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| Hi all,
There has been some smoke damage to our apartment as a result of a chimney fire in the restaurant below. The fire raged in the chimney and since there is an access port in the appartment, it was blown open and smoke billowed out.
Clearly the fault is not mine, and yet I've been asked to contact my 3rd party insurer (Vaudois) and request a formulaire which the buildings owner and architect would fill out on my behalf.
Is this normal? Surely the full liability must rest with the restaurant? | |
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Yes, I believe it would be normal.
In almost every insurance situation, the insured party must deal directly with their insurer. Because that's where the contractual relationship lies. And then the claim is officially lodged by a party that is known to have insurance.
Then the insurer will sort out the liability and whether he needs to contact any other insurer to sort out payment.
The same would happen in a car crash. Each party advises their respective insurers, and the insurers sort out the paperwork and who ultimately pays for the damages. That's their job, that's what you pay them for.
So it is perfectly normal for the other building tenants to expect you to contact your insurer to file a claim.
Your insurer will then claim against the restaurant's insurer, that's how the system works.