Woodgate & Clark has warned insurers about the spike of about 40% in scaffolding costs in the past year as Henk, the first storm in the UK in 2024, brought downpour and strong winds to a large part of England and Wales.
The specialist loss adjuster is urging insurance providers and their claim partners to consider alternatives to scaffolding for building roof and window repairs. In an emailed release, Woodgate & Clark cited a recent claim it was managing wherein the scaffolding cost was six times more than the cost of the repair on the property.
It was noted that insurers are expected to pay out about £560 million to those affected by Storms Babet, Ciaran, and Debi, which have been followed by Elin, Fergus, Gerrit, and now Henk.
“Like many parts of the construction sector, scaffolding firms have been impacted by increased fuel and material costs,” said Nick Turner, head of surveying at Woodgate & Clark. “For example, the global imbalance in supply and demand for softwood lumber led to a 113% price increase in the UK in 2021, while steel prices surged due to inflationary pressures and rising electricity costs. It’s not surprising that 25% of scaffolders have turned down work due to material shortages.
“The combined impact of material cost inflation, material shortages, and labour shortages means increasing costs, difficulty in obtaining quotations, and extended lead-in periods for the insurance sector and its customers. This is far from ideal at a time when insurance providers and their loss adjusting partners are working around the clock to repair damage following the recent storms.”
Turner pointed to some measures that can be taken to alleviate the costs related to scaffolding.
“One workaround is to consider erecting sections of scaffolding and working in sequence rather than erecting a complete scaffold,” he said. “This reduces the amount of materials required and may enable a reduced lead-in period and, potentially, costs.
“There is also the possibility of using hydraulic lifts and similar plant if there is room. This is where the building expertise offered by our building repair network, Quadrassist, can prove so vital in helping insurance providers make these decisions. Insurance providers need to work with a repair network that has an intimate understanding of construction and repair methods and their costs.
“Fundamentally, however, we need to allow for higher access costs and accept that these will form a significant part of total repair costs over the next few years.”
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