Water through the ceiling of flat 4
The call comes in: water is pouring through the kitchen ceiling of flat 4. The leak is traced to a failed pipe in flat 9, and it has also damaged the stairwell. Now there are three leaseholders, their tenants, possibly their contents insurers, the building insurer via your broker, a loss adjuster, a leak detection company, a drying contractor and eventually decorators and a plasterer.
The property manager starts an email thread. Then another. Three months later, the leaseholder in flat 4 asks why their kitchen still has a hole in the ceiling, and it takes an afternoon to work out who is waiting for whom.
Why claims drift
A claim is a long sequence of small steps owned by different people: photos, reports, the claim form, the adjuster's visit, scope of works, approval, quotes, works, invoices, settlement and any excess recovery. Each step lives in whichever inbox it arrived in.
Most block management systems record that a claim exists, not the detail of where it is stuck. So the claim is only as organised as the property manager's memory, and claims are exactly the kind of thing that fall behind when a busy period arrives.
What that costs
Leaseholders living with damage for longer than necessary are the first cost, followed closely by complaints about your firm. Contractors wait for approval and then for payment. Excess amounts are sometimes never recovered or allocated. And evidence, such as the first photos and the leak detection report, is hard to find when the insurer asks for it again.
Across a portfolio, nobody can see how many claims are open, how old they are or which blocks keep claiming, which matters at insurance renewal.
The claims tracker we build
We build a claims record that follows the claim from first report to settlement. It organises the process; decisions on cover and liability stay with the insurer, the broker and your advisers.
- Claim record: opened from the incident, linked to the block and every affected flat, with the policy and broker details pulled in.
- Parties and contacts: leaseholders, tenants, adjuster, broker and contractors are attached, each with their role, so updates reach the right people.
- Evidence folder: photos, reports, quotes and correspondence are filed against the claim. Emails with a claim reference are filed automatically from your mailbox.
- Stage and next step: each claim has a current stage and a named next action with a date. Claims with no activity after the period you set are flagged.
- Money: excess, invoices, interim payments and settlement are recorded so the property manager can see what has been paid and what is still to recover.
- Portfolio and block view: open claims by block, age and stage, useful for directors and for renewal discussions with your broker.
| Claim stage | What the tracker holds | Usual next step |
|---|---|---|
| Reported | First photos, affected flats, cause if known | Notify broker, arrange leak detection |
| Assessed | Adjuster's report and scope | Obtain quotes, seek approval |
| Works | Approved quotes, contractor bookings | Complete works, collect invoices |
| Settlement | Invoices, payments, excess | Close claim, allocate excess per your process |
What property managers get
When a leaseholder asks what is happening, the property manager opens one record and can answer in a minute. Quiet claims get noticed before the leaseholder chases. Evidence is where the insurer expects it to be.
Your firm sees the whole claims position at a glance, and directors understand why their premium discussions are going the way they are.
Does this sound familiar?
- Insurance claims are managed through long email threads.
- Leaseholders chase for updates on claims months old.
- Excess amounts are not always tracked or recovered.
- You cannot easily list open claims across the portfolio.
- Photos and reports are hard to find when the insurer asks again.