--- title: Insurance repairs: what to expect | Brick2Brick UK url: https://brick2brick.co.uk/guides/insurance-repairs-what-to-expect/ description: How a building insurance repair usually runs after fire, flood, storm or vehicle damage: the claim, photos, making safe, agreeing the work and the sign-off. last_updated: 2026-10-16 publisher: Brick2BrickUK Ltd and Fence 2 Fence Ltd --- # Building insurance repairs: what to expect When a house is damaged by fire, flood, a storm or a vehicle, the repair usually runs through the insurer. This guide explains the usual steps in plain terms, with examples from Brick2Brick UK’s own insurance jobs. Every policy is different, and your insurer decides your claim. ## What does buildings insurance cover? The Financial Ombudsman Service explains that buildings insurance covers the structure of the building and its permanent fixtures and fittings, such as baths and fitted kitchens. Policies usually include outbuildings like garages and sheds, but check yours. Anything you could reasonably take with you to another home, carpets included, is usually contents rather than buildings. Home insurance can cover damage from accidents, storms, flooding and ground movement, depending on the policy. The policy wording says what you are covered for. General information, not advice about your claim. Every policy is different: check your policy wording and talk to your insurer. ## What should you do first? After a flood, gov.uk advises these first steps, and they make sense after any serious damage: - check with the emergency services that it is safe to go back in - do not turn on the water, gas or electricity until your utility company or a qualified engineer has checked they are safe - contact your insurance company to start your claim; they will tell you what to do next - take photos of the damage (after a flood, of the water line too) before you start clearing up - ask your insurer what you can move and throw away ## What should you photograph and keep? The more you record early, the easier the claim is to follow later. A simple routine helps: - wide photos of each damaged room or wall, then close-ups, before anything is moved - photos of damaged items before they go, once your insurer has said they can - a note of every call: the date, who you spoke to and what was agreed - copies of every letter, report, quote and bill in one place ## How is the property made safe? Before any rebuilding, the damage is made safe and the house secured. On Brick2Brick UK’s insurance jobs that has meant: - propping up the roof before rebuilding the front of a house that a car had run into - boarding up and making good the damaged inside of a house in Derby after a car came through the boundary wall - taking down the gable end of an apartment block on the Coventry Road after it came away from the timber frame, then insulating and fitting a breathable membrane before the brickwork went back up ## Who decides what gets repaired? The insurer. The Financial Ombudsman Service says most policies aim to put you back where you were before the damage, and the insurer decides how to settle: by repairing the damage, replacing what was lost, or paying cash. Repairs should be effective and lasting. On a storm claim, the insurer will normally ask a surveyor to write a report on the damage and the condition of the property. If the insurer is willing to repair but you insist on cash, the ombudsman says the insurer will only pay what the repair would have cost it, which is usually less than you would pay at market rates. On some claims the insurer asks the customer for builders’ quotes instead. Details can still change as the work goes on. On the Worcestershire flood job in September 2026, the final details were agreed with the insurance company before the painters went in. ## What happens during the repair? The work follows the agreed scope. For the Derby job in October 2026, where a car crashed through a boundary wall and into the house, the first stages were: - Taking down and rebuilding the damaged boundary wall. - Replacing the damaged window. - Repairing the damaged brickwork. - Boarding up and making good the damaged internal areas. - Skimming and decorating the affected areas to bring the property back to its best. ## Can you stay at home while the work is done? Sometimes not. The ombudsman notes that while repairs are carried out it may not be safe to stay, or there may be no access to essentials, and that many policies cover the reasonable extra costs of living somewhere else for a while. Check what yours says. On one 2026 job the team finished the work ready for the family to move back in. ## How does an insurance job finish? With a check by the people who agreed the work. In April 2024 a fire-damaged house was signed off by the insurer and the customer. When the Worcestershire flood job was handed over in September 2026, there was a little snagging left to complete: small finishing items picked up at the end. ## What if you are unhappy with how your claim is handled? Complain to the insurer first. The Financial Ombudsman Service says insurers have to give their final response within 8 weeks for most complaints. If they do not, or you are unhappy with the answer, you can take it to the ombudsman, and using the service costs you nothing. The ombudsman looks at the policy wording and at whether the insurer treated you fairly. ## How do you choose a builder for an insurance repair? The same way as any building job. Citizens Advice suggests getting a written quote rather than an estimate, checking that the trader has insurance, asking for references, and getting a written contract before work starts. Brick2Brick UK has carried out insurance repairs after vehicle impact, fire and flood damage, takes on storm damage too, works for homeowners and for the property repair firms that manage claims, and is insured up to £10 million. See [insurance work](https://brick2brick.co.uk/insurance-work/) for the jobs. ## Questions Can I use my own builder for an insurance claim? It depends on your policy and your insurer. Some insurers arrange the repair themselves; on other claims they ask for builders’ quotes. If the insurer offers to repair and you take cash instead, the Financial Ombudsman Service says it will usually only pay what the repair would have cost it. What should I photograph after damage to my house? Every damaged area, wide and close up, before anything is moved, and the water line after a flood. Ask your insurer before throwing anything away. Will my insurer pay for somewhere to stay? Many policies cover the reasonable extra costs of living elsewhere while your home is unsafe or has no essentials, according to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Check your policy wording. How long does an insurer have to answer a complaint? For most complaints, 8 weeks for a final response. After that, or if you are unhappy with the answer, you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Does Brick2Brick UK do insurance work? Yes. The team has carried out insurance repairs after vehicle impact, fires and floods across the Midlands, and takes on storm damage too. Call Liam on 07805 010927 to talk through your job. Sources 1. [Financial Ombudsman Service: Home and buildings insurance](https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/insurance/home-insurance) (checked 16 Oct 2026) 2. [Financial Ombudsman Service: Settling home insurance claims](https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/insurance/home-insurance/settling-home-insurance-claims) (checked 16 Oct 2026) 3. [Financial Ombudsman Service: Flood damage](https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/insurance/home-insurance/flood-damage) (checked 16 Oct 2026) 4. [Financial Ombudsman Service: Storm damage](https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/insurance/home-insurance/storm-damage) (checked 16 Oct 2026) 5. [GOV.UK: What to do after a flood](https://www.gov.uk/after-flood) (checked 16 Oct 2026) 6. [Citizens Advice: Before you get work done on your home](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/) (checked 16 Oct 2026) ## Related work and jobs - [**Insurance work**Fire, flood, storm and vehicle damage](https://brick2brick.co.uk/insurance-work/) - [**Renovations**Knock-throughs, steels and garage conversions](https://brick2brick.co.uk/renovations/) - [**Brickwork**Walls, repointing, repairs and chimneys](https://brick2brick.co.uk/brickwork/) - [**Vehicle impact insurance repair, Derby**Project](https://brick2brick.co.uk/projects/derby-vehicle-impact-repair/) ## Talk to Liam about the job Call or WhatsApp 07805 010927, or send the quote form. Photos of the job help: send them on WhatsApp. [Call Liam 07805 010927](tel:+447805010927) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/447805010927) [Ask for a quote](https://brick2brick.co.uk/contact/#quote) --- ## Contact - Phone and WhatsApp: 07805 010927 (+447805010927) - Email: bricktobrickuk@gmail.com - Areas: Worcester, Bromsgrove, south Birmingham and across the West Midlands. Insurance work across the wider Midlands. - Brick2Brick UK: trading name of Brick2BrickUK Ltd, company number 15473508 (England and Wales) - Fence2Fence UK: trading name of Fence 2 Fence Ltd, company number 17037489 (England and Wales) - Insurance: Brick2Brick UK is insured up to £10 million - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089740392506 (100% recommend on Facebook · 13 reviews)