Housing
Serviced apartments and rental properties
One of the largest housing providers in London has been conducting remedial work to remove cladding from their properties, following the very public ongoing issues with unsafe housing materials. This vital work has been carried out so far in two phases, affecting over 30 properties to date and the Major Incident team at ICAB was instructed to manage and source alternative accommodation for the residents.
The booking process was undertaken by our specialist team swiftly, working tirelessly out of hours, and in the first phase, 15 families including those with children and elderly residents were rehoused in either rental properties or serviced apartments within a few miles of their homes.
However, it was clear that there was one family in particular that faced some extra challenges. A couple and their two children needed to be rehoused immediately. One of the children had special needs, plus the couple were shortly to be married. This all coincided with the Christmas period, so time was of the essence to arrange alternative accommodation with as little fuss and stress as possible.
Major Incident Claim Handler Lucy was immediately in touch by phone and online through ICAB’s vast network of property agencies to source appropriate accommodation. Working out of hours over the Christmas period she relentlessly searched for a suitable solution to meet the needs of the family, most importantly, this had to have two bedrooms and be within walking distance from the children’s school.
Eventually she found an understanding landlord and arranged a six-month rental agreement on a serviced apartment, (inclusive of all bills with no contractual agreement). This was secured on their actual wedding day, which meant they could enjoy their special day stress free. This was the real wedding present they needed!
As part of the full ICAB offering, the removal or storage of all their furniture was also arranged by the team. A washer dryer was imperative to the family and was sourced. When an issue arose with some of the children’s furniture, Lucy liaised with ICAB’s trusted removal firm to dismantle the children’s bunk beds and re-assemble them again in the temporary accommodation. This meant that any further disruption and upheaval to the family was minimal and they were absolutely delighted:
“Thanks for navigating the process and sorting out the washer dryer. Your communication during the Christmas period and the wedding buildup was, and has been crucial to getting our move sorted. The last few weeks and months have been extremely tough, yourself and Tim have gone above and beyond and we appreciate this so much, thank you!”
ICAB’s Major Incident team work hard to help policy holders through these tough times. We aim to build trust and navigate them to ensure they have the smoothest transition into their “Home away from home” – this means actively listening to their needs, managing expectations and above all else, providing a suitable solution.
Specialists in arranging both planned and emergency alternative accommodation, assisting those who suffer unwelcome events in their home, such as flood or fire. Acting on behalf of Insurers, Social Housing organisations and a large range of Instructing Principals.
