Being adequately insured is vital

SPONSORED POST

Over the past few months, the east coast of Australia has been battered by severe storms and we’ve all seen the pictures, with roofs being ripped off and many properties completely destroyed, it’s a scary time for property owners.

As a property owner or investor, fearing for your own home as well as your investment property during these events is a likely source of sleepless nights and it’s a fact that all property owners want and need insurance cover to protect their investment.

However, all too often property owners incorrectly insure their property, whether it be under insured or over insured.

Having your property insured for either its purchase price or its market valuation is not the right solution.

The insured value should be for re-constructing the property and all that that entails.

The insured cost should include for things such as demolition and clean up, design and engineering fees, project management and other consultants fees of the new build, approvals and permits, the cost of the construction works, and importantly the cost of escalation on the rebuild price between the time of destruction and the time of actually rebuilding.

Additionally, when you insure your property for its purchase price or market value you are effectively and unnecessarily insuring the land!

NBtax, being part of the Napier & Blakeley group, are among the most experienced quantity surveyors in the country.

Quantity surveyors are perfectly positioned to advise on the correct levels of insurance for re-building property.

Quantity surveyors are the only professionals in the market place that are qualified to calculate construction costs.

In the event of insurable damage, we also advise property owners in determining the scope and amount of a claim to be submitted, as well as preparing and administering building contracts for repairs or complete reconstruction.

In the event of partial or total destruction of an investment property you should also consider your property tax depreciation deductions.

We are asked by numerous clients what effect might these damaging incidents will have on their existing and future capital (depreciation) allowances on their investment properties. And the question arises where funds from a third party such as an insurer pays for capital works.

In the event of repair works, then all demolished capital items may be written off from the date of demolition. All newly installed and refurbished costs may be claimed once works have been completed. Always remember to keep all your records of expenditure, even those such as skip hire, professional fees and the like.

It is important to identify the assets within your existing property tax depreciation schedules that have been removed as to ascertain their value at the time of removal. NBtax tailors its service for each client when it comes to maintaining accurate property tax depreciation schedules, after any reconstruction or repair works your schedule may need updating.

With exposure to billions of dollars of actual construction costs, our quantity surveyors, provide a solid platform for insurance advice. This advice should also help you negotiate with insurers if you need to make a claim.

Contact one of our specialists for further information.