Take a look at what our clients say about our service.
When you appoint Harris Balcombe you get access to directly employed professionals, including:
- Chartered Loss Adjusters
- Chartered Surveyors
- Chartered Accountants
We make complex claims easier…
Date: March 2011
“We were absolutely delighted with the work carried out by Harris Balcombe. They made a big impact as soon as we appointed them. We are convinced that their professionalism and diligence secured a very satisfactory result for us.” Kerry Michael – Pier Owner
The Incident
Date: 27th July 2008
Incident Type: Fire
Scope of Damage: Extensive structural damage & business interruption
The Consequences
Fixtures & Fittings: All fixtures and fittings were destroyed
Buildings: All destroyed with considerable damage to cast iron structure below
Business Interruption: Trading ceased immediately
The Team
Paul Lawrence – Partner, specialising in major & complex material damage losses
Jonathan Samuelson FCA – Partner, Chartered Accountant & Business Interruption expert
Alan Hintz BSc FRICS – Director, Chartered Surveyor specialising in major and complex losses with over 20 years’ experience
The Outcome
Material Damage
The pier has been totally rebuilt with the settlement paid up to maximum sums available under the policy. The £39 million refurbished pier re-opened to record crowds in October 2010.
Business Interruption
The policy was declaration linked with 33.33% additional cover available if necessary. It was immediately apparent that all the additional cover would be needed.
However, to achieve a full settlement up to the maximum sums insured we had to demonstrate how the business would have performed if there hadn’t been a fire. This task was complicated further as the previous private family owners had virtually no historical management information.
We carried out extensive research on the tourist industry, particularly focussing on the South West and other pier operators. We successfully demonstrated that “staycations” were fuelling growth in the UK market. Our body of evidence included an interview with a leading theme park CEO who reinforced the financial aspects of the claim we put forward to the insurers.
All this enabled us to successfully argue for a strong upward trend to be incorporated in the claims calculations and to achieve the maximum settlements for our client.