Recover From Extensive Property Damage

When Mr. Gray’s roof leak caused unexpected internal damage, our team responded quickly—dealing with weather delays, wildlife surprises, and insurance challenges. We not only restored his home but also provided personal assistance to help him feel safe and comfortable during the process.

Background

We first met Mr Gray in 2012, an elderly client who lives alone in Blackpool. At the time, he’d had a leak and had asked for our help through his insurance broker.

At the end of 2021, his insurance broker, Fulwood Insurance, contacted us again to advise that Mr Gray had had another leak but, this time, from his roof. On our first site visit, we immediately noticed damage to one of the upstairs bedrooms where the ceiling had collapsed. Since Mr Gray lived alone in the large property, this was an area of the house he didn’t visit often, so he hadn’t noticed the damage before it was too late.

Mr Gray only noticed the ceiling was leaking when water started coming through the first floor into one of the ground floor bathrooms. He had suspended ceiling tiles, and these had collapsed into the toilet – it was only then that the scale of the damage was realised.

The solutions

The weather was terrible when the damage was discovered, and water was steadily leaking from the roof. We placed buckets under the leak to catch the water, and as soon the weather improved enough to send roofers in, we carried out a temporary repair. The roof itself, however, was very badly damaged to the point of needing to be completely replaced.

The cause of the damage to the roof was wear and tear, rather than storm damage, which meant that the roof replacement wasn’t covered on the insurance policy, so Mr Gray had to cover the costs of these repairs. However, his insurance broker managed to get insurers to agree to cover the costs for the internal damage, such as re-plastering the ceiling and wall, redecorating and some joinery and electrical work.

Why they chose Action Insurance Repair

We’ve been working in the insurance repair sector for well over a decade, but every now and then we still get surprises.

On commencing work to the bedroom ceiling our plasterer encountered a swarm of bees which emerged from the space between the ceiling and the roof! He had to down tools, close the door and leave the room whilst we worked out what was happening. The plasterer called into the office and we found a pest control firm to visit pretty quickly. He told us that, since bees are a protected species, we should call the Bee Society for assistance, which we of course did. Once we had taken care of this and the dust had settled, we were allowed to get back to work as busy bees!

Going the extra mile

We provided Mr Gray with a quote to replace his flat roof, and put together a quotation for his insurance company for the internal damage.

At Action Insurance Repair, we are happy to go the extra mile and help people with things other building companies can’t or won’t do. As an elderly person the pandemic still ongoing, Mr Gray didn’t feel safe venturing out to choose a carpet and wallpaper, so Joanne took carpet and wallpaper samples to him to help him choose. It’s simple things like these that make a big difference in our client’s lives, and we’re happy we could help Mr Gray not only repair his property, but decorate it as he wanted in a way that made him feel safe and comfortable.

Category:

Client Stories

Post by Joanne Ginty
6/24/25 12:41 PM

Founder and director, Joanne has been living and breathing insurance repairs and property reinstatement for over twenty years. She’s personally involved in each and every project we take on to make sure the repairs are completed to spec and the service you receive is outstanding.

How Action Insurance Repair supported an elderly client through a roof leak and repair

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