thomas has submitted a formal complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (insurance section).

They lost power at about 7pm on November 26, 2021, and then an hour later, a tree near the property in Lowick was ripped up from its roots due to one of the worst storms in a generation and fell against the house.

There was significant damage to the roof, house structure, windows in the front of three rooms, cast iron guttering and fall pipes, front right gable end and the surrounding stone wall of the property.

The couple then had to find temporary accommodation and they have lived in seven different homes over the last 14 months.

Mr Thomas claims he had no choice but to project manage the repair works himself and has used local contractors, but that has been one the issues with LV= and some works such as the replacement windows cannot go ahead as there is disagreement over the designs.

The company says it has “done absolutely nothing wrong” and it will “continue to do everything we can to progress Mr Thomas’s claim”.

Mr Thomas said: “The reality is that the level of support you receive depends on your post code.

“Even though I have engaged with local contractors, LV= has insisted on sending engineers and contractors from as far away as Eastbourne and Barry Island in Wales.

“I told them that I was willing to project manage the works, and I felt that I had to do this to try and speed things up, but only if they were willing to underwrite the costs of the claim given the uncertainty over costs for materials.

“If I had agreed a settlement last summer, I wouldn’t have been able to afford all the necessary works as costs have shot up over the last six months.

“I would say it’s June at the earliest for returning to live in the house. Although we have managed to repair the roof, dealt with the tree and worked on plumbing, joinery and plastering, there are still many things that need to be sorted such as the windows, plus there is still no central heating or hot water.

“We are very frustrated with the situation and angry that the company thinks it is OK to treat people so disrespectfully.”

A spokesperson for LV= said: “We have done everything possible and continue to do everything we can to progress Mr Thomas’s claim.

“Sadly, his home suffered significant structural damage as a result of Storm Arwen – needing extensive external and internal work.

“We’ve been working closely with Mr Thomas throughout the duration of the claim, after he requested to project manage the entire process himself, and are paying him to do this.

“A schedule of work was agreed with Mr Thomas, including what would be covered as part of his claim, and the major structural work of the property was completed in April 2022, four months after the claim was made.

“To finish the internal work, we have been liaising with Mr Thomas on quotes from tradespeople, but these have been significantly higher than could be possibly justified and we’re receiving further claims for items that were not on the agreed schedule of work, or known to have been damaged by the incident.

“LV= have done absolutely nothing wrong and we remain committed to keeping Mr Thomas and his family in the cottage they’ve lived in since the claim was made. We’ll also continue to keep him updated on the options we have to settle the claim.”