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Kirkus Reviews:
Cretikos presents a brief but thorough introduction to properly calculating an insurance value for one’s property.
The author argues that there are fundamental flaws in the property insurance system, particularly in Australia, the
principalcountry in his analysis. At the heart of the issue, he asserts, is Building Sum Insured Value (BSI), which is the
monetary amount that the holder of an insurance policy receives in case of total loss. However, the formulas for calculating
this amount are fatally flawed, Cretikos says, as they rely upon a calculation of replacement value—the value of the
property immediately prior to the event that destroys it—and doesn’t factor in necessary supplementary costs, including
temporary housing. Moreover, the standard formula neglects inflation over the policy period, and especially increased
building costs. There’s currently “no legal definition of destruction, catastrophe, total loss, and constructive total loss,” nor
a standardized interpretation of the competencies required to be a Building Insurance Valuation Specialist Valuer
Practitioner. With impressive rigor, the author explains not only the technical challenges posed by the current
understanding of BSI, but also preventative measures and techniques one can adopt to avoid being disastrously
uninsured; for example, there’s a meticulous discussion of making a claim for the value of the contents of a property. Also,
Cretikos carefully reviews inadequacies in the legal system that encourage too-low BSI valuations and suggests
ameliorating legislation (although these discussions are mostly specific to New South Wales, Australia). He makes a
strong case that the insurance industry is plagued by a “denial culture” in which companies aggressively attempt to avoid
paying justified benefits, even if he does so in sometimes awkward prose: “Insurance providers employ deliberately crafted
legal jargon to avoid making complete schedule-related payments that are rightfully owed, even if this results in the
policyholder being compelled to bear out-of-pocket expenses that should be covered by Additional Benefits or other
supplementary expenses.” Still, this brief instructional guide offers a wealth of practical knowledge.
An expert tour of some fundamental building-insurance issues.
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Michael A.N.P. Cretikos