Water Damage Restoration in a Cliburn Home – Preventing Displacement of Elderly Residents and Their Pets

Rainbow Restoration Morecambe were instructed to carry out Trace and Access (T&A) following reports of a leak at a property in Cliburn. A local plumber had already attended and, on inspection, discovered a leaking pipe beneath the floating floor.

Although the initial leak was repaired, water continued to spread into the garage, seeping through the stonework. This indicated the presence of a second rupture, but this time with no easily identifiable source.

The leak had been ongoing for some time, allowing moisture to spread across the ground floor and causing the flooring to rot. To complete the necessary repairs, the entire ground floor needed replacing, including removal of the fitted kitchen and utility room to facilitate the strip out and reinstatement work.

The policyholders (PH), both elderly – with Mr PH in his 80s – faced the proposal from the Loss Adjuster that they move into alternative accommodation during the works. However, with five dogs and a strong desire to stay in their home, this option was neither practical nor desirable.

Our Solution

To ensure the policyholders could remain in their property while works were carried out, the team proposed the installation of a temporary kitchen pod. The Loss Adjuster requested that they provide a full quotation covering strip-out, reinstatement and the temporary pod solution.

Our team in Morecambe worked closely with both the Loss Adjuster and the policyholders to agree a detailed schedule of works. They then produced and submitted clear costs for approval before beginning the project.

Once agreed, Rainbow Morecambe carefully moved the household contents into the garage for safe storage and set about stripping out the kitchen, utility room and the damaged floating floor throughout the ground floor. The concrete slab was thoroughly dried to prevent any further moisture damage.

Finally, they completed the full reinstatement, which included carrying out full redecoration to restore the property to its pre-loss condition.

The Outcome

From approval to completion, the entire claim was resolved in just seven weeks. Thanks to the comprehensive in-house service, there was no need for multiple contractors – a factor which not only reduced delays but also minimised stress for both the Loss Adjuster and the policyholders.

The benefits were clear:

• Insurers saved money by avoiding extended alternative accommodation costs.
• The Loss Adjuster avoided the challenge of coordinating several contractors.
• The policyholders remained at home with their five dogs, avoiding unnecessary upheaval.

The policyholders were delighted with both the speed of the project and the quality of the reinstatement:

“(Rainbow Morecambe)… have been excellent, we could not have wished for better people to come into the house and sort us out…. Thanks for your assistance with everything, all people have been so good, timely and helpful although not a nice thing to have to go through we are out the other end with not too much stress.”

Why Choose Rainbow Restoration Morecambe?

This case highlights the value of our end-to-end disaster restoration service delivered by Rainbow Morecambe and all of our branches nationwide. By combining leak detection, water damage mitigation and drying, reinstatement and temporary accommodation solutions such as kitchen pods, we keep disruption to a minimum and deliver cost-effective results for insurers, adjusters and homeowners alike.