Walker Jack Consultants

In home and buildings insurance terms, ‘subsidence’ refers to the lowering or sinking of the ground your home is built on. Some areas are more prone to subsidence than others and home and buildings insurance policies tend to reflect this. For people who live in subsidence prone areas it is important to ensure that it is covered before taking out a policy. Unfortunately, it also means that premiums and excesses will be higher, but it this necessary if you want to ensure against loss if the property is affected by subsidence.

If you are buying a home that has already been affected and if the repair work was done properly, finding an insurer won’t be a problem. In addition, there are a few things you can do to minimise the risk, and insurers love minimised risk.

•    Commission a complete structural survey to identify all potential problems. This is wise advice for anyone buying a home anywhere.
•    Taking out trees can cause foundation destabilisation, so before removing any already established ones, consult a tree specialist.
•    Before planting new trees do a little research; find out the expected maximum mature height of the species you are considering and use it to calculate how far you need to place the tree from the building.
•    Prune trees to a sensible height and keep them that way. This reduces risk of dried-out soil, which can cause subsidence.
•    Always keep gutters and drains clear.

If you do see signs of structural damage, contact your insurer immediately to reduce risk of extensive damage.

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When you take out a basic contents insurance plan, you might assume that all of your possessions will be covered under one umbrella like protection scheme.  Many homeowners make this mistake, and then find out too late that several of their prized possessions were not protected.  Instead of finding out the hard way, educate yourself about your home insurance plan, to discover what is and is not included.  Then take steps to add the items that are not already built into your contents insurance plan.

Many common add-on options are available for a standard contents insurance policy, some of which you might not realise exist outside the realm of regular coverage.  These items may include freezer contents, sports equipment, and garden equipment. 

You can also add on coverage specific to circumstances, such as accidental damage, consumer disputes, injury compensation, legal cover to pay for court costs, and all risks cover to insure items taken outside the home. 

These special add-ons, whether you’re insuring your garden equipment against the long winter months or your laptop as it travels to and from work, give you the power to tailor your home contents insurance to fit your lifestyle.  Always thoroughly examine your insurance policy, compare it to others if needed, and consult an expert for assistance.  Take note of what isn’t covered that should be, what is covered that you don’t need, or how much flexibility you have within the program coverage.  Contents insurance should be a help, not a hindrance, in the aftermath of a disaster.

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Buying a home will probably be the biggest investment you ever make; therefore, it is important to protect that investment with the right house and home insurance policy.

Types of home and house insurance

There are two types of home insurance: that which covers the building and that which covers the contents. If you have a mortgage, then building insurance is mandatory. However, contents insurance is optional (although wise to have).
Building insurance will insure you against:

•    Fire
•    Floods
•    Earthquakes
•    Vandalism
•    Subsidence
•    Falling objects (from aircrafts)
•    Storms and bad weather
•    Falling trees and branches
•    Impact from vehicles

What it won’t cover includes:
•    Pollution
•    Radioactive contamination
•    Pressure waves from aircraft
•    War
•    Terrorism

Content insurance includes:
•    Furniture (sofas, tables, etc.)
•    Electronics (televisions, computers, stereo systems, etc.)
•    Books, CDs, and so forth
•    Curtains, blinds, and carpets
•    Clothing

Other possessions usually covered by content insurance include:
•    Bikes
•    Gardening equipment
•    Luggage (when travelling abroad)
•    Handbag, purse, wallet, briefcase contents, etc.

Excess

Excess is the amount you will have to cover before the insurance kicks in and will affect the amount you pay on your premium.

New-for-old

With contents insurance, some policies offer the option to replace an item rather than give a value cash payout.

Premium contents insurance

Premium contents insurance is for those individuals who have a higher-net value of items within their home that wouldn’t be otherwise covered.

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Some people may be confused by some of the jargon that is involved in personal injury claims, though if you enter into a no win no fees agreement then it should be just that – nothing to pay whether you win or lose. 

There are some solicitors that will require you to take out a small insurance policy to cover the cost of legal fees in the event that you do not win the case. The insurance policy costs will vary depending upon the type of case, but you should ensure that you are aware in advance of exactly how much you will need to pay for it.

There is also something known as a ‘conditional fee arrangement’. This is when a percentage of the compensation is used for legal fees. You should ensure that you are aware in advance if the firm you are using takes this as a fee or claims their costs from the other side. Not all firms will offer a 100% compensation guarantee and will have to recover their costs somehow, though most will recover them from the losing side.

Most firms will have both a no win no fee and 100% compensation policy but some cases, such as those involving medical negligence, may run for some time. The solicitors handling lengthy cases may be reluctant to do so without some sort of fee in advance, or they may insist on a conditional fee arrangement. It is important for any claimant to ensure they know in advance if they are expected to pay anything and how much they may be charged. 

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Employers have a duty of care to their employees. As such, any employee who has an injury accident in his place of work or when going about work related activities, can (providing his employer has failed in his duty) put in a personal injury claim for compensation.

All employers must ensure they are acting both within the spirit and letter of any and all of the regulations appertaining to their industry or business. These include: regular workplace inspections, adhering to health and safety legislation, carrying out and recording risk assessments to premises, and so on.  Failure to do so properly can be very costly for an employer if a worker is injured.

It should also be remembered that employers must have public liability insurance; this is a legal requirement. This does not of course preclude a criminal prosecution in serious cases where an employee is injured or killed due to negligence on the part of the employer. 

It is worth knowing that you cannot be dismissed as a result of putting in a claim against your employer – something that worries many potential claimants. 

Employment law nowadays is very complex. However, if you feel that you need to put in a personal injury claim then it is worthwhile discussing your situation with a specialist lawyer. Many such specialists are also no win no fee employment solicitors.

It is also worth bearing in mind that it is better to be represented by a lawyer who has experience in dealing with particular kinds of injuries or diseases, e.g. Asbestosis or RSI. These kinds of claim need specialist knowledge to be pursued efficiently.

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Once you have consulted a legal firm about the personal injury claim that you wish to make, there are several things that you will need to do in order for the claim to proceed.

The solicitor will require all the information that relates to the case. All information on the injuries sustained and the actual incident itself should be presented to the solicitor. Any medical reports should be included and if there are witnesses they should make statements. 

It is only after receiving and assessing this information that the solicitor will decide whether to proceed with the case or not. It is at this point that the person or organisation that you are claiming against will also be contacted by your no win no fee lawyer to inform them that a claim is being made against them. 

This notification serves more than one purpose, because if the person or organisation is prepared to admit liability early on in the process there may be a possibility of settling the claim out of court. It is hoped that most cases can be settled this way, particularly if the liability of the other party is clear. 

If the case does come to court, your solicitor should be able to conduct all the proceedings for you without you having to attend. They will also take care of any paperwork involved. 

The time involved will vary from case to case, but your solicitor will keep you informed every step of the way when you use a no win no fee legal firm. 

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Whiplash is one of the most common injuries suffered in car accidents, which results in a growing number of claims for whiplash compensation. Whiplash is an injury to the neck that is caused when the head moves suddenly. This movement can send the vertebrae of the spine out of line, leaving neck motion limited and painful.

This whiplash damage can lead to muscles and ligaments to be torn. Sometimes the discs in the spine also rupture due to whiplash. Symptoms that can accompany whiplash include headaches and dizziness. The injuries will vary from person to person and recovery times will differ, with some people needing to spend several weeks recovering. 

Claiming for whiplash compensation is important if the injury will keep you from working for a while, as you may need to recover these costs. Finding a lawyer who can help you to make a no win no fee personal injury claim is a good idea as this can reduce the costs involved. Consulting a solicitor is an essential part of the process as they will be able to advise you on the best way to proceed with your claim.

There are a number of specialist firms who deal with personal injury claims and the injuries sustained in road traffic accidents are among the most common that are pursued for compensation. Whiplash compensation will vary depending upon the extent of the injury, the treatment needed and the length of time that the sufferer has been forced to take off work.

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People today are more unwilling to simply endure the hardship, pain and suffering which can arise from a significant injury, especially when it has arisen as a result of the negligence or malice of others. The latter category is usually dealt with under criminal law in the form of criminal injuries compensation, but there are huge numbers of injuries that result from non-criminal accidents. These can include anything from falling and harming yourself at the workplace, sustaining injuries in a road traffic accident, or psychological illness induced by unmanageable stress at work.

It follows that accident claims cover an exceptionally broad range of scenarios, although car accident claims and whiplash compensation claims are amongst the most prominent.

For those many individuals who have suffered a personal injury, especially if it makes work impossible during recovery, making personal injury claims could be a wise and responsible move. A key point to bear in mind when you’re seeking help is to look out for no win no fee compensation. Seeking advice from no win no fee solicitors and no win no fee lawyers is highly recommended – they’ll represent your claim in court and if successful, will generally either claim their fees from the other side or via an insurance policy which they will have asked you to take out before acting for you. This will leave you with 100% of any compensation awarded; and a successful claim may afford you a vital measure of security, when an accident has turned your life upside down.

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Every year in the UK about 2.5 million people will sustain an injury. Some of these individuals will lose their independence or their income as a result of the injury they have sustained. In some cases it will not be their fault; rather the responsibility will lie with another car driver, public authority, employer or individual.

Despite what may be read in the newspapers, there has been no boom in individuals claiming compensation. In fact only around 31 percent of accident victims claim compensation through legal channels. Individuals who have suffered losses due to injuries that they have sustained and which were not their fault should be entitled to compensation. However, at the moment there are many pitfalls into which potential claimants can fall.

Individuals who have suffered an accident are often put under intense pressure by sales people who are not qualified to advise them on legal proceedings. Few consumers are aware of the pitfalls and liabilities that they will be exposed to by agreeing to conditional fee arrangements, otherwise known as no win no fee accident claims. Consumers often believe that these arrangements are genuinely ‘no win no fees’, but in some cases there are hidden costs which the individual will be unaware of until the bill arrives. There is also the problem that some solicitors will refuse to take cases which they feel they are unlikely to win.

Loan financed insurance premiums, can along with other legal costs eat into the no win no fee compensation that an individual receives. In some cases this can even lead to the individual owing money at the end of the proceedings. Individuals wishing to pursue a no win no fee personal injury claim should ensure that he or she deals directly with the solicitor and that the solicitor has not paid another party for the claim. Think carefully before taking out a loan as the claimant is responsible for the interest payments. Ensure that any damages recovered will be intact. Always read the small print carefully before committing to any agreement.

There is currently no system for regulating conditional fee arrangements which means that consumers may not be receiving good advice and information. A voluntary code of practice is still in its infancy.

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Most car accident claims involving a personal injury are usually against individuals who have fully comprehensive car insurance. But what exactly is meant, by ‘fully comp’?

In reality there is no such thing as fully comprehensive insurance as there are always exclusions. That being said, fully comprehensive includes everything relating to third party, fire and theft plus accidental damage insurance. The latter refers to damage to a person’s vehicle and includes malicious damage. Windscreen damage is also usually included in the policy but this is likely to be subject to a monetary excess. 

All cars valued over £5000 must be comprehensively insured, with optional extra benefits included such as personal accident cover. It should be noted that drivers are not automatically covered for this.  Legal cover, which enables the car driver access to legal representation if necessary, is also often included as an option.  Another optional benefit is a day 90 EU Green Card that covers accidents occurring while travelling in the European Union.

It was mentioned above that there are exclusions to all fully comprehensive insurance policies taken out. A common restriction will include third party driver cover, which means that any driver other than the insured person cannot drive the vehicle unless they are named on the policy.  Any driver policies are still available but will be more expensive.

Individuals under the age of 25 who work in certain occupations or a driver with a poor claims record, or who has a criminal record, might be refused insurance cover by some companies.

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