A customer says you damaged their property

Start with the facts

A clear chronology is often the most useful starting document. Add new information without altering the original entry.

Urgent steps may be needed to prevent injury or further damage. Record why they could not wait and keep the invoices.

For this subject, record the position on three points: water, fire or movement could worsen the damage; the customer demands an immediate cash payment; and another contractor has already altered the area. Give dates where possible and identify the source of information supplied by somebody else.

Put these items together next: before-and-after photographs; messages, invoices and scope of work; and who had access and when. Keep originals in their existing form. An incomplete genuine record is better than a polished reconstruction made later.

Check the policy’s notification instructions and use the contact route shown in the documents. Keep proof of what was sent and when. If the matter changes, pass the new information on.

The evidence to keep

The insurer or broker may need details of:

• Water, fire or movement could worsen the damage
• The customer demands an immediate cash payment
• Another contractor has already altered the area

They may not all be disputed, but each helps to establish what happened.

Begin with “water, fire or movement could worsen the damage”. Write down when it happened, who was involved and what was done straight away. Avoid filling gaps with assumptions. If you are not sure of a detail, say so and check the original record.

Next consider “the customer demands an immediate cash payment”. Preserve any photographs, correspondence, contracts or job notes that bear on it. The third point, “another contractor has already altered the area”, may explain why the matter needs prompt notification even if no formal demand has arrived.

Keep the account factual. The insurer or broker can ask follow-up questions and decide what the policy requires; your immediate job is to preserve the information and pass it on.

Build a clear incident file

The firm handling the claim may ask for:

• Before-and-after photographs
• Messages, invoices and scope of work
• Who had access and when

Organise the material under three headings: “before-and-after photographs”, “messages, invoices and scope of work” and “who had access and when”. Add dates wherever they are known and keep each original document or image unchanged.

Separate what you saw from information supplied by somebody else. For anything received later, note who supplied it and when. This gives the insurer or broker a clear record without turning uncertain details into fact.

If a document is missing, say so rather than trying to recreate it from memory.

Before replying to the other party

• Do not delete awkward messages
• Mitigate urgent damage where safe
• Keep damaged items where practical

Preserve the original records and note any urgent work carried out to make the place safe.

Finish with a clear chronology

Save the original job information, photographs, messages and any later correspondence in date order. Keep a note of telephone conversations, including who called and what was agreed. Do not rewrite an earlier record to make it neater.

Pass letters of claim, solicitor correspondence or new evidence to the insurer or broker promptly. Avoid entering into an argument with the other party or promising a payment before the firm handling the claim has considered it.

If urgent action was needed to make the place safe or prevent further damage, keep the invoice and explain why the work could not wait. One caution is worth repeating: Keep damaged items where practical.

Once the immediate issue has settled, review what happened. A practical change to the work method, site records or customer instructions may reduce the chance of a repeat.