"You always get something out"

<p>In the 2015/2016 summer my house suffered extensive damage due to the worse drought in South Africa since data was kept. I registered a claim against Outsurance's homeowners policy. The claim was not approved. I had to contact the Insurance Ombudsman on the 11th of March 2016. Outsurance also summeraly cancelled my homeowners insurance leaving me vulnerable. After many reports, proof given and engineers' reports (by the way, it costed me R8000 for an engineer for a 2 hour visit), my claim was eventually approved on the 31st of October 2016. Initially the insurer only wanted to fix cosmetically and left the root cause (cracked/moved foundations) out of the settlement. They also left damages to the roof (as a result of the movement of the house) out of the settlement. I was accused as unwilling to settle. Upon my insistance, another structural engineer was brought in to do an inspection of the house. He, seemingly, was unable to give a concrete scope of work and recommended to Outsurance that he needed 2 weeks to do proper tests to determine the actual damage and to determine a scope of work. The details of this finding was communicated with me on the 13th of December 2016 and read thus:</p> <p>- We need to give Derrick access to your house for a two week period during February 2017.</p> <p>For this we will require you to vacate the house completely. Comprehensive inspections, sampling and testing will be conducted during this time to enable us to determine a proper design of repairs and scope of work for the repairs to your house.</p> <p>You will need to supply us with two quotes for alternative accommodation for this period (at least one month). Further alternative accommodation will be negotiated when we have a better view of the recommended repairs.</p> <p>- Once the scope of work is determined, we will then invite a contractor of our choice and one of your choice to tender on the repairs.</p> <p>- Quotes to be submitted for the relocation/storage of your household contents.</p> <p>I had to get a qotation for alternative accommodation as well as a quote for the removal and storage of my household contents for the month of February. I duely obliged.</p> <p>I was informed by Outsurance that the monies for the deposit and rent of the alternative house was paid into my account on the 23rd of January 2017. Up to now (evening of the 24th, no amount has been deposited to my account. In the same email, dated 23 January, I was informed that I must claim for the removal and storage from my contents insurance. Needless to say, my insurer (house contents) refused to pay. The problem with this directive from Outsurance is that I am only given one week to find R38 000 odd to remove my household contents, money that I definately do not have.</p> <p>Outsurance is therefore placing me in an impossible predicament: I must move my house contents (I do not have the funds for it) and if I don't, they do not pay as the structural engineer need an "empty house" to perform his tests.</p> <p>I was always attracted to the Outsurance slogan "where you always get something out". In this case, they make it impossible to get something out.</p>