Expert Opinions on Damages
Damages to Buildings
Damages of Industry and Entrepreneurs
Liability Damages
Agricultural and Food Industry Damages
Damages from Business Interruption
Transport Damages – Surveying
Damages of Citizens and Households
Establishment of the Insured Value, Underinsurance, Evaluation of Property
Risk Evaluation
Realization of salvage
Other services (hotline, continuous information, loss estimation – reserve, advance payment)
Terms, Prices
Price Offer
Company „Kolumbus“s.r.o. is pleased to offer you the comprehensive service for the settlement of damages. For this purpose we have a team of experts and valuators in many areas and with experience in expert opinions for insurance companies.
The activities we are able to provide range from emergency, timely survey and documentation of damages through the determination of causes of damages and their extent up to the quantification of the amount of damages in “new” or “time” prices as well as verification of insured values and evaluation in general. In addition we can arrange the needed laboratory examinations in specialized labs, including interpretation of the results according to the insurance clauses and definitions. Evaluation of circumstances of the damage from the view of the insurance conditions and policy is of course performed too. We do not exercise the activity of independent loss adjuster according to Act No. 38/2004 Sb. (Act on Insurance Intermediaries and Loss Adjusters).
The scope of damages, which loss adjusters of insurance companies have to handle, is so wide, that the loss adjusters themselves cannot comprise the expertise of all professional problems of this scope. For the insurance company it cannot be effective to keep an expert for each area within the staff, because some damages are completely unique, and even common damages – e.g. construction ones – often require an opinion of several experts in related fields.
In „Kolumbus“s.r.o. , every particular damage is handled by the loss adjuster – valuator-coordinator, from the receipt of the order from the customer to handing over the results. Vast damages require cooperation of many experts of various fields. This team is always built up by the coordinator in dependence on the specific case and the ordered (handled) issues. The purpose is not only to solve the given questions (in co-operation with experts), but it is also necessary to communicate closely both with the injured party (insured, broker…) and with the insurer so as to find the optimum way (process) of solution. Thus the coordinator (if it is suitable) takes over also the communication pressure from the insured and broker to speed up the process of settlement and thus facilitates the position of the customer – loss adjuster.
Minimization of Losses
Optimum process of settlement of the consequences of occurrence of loss may enable to minimize the loss. We are well aware of this fact and we utilize our experience and obtained contacts to provide the most effective approach possible. Examples include utilization of redevelopment companies or sale of salvage, cooperation at searching for alternative solutions, production possibilities etc.
Establishment of the technical cause of the damage, determination of the extent of damage, or the degree of operational wear and tear by a building diagnostician; calculation of costs for restoration of the original state in new or time prices, as standard in price relations according to URS Praha (or in other databases if requested) on the day of the occurrence of damage, possibility of review of the injured party’s claim – appraisal or revaluation of price calculations and bills of quantities presented by the injured party. Verification of insurance money
Preparation of the claim after the damage to a building in the form of costing, technical reports and expert opinions for the clients of insurance companies.
Damages of Industry and Entrepreneurs
Damages from insurance of entrepreneurs and industry include a wide range of professional issues we are ready to handle. The cooperating experts from the area of mechanical engineering, power engineering, chemical industry, food processing industry, automotive industry, aircraft industry, textile production, as well as narrowly specialized experts, cover all requirements of expertise necessary for handling of all damages in the industry and damages of entrepreneurs. Realization of salvage. Handling of damages from interruption and/or reduction of business.
Evaluation or preparation of a claim from damage to production equipment, products and/or raw materials.
Establishment of so-called „actual loss“ in normal prices. Realization of usable salvage. Handling of damages from liability of designers, liability of carriers, product liability, finding of possibility of recourses.
Agricultural and Food Industry Damages
In cooperation with experts and specialized laboratories we are able to evaluate agricultural products, economic losses at natural disasters, errors made at storage or during the production process, observance of regulations and laws. Realization of salvage.
Damages from Business Interruption
Evaluation of losses from interruption and/or reduction of business (loss of profit, the amount of wasted fixed costs, additional costs) according to the definition of the term in the insurance conditions, supervision and technical recommendations for the restoration of business without delay. Supervision and/or recommendation of effective spending of additional costs. Work with vouchers, analyses of future development.
Operative surveys performed by a damage inspector familiar with the given problems, at the recipient of goods, at the place of the accident or in the bonded warehouse. Monitoring of long-term handling of the damaged consignment. Assistance at sale of a damaged consignment in case that the recipient refuses to accept it. Experience with damages for foreign insurance companies and foreign surveyors. Contacts to foreign surveyors.
Damages of Citizens and Households
Operative surveys performed by an expert familiar with the problems of evaluation of movable and immovable property, creation of costing. Assistance at preparation of the claim against the insurance company.
Establishment of the Insured Value, Underinsurance, Evaluation of Propert
Establishment of the Insured Value, Underinsurance, Evaluation of Propertu Evaluation of property for the purposes of verification of the negotiated insurance money in new or time prices, suggestion (assessment) of the insurance money for insurance brokers. Determination of the salvage value. Besides the evaluation of property for insurance purposes and settlement of insured accidents we provide the following by way of our contractual partners: evaluation of enterprises evaluation of know-how evaluation for legal acts (investment, merger or division of the company, granting of credits…)
We evaluate the risk of fire, flood, dangerous climate effects, fulfilment of occupational safety requirements etc. We perform surveys of warehouses for insurance purposes. Recommendations of appropriate solutions. Determination of PML.
Realization of salvage is a problem which burdens the relation between the injured party and the insurer, as well as the conscience of the adjuster at handling an insured accident involving potentially utilizable salvage.
The injured usually argue that they occupy themselves with selling (production) of new, undamaged things, and not with the sale of second-choke goods, and their customers will not accept low-quality goods either, not even for a reduced price. They try to replace the damaged goods with new ones and tend to dispose of the damaged goods even if they are usable, because putting it on the market could harm the company’s renown, reduce the amount of the viable sales of first-class goods, that is, also the profit, and may even result in legal consequences, apart from the problems of quality management, safety, warranty, conformity etc. At best the injured party (again) states that they only engage in first-quality goods and if there is a prospective buyer, they will be pleased to sell the goods; however, they do not want to occupy themselves with selling, as it would be administrative burden.
Such goods are then usually paid for by the insurer, who does not care any more how the injured party – owner of the thing – handles it. The injured party then either dispose of the things actually, or even sell them, often for the original price.
Indeed, the statement of the loss adjuster, valuator, expert, external adjuster or another independent subject about the value of the usable salvage is usually not enough for proving the actual value of the salvage. There are many examples when the loss adjuster, for example, reduces the insurance benefit by the value of bricks of the demolished building, but nobody would by them, and the costs of mere cleaning each of them from mortar would several times exceed the price of a new brick. If the valuator, for example, assesses the salvage value in the expert opinion as 20%, it does not necessarily mean that there is a prospective buyer of the thing for the set price. Or, on the contrary, the thing „sells like hot cakes“ and the price will rise above the set value. Nothing beats the practice, meaning the law of supply and demand.
The legal framework in the Czech Republic does not allow to transfer the property right to the thing, which the insurer pays for as damaged, to the insurer; the thing remains in the property of the injured party. However, the insurer may, for example, require the certificate of disposal or make the client try to reduce the damage, i.e. to sell the salvage
Not all goods or potentially utilizable things are suitable for sale. There are certainly many types of things or types of damage, where the mere minimum risk that the thing could be damaged is so high that disposal is necessary. Certainly there are also branches (e.g. the aircraft industry, pharmaceutical industry…), where the risk is unbearable. Often the nature of the goods itself, e.g. a renowned brand, disables sale without the risk of harming the goodwill, market position etc. Nevertheless, there still remain many things to sell…
Additional Services(hotline, continuous information, estimation of damage – reserve, advance payment)
Firma „Kolumbus“s.r.o. provides a 24-hour-a-day „hotline“ for receiving of requirements for survey in the place of damage.
During handling the damage, especially after the performed survey, „Kolumbus“s.r.o. informs the customer about the results of the survey and preliminary findings. On the basis of requirements the customer is informed about the preliminary damage estimation after the survey, which can serve for creation of a reserve or as background for a decision about the reasonable advance amount.
Terms, Prices Usual Terms of Delivery
The works are started immediately after receiving the customer’s requirement. Local survey is done without delay, the entire case takes usually approximately 3 weeks (however, the term of delivery strongly depends on supplying the required materials from the client / injured party). The preliminary report from the survey is elaborated on request within 24 hours.
Basically, the price offer for the settlement of property losses is based on the actual costs and laboriousness of the case being handled, not on the amount of the handled damage or the price of the evaluated property..
The actual costs consist of the hourly rate of „Kolumbus“s.r.o. and of any external costs (e.g. in relation with laboratory tests etc.). External co-operators are selected not only on the basis of their expertise, but also with respect to the adequacy of their price requirements, so the cost adequacy of the entire solution can be guaranteed. However, it is necessary to remind that various areas of expertise include different rates (e.g. evaluation of real estate vs. audit.). In case of a special requirement for employment of an expert being a highly recognized authority on the given branch, it is necessary to discuss the price individually.
If you are interested in the list of prices (rates), contact us at: lossadjuster@lossadjuster.cz
On the customer’s request we can make pre-estimation (offer) of costs for the particular case.