CASE STUDY
Dehumidifier fire
In October 2024 a fire broke out in the basement of Connells estate agent’s offices. The fire was believed to have originated from a dehumidifier that was active in the basement area.
The loss adjuster, Mclarens, appointed Revival on 17th October and it was clear we needed to get the property reinstated as quickly as possible to minimise the business interuption.
Revival Colchester went into action the next day and we appointed our building contractor, Trubuild, the same day for strip outs.
Revival reported that the fire in the basement had resulted in fire damage throughout the property. A fire clean was required in all areas and the client also requested costs for document recovery. Widespread reinstatement and decoration were required to the property as well.
The MA Group TLC team were appointed to the claim and their project management skills were quickly put into action.
Speed and coordination
By appointing the building contractor at the same time as the Revival branch, the TLC team were able to ensure that all parties worked together to deliver a quick response.
Trubuild and Revival Colchester attended site together right at the start. This meant they were able to co-ordinate strip-out works and fire cleaning and build a comprehensive schedule of works – working in parallel to maximise efficiencies. Such co-ordination is a clear benefit of combining restoration and reinstatement management under the same MA Group claims management process.
Lisa Nelson, one of MA Group’s Operations Managers, took ownership of the claim and the TLC team provided techincal support to ensure the site was set up correctly, and that the necessary Health and Safety documentation and safety measures were in place.
The speed of assignment and co-ordination of suppliers meant we were able to provide Mclarens with a detailed and comprehensive schedule of works very early in the claim. Our proactive appoach, support and detailed costings meant that we successfully won the tender for the reinstatement works.
Complexities
The property was in the town centre which created delivery and parking challenges. Also, there were people living in the property above so we had to minimise inconvenience for them.
At the start, there were electricity supply issues so the TLC team and Mclarens worked closely together to help the customer secure the reconnection of the electricity supply. Following this Trubuild was able to set up power provision for the reinstatement and restoration works.
The TLC team and TruBuild then engaged with Mclaren’s project manager, Brawdia, in setting up the contract, building up the Construction Phase Plan and providing options on the programme to reduce the business interruption costs for the claim.
The TLC team and TruBuild had to work with several nominated specialist suppliers including fire and security specialists, heating and ventilation system specialists.
Losses mitigated, simple communication
The team regularly met and reported to Mclarens on progress, including updates to the Construction Phase Plans and regular formal site progress reports, all geared to reasssuring the client that the project was on schedule and being delivered to the very high standard required.
The works were finished four weeks ahead of programme. Connells “were very happy that the works were done in a timely and professional manner, allowing us to trade weeks ahead of schedule”.
Mclaren’s said:
“Revival mitigated our client’s loss immediately and set the tone of getting repairs done as soon as practicable...Clear benefit that the.. works were undertaken by Revival and .. then by MA Assist…bypassed any complications regarding responsibilities …a simplified communication chain. Works were done in a professional manner. Elements came up …but it was noted and appreciated that solutions were proposed rather than just raising issues.”
