Brad recently sold his home in Geelong, only for a van to crash into the property just before the settlement was finalised. He received a distressing phone call from his neighbour, and upon arrival, was astounded by the extensive damage to his property, which he described as irreparable. He noted severe structural issues, including buckled walls and a tilted floor.
After the crash, his insurer, RACV, sent several assessors to inspect the property. However, one report reported minimal damage and suggested easy repairs, which frustrated Brad, who was adamant about not accepting a substandard fix. He expressed his desire for either a professional restoration or a total teardown of the house.
To add to his troubles, just a few weeks later, a police chase resulted in another vehicle crashing into his fence, compounding his challenges. Furthermore, his home fell victim to multiple break-ins by squatters who vandalised the property and stole belongings.
Insurance lawyer John Berrill advised affected homeowners not to lose hope amidst slow-moving claims processes. He highlighted the existence of the General Insurance Code of Practice, which outlines the expected conduct of insurers concerning timelines and information requests.
In his search for assistance, Brad reached out to the current affairs program, A Current Affair. Interestingly, during the interview, he received a call from RACV, who informed him that after further assessments, they would be offering him the full settlement amount for his home, acknowledging the delays caused by the need for multiple expert reviews.
RACV expressed regret for the inconvenience and elaborated that the significant damage made it necessary to consider expert structural evaluations before resolving Brad’s claim. Following the latest engineer’s report, they assured him of a complete settlement under his policy.
Brad conveyed his relief at the resolution of this long and frustrating ordeal, admitting that the entire experience had been emotionally taxing.