Determination of the extent of damage and calculation of the indemnity in case of natural disaster – tornado in South Moravia

Abstract

In June 2021, a tornado struck a large area in southern Moravia, causing extensive damage to property owned by individuals and legal entities. A need thus arose to speed up the process of estimating the amount of insurance indemnity. This process involved local inspections and subsequent assessment of quotations from construction companies for repairs, as the adjusters did not have the time and resources to estimate the amount of damage using the usual method, i.e. an itemised budget containing a list of works, supplies and services necessary to restore a structure to its original condition based on an on-site inspection. This article contains a retrospective analysis of the accepted quotations and evaluates differences in terms of scope and price compared to the standard procedure. Four apartment buildings were selected for assessment of the insulation and roof repairs. The results show that there are clear discrepancies between the price as determined by the itemised budget using the usual prices and the construction companies' quotations. The analysis of the selected buildings has indicated that the quotations can by no means be accepted without first establishing the total damage and its actual scope. Major damage caused by a natural disaster will still have to be estimated on the basis of a personal inspection of the damaged property and preparation of an itemised budget created in line with the applicable pricing system.