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71
Fire Safety / Re: PI and PL insurance unable to renew Hiscox.
« Last post by memnon on September 09, 2023, 11:13:49 AM »
You couldn't make it up.
Just got some quotes via a broker and guess who will insure me. Hiscox, and ?200 less than before.
I did ring and question them and they said that its not a surprise as there so big with different offices/departments, and they confirmed that they would insure me on my brokers quote but not continue with my current one.
72
Fire Safety / Re: PI and PL insurance unable to renew Hiscox.
« Last post by AnthonyB on September 07, 2023, 09:56:28 PM »
It does seem like corporate cover is being worse affected than sole traders, my last employer had a 10 fold increase the year before last. I assume they think big companies are more likely to deal with higher risk buildings and in greater number.
73
Fire Safety / Re: PI and PL insurance unable to renew Hiscox.
« Last post by Crusher on September 07, 2023, 08:40:32 PM »
Just renewed mine with Hiscox, by invitation. PI and PL. Just under ?600. I'm the sole employee in my limited company.
74
Fire Safety / Re: PI and PL insurance unable to renew Hiscox.
« Last post by AnthonyB on September 06, 2023, 09:15:04 PM »
I've always used Anchorman as brokers who specialise in the FRA field. My PI, PL, efficacy, etc are split between Sutton Specialist Risks & AXA and are still very reasonable with no massive hike. this year. AXA are apparently the only UK underwriter for the fire sector who will do PL of 5 million or higher

I think these horror stories of 100%+ increases are with other underwriters (like Hiscox) who are really just trying to exit the sector.

My only exclusions are FRAEW and pre-build design stage strategies, but include live fires for training and failiure to perform for serviced and supplied extinguishers, but I'm only into the lowest 4 figures for up to 10 million.
75
Fire Safety / Re: PI and PL insurance unable to renew Hiscox.
« Last post by memnon on September 06, 2023, 06:15:04 PM »
No don't think so. I know a few people who they have stopped insuring, but the company insurance appears to be continuing. Are you a sole trader or limited company?
76
Fire Safety / Re: PI and PL insurance unable to renew Hiscox.
« Last post by Messy on September 06, 2023, 03:32:45 PM »
Worried by this news as I am a customer, I just managed a quote from them in the last few minutes using  - albeit for PI only

So is it just the PL they are stopping?
77
Fire Safety / PI and PL insurance unable to renew Hiscox.
« Last post by memnon on September 06, 2023, 01:55:26 PM »
Been insured as a sole trader with Hiscox since 2012. They have now said that they will no longer be insuring me, as Fire Risk is something they are moving away from. Any suggestions for other companies ?
78
Technical Advice / Re: ladder in external escape route
« Last post by mosh on August 24, 2023, 08:00:05 AM »
Thanks, Anthony, for your helpful reply.
79
Technical Advice / Re: ladder in external escape route
« Last post by AnthonyB on August 23, 2023, 08:57:51 PM »
Such torturous routes were very common last century as the only way in very old city centres (often found in London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool & Birmingham) of giving existing landlocked buildings a second MoE & was considered better than nothing, along with hatches and doors in party walls, etc.

However guidance has been set against this sort of thing for a long time and the FP Act guides deprecated them too.

Having said that even current guidance accepts ladders, etc - but only in exceptional circumstances.

ADB
Fixed ladders should not be provided as a means of escape for members of the public. They should only be provided where a conventional stair is impractical, such as for access to plant rooms which are not normally occupied.

DCLG/HO
While not normally acceptable, the use of ladders, floor hatches, wall hatches or window exits may be suitable for small numbers of able-bodied, trained staff in exceptional circumstances. (more or less mirroring the FP Act guide other than a prescriptive number which I believe used to be 5 without digging them out)

So I would ask - who are they expecting the route to be used by?

"signed off under fire regulations" implies, as we don't have fire certificates, that either they are fibbing or the broken building control process has just cracked again if this has been accepted for a normal escape for building occupiers as oppose to a plant room or similar (where they are common)
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Technical Advice / ladder in external escape route
« Last post by mosh on August 23, 2023, 07:32:48 PM »
Are ladders acceptable in external escape routes?

I have seen a 5-storey office block, with an office that occupies the 2 top floors (third and fourth floors). Exit from the office is only via the third floor, but they have a small roof terrace (on the roof above the fourth floor), with a ladder (about 6 -7 rungs going up over a wall, and then a small landing and then a ladder going down again the other side of the wall) that leads to the roof of the neighbouring block, which they can access as an alternative route.

I understood that ladders are no longer acceptable - and this is a building that was only constructed about 3 years ago. They said that it was signed off under fire regulations after the building was completed.

Am I missing something?
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