Consumer Update
Claims lead generators and solicitors – SSB Law Ltd
15th June 2021
CIGA often comes across concerns from homeowners relating to claims lead generators and solicitors wanting to act on a homeowner’s behalf. One of these homeowners contacted the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to complain about the conduct of a known company called SSB Law Ltd and was more than happy for us to share their experience.
Housing Triage Ltd first approached this homeowner and passed her details onto SSB Law who explained they would act on their behalf. After receiving a 43 page document including a letter and instructing them to a pursue a claim, SSB Law explained the homeowner would be contacted by a Surveyor. After an inspection the Surveyor explained “no problems had been caused by the cavity wall insulation.”
The homeowner clarified “I was somewhat surprised therefore to receive a letter from SSB Law to say, again, that I had instructed them to pursue a claim for losses arising from the defective installation of cavity wall insulation. The letter enclosed a copy of the After the Event Insurance Policy and a Client Questionnaire requesting details of the property and the damage for which a claim was being made. I phoned them and asked why they thought the insulation was defective, as the surveyor had indicated that everything was fine. They admitted that they had yet to receive the report, but assured me they would chase it up and send me a copy. They said the letter should not have been issued, and said it was an admin error.” This communication was then followed by a phone call from SSB Law stating the “Surveyor’s report confirmed that the cavity Wall Insulation had not been properly installed.” However, the author of the report was not the Surveyor who inspected the homeowners property.
The homeowner contacted CIGA and decided to cancel the ‘claim’ under the cooling off period. After much deliberation with SSB Law the homeowner finally managed to close their file. We would advise homeowners to approach mass market claims lead generators and solicitors with a degree of caution and importantly not to be encouraged to enter into an over inflated claim as should the claim proceeds to be without merit, costs can be significant and unfortunately in some cases can expose the claimant to potential criminal charges.
If in doubt we urge you to challenge the claims company or solicitor and request to see real life examples of successful CWI claims. If you have been affected by a similar situation we urge you to contact Action Fraud, Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) and CIGA.
If you have a CIGA guarantee and have concerns with your cavity wall insulation, please contact [email protected] directly.
COVID – 19 Wales lockdown
23rd October 2020
Following an update from the welsh Government, CIGA can continue to complete inspections and will of course continue to take reasonable measures to ensure homeowners and our workforce are safe. CIGA are contacting homeowners to rebook any rearranged inspections. If you would like more information about this lockdown, please visit here.
COVID – 19 Wales lockdown
20th October 2020
Yesterday the Government announced Wales will begin a two week lockdown, as of Monday 26th October 2020. Therefore, CIGA are contacting those homeowners affected to rearrange their inspections. For more information about this lockdown, please visit here.
COVID – 19 Update
5th October 2020
CIGA are continuing to book inspections. We have taken the precautionary measures to ensure we continue to work alongside the government guidelines and have a duty of care to ensure well-being of our workforce and homeowners. Once you have booked your inspection, if you or anyone within your household have any symptoms please notify CIGA ASAP.
COVID – 19 Update
23rd March 2020
Following the Government announcement this evening CIGA will be suspending all inspections with immediate effect. Please note that concerns with CWI can still be logged and inspections will be resumed when possible.
COVID – 19 Business continuity and your safety
18th March 2020
Given the growing concerns around Coronavirus (Covid-19), CIGAs priority continues to be the health and safety of our staff and homeowners. CIGA have put in place business continuity procedures to ensure the services we provide are maintained as efficiently as possible, we continue to follow government advice and review operational activity accordingly.
CIGA will continue to carry out inspections with safety in mind and with the express consent of you the homeowner. When inspecting your property the inspector will attend at an agreed time and date and keep a safe distance and avoid contact. The inspection will be carried out on the external of the property only and inspectors will not require you to accompany them. Where internal damage is reported CIGA will attempt to assess any damage from evidence provided by the homeowner in relation to any external findings, however, complicated cases which are difficult to assess will be deferred until such time as safe access to the property can be guaranteed.
Contracting of internal work will still take place but actual work will not take place until such time as restrictions on social contact are lifted. Health and Safety related cases will be dealt with as a priority and necessary precautions taken regarding contact.
We extend our best wishes for the health and well being to all customers at this challenging time.
Misuse of the CIGA Logo
16th August 2019
When looking for reputable tradespeople there are a number of checks that homeowners can make to ensure they are receiving quality work by recognised companies. Unfortunately, some organisations purport to be linked to schemes and accreditations when they are not.
CIGA have seen an increase in businesses advertising themselves as members and using the CIGA Trademarked logo without permission. This will often be displayed on websites, vans and marketing material and misleads homeowners to believe they are CIGA members.
To find out more click here.
JPO Legal Solutions Claims Scam
15th April 2019
CIGA have recently been made aware of a new scam by a company called JPO Legal Solutions. This company are targeting homeowners to notify them that a claim has been transferred to them in relation to their cavity wall insulation.
As shown in the letter and emails received from homeowners (below) JPO Legal Solutions are claiming many untruths such as the following
- The case has been passed to JPO Legal Solutions from Dennison Greer by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA)
JPO Legal Solutions are not regulated by the SRA - There have successfully brought the claim to a stage where an offer has been awarded by CIGA insurance underwriters. £18,205.00 was settled on after accessing [sic] the case for damages and compensation
This is categorically incorrect. CIGA have not and will not agree to settle any case via JPO Legal Solutions. Under guarantee terms CIGA serves to remediate not compensate.
Please be aware that this company is requesting a 5% initial payment of £910.25 from homeowners. If you have a CIGA guarantee and have concerns with your cavity wall insulation please contact [email protected] and we can investigate where necessary at no cost to you.
CIGA have been in contact with Action Fraud and Trading Standards, who have also been made aware of the activity by homeowners. If you have been targeted contact your local Trading Standards on 03454 040506 and let us know at CIGA on 01525 853300
Stay safe and don’t be scammed. https://www.srs.wales/en/News-and-Updates/April-2019/Cavity-Insulation-Scam.aspx
Find out more about scams and cold callers and claims companies here. For more general information see our FAQ pages here.
Security – Identity theft
25th January 2019
CIGA is becoming ever more vigilant in ensuring that we have secure measures in place to protect our guarantee holders and we take identity theft very seriously. Unfortunately, we continue to have a number of approaches from unscrupulous companies claiming to be the homeowner to secure guarantee data. To make sure that we really are speaking to you about your property we ask that you provide proof of ownership when querying any guarantee information. E.g. if there is a guarantee for your property or to report a concern.
If you are concerned and feel you have been a victim of identity theft please report your concern to action fraud.
Don’t be scammed – Refuse, report and have piece of mind
22nd November 2018
A company purporting to be Spectrum Energy are cold canvasing homeowners and telling them that there is a problem with their Cavity Wall Insulation please be aware that this is a scam aimed at getting you to either sign up to fraudulent claims or pay to have your Cavity Wall Insulation removed and replaced at huge and unnecessary costs, if you do have concerns please contact us on [email protected] and report canvassers to your local Trading Standards
See below for more information on doorstep scams – Courtesy of Age UK
For more information on how to protect yourself against uninvited callers click here
Technical Issues
19th November 2018
Please note CIGA are currently experiencing technical issues meaning we are currently unable to receive emails. We are working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
19th November 2018 – Update
Technical issues have now been resolved.
Please note emails sent to CIGA on Friday 16th through to Monday 19th (inclusive) will not have been received. Please resend any emails to [email protected] or [email protected] depending on your query.
All concerns logged through the website have been received successfully.
Looking after your information
1st August 2018
Following a review of our administrative process, we are implementing a change in our administrative practice for when we receive Subject Access Requests (SARs) from third party organisations, on behalf of householders.
Please note, with immediate effect, we will no longer be accepting Forms of Authority (FOAs) and will not provide a response to a requesting organisation. Going forwards, we will now only write to the householder, who may share this information with third parties if they wish.
Who is cold calling you?
30th April 2018
CIGA are receiving reports that householders are being cold called or door knocked by individuals claiming to be representatives of CIGA.
CIGA do not cold call householders. If you are called or approached on your doorstep by someone selling services and claiming to be a representative of CIGA contact your local trading standards on 03454 04 05 06 and report the incident to Action Fraud.
CIGA inspections
All CIGA inspections will be prearranged with you through the head office as a result of you contacting us with a concern. All Inspectors will carry a CIGA proof of identity, will introduce themselves and talk you through the inspection process. Homeowners who have any doubt as to the legitimacy of anyone presenting themselves as a CIGA employee should not allow them into their home, prevent them from carrying out any inspection works (which depending on the nature of these works may invalidate the guarantee) and contact the CIGA main telephone number 01525 853300 to confirm the identity of the individual concerned.
Please note CIGA will never turn up at your home unannounced and one of our staff will always contact you to make an appointment. For more information on how to protect yourself and your home click here.
Training day
25th April 2018
Please note the office is closed today for essential staff training. If you have a concern with your insulation or an ongoing case please email [email protected] If you have a general query please email [email protected] and we will endeavour to respond to your query within 48-72 hours dependent on the nature of query.
Personal data protection and changes to the guarantee
11th April 2018
In response to recent changes under GDPR and to ensure that our procedures for personal data remain robust CIGA have taken advice and have, with immediate effect, taken the decision to remove any reference to the homeowner from its circa 6 million guarantees. This change will not affect the CIGA guarantee terms which continue to provide protection for your home and any future home owners however it does make clear that the guarantee relates to the home and not an individual owner. We are confident that we are complying with our obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the principles contained in the EU General Data Protection Regulation and as such will not treat searches for a guarantee as Subject Access Requests.
Any personal homeowner data that CIGA hold will only pertain to ongoing and historic claims which will be held for the lifetime of the guarantee.
Should homeowners require a duplicate copy of a guarantee they can still purchase a duplicate and any such guarantee will be issued to ‘The Occupier’ and not a named individual and will require evidence of proof of ownership of the property.
Please note – If you have a concern with your insulation and your property has a CIGA guarantee you do not need to be in possession of a copy to raise the concern with CIGA or the installing company
Consumer Focus
28th February 2018
From March 2018 CIGA will implement the next stage of its consumer focused improvements by introducing a new role of CONSUMER FOCUS, this arrangement will replace CIGA’s Consumer Champion taking up individual complaints with CIGA. The Consumer Focus role will be headed up by Mr Brian Yates. Brian is a board member of Which Magazine with an extensive history in Customer Services and is currently the Chair of the CIGA Customer Services Committee and is a non-executive director on CIGA’s council.
Carillion
16th January 2018
CIGA are aware of the situation with Carillion and are seeking further clarity from both Carillion and the appointed liquidators, until further advice is provided consumers should continue to lodge concerns direct with Carillion.
For contact details click here
Frequently asked questions
20th December 2017
Do you have a question about your guarantee or CIGA’s services? CIGA now have a dedicated page answering all of your frequently asked questions.
See all of CIGA’s frequently asked questions
Our top three questions…
I’m not sure if I have a CIGA guarantee what should I do?
Contact CIGA on 01525 853300 or email [email protected]
Do I need to have a copy of my CIGA guarantee to raise a concern?
No you don’t need to have a copy of the guarantee. If you have concerns about your cavity wall insulation and it is covered by a CIGA guarantee see ‘How to raise a concern’ for the next steps. If you have any questions about your concern email [email protected]
I can’t find the original CIGA guarantee and I want to get a replacement copy, what should I do?
Contact CIGA on 01525 853300 or email [email protected] For security purposes you will need to provide proof of residence. In the case of third party representation, written consent from the home owner providing permission for representatives to act on their behalf. There will be a fee of £42.00 including VAT
For more information on looking after your property after cavity wall insulation has been installed, claims companies, frequently asked questions and more and condensation check out our information and guidance page.
See all of CIGA’s frequently asked questions
Changes to ADR
19th December 2017
CIGA introduced an independent arbitration service in 2016 provided by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) who are approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. Over the past year CIGA has been monitoring this service and its benefit to consumers. The arbitration service is proving effective with circa 66% of claims resulting in either a full or partial settlement in favour of the homeowner and whilst this has not always resulted in delivering total satisfaction to the claimant it has played an important role in providing an effective settlement from which both parties can move forward.
Many claims do fail because they are outside of the scope of arbitration and should not have been submitted. CIGA has recently worked with CEDR on updates to the rules which will assist in clarifying the scope and ensure claims have a better chance of success should they prove to be a legitimate concern.
The scheme was launched when CIGAs customer service was implementing improvements to address justified criticism at that time. CIGA has now taken the opportunity to reflect and benchmark it against similar Arbitration services and review the associated costs of administrating the service. As a result, CIGA has taken the conscious decision to amend the Arbitration fee and provide a balance between supporting legitimate access and controlling claims costs. Whilst the cost of submission will be increasing it is evident that this increase is still very much in line with other arbitration service charges.
ADR will now cost the complainant £100 + VAT effective from 01st January 2018 in line with similar schemes. Should the ADR find in favour of the complainant (either partially or fully) then fees will be fully refunded. CIGA will continue to consider full funding for complainants where the ADR route is not easily accessible due to personal circumstances.
Who is at your door?
2nd November 2017
Recently there have been disturbing reports of individuals door knocking and claiming to be representatives of CIGA.
A CIGA inspection will always be prearranged with you through the head office. All Inspectors will carry a CIGA proof of identity, will introduce themselves and talk you through the inspection process. Homeowners who have any doubt as to the legitimacy of anyone presenting themselves as a CIGA employee should not allow them into their home, prevent them from carrying out any inspection works (which depending on the nature of these works may invalidate the guarantee) and contact the CIGA main telephone number 01525 853300 to confirm the identity of the individual concerned.
Should it transpire that they are not a CIGA employee but have fraudulently served to represent CIGA then you are strongly advised to inform the local police providing as much detail as possible as this could be an attempt at theft or identify fraud.
Please note CIGA will not turn up at your home unannounced and one of our staff will always contact you to make an appointment. For more information on how to protect yourself and your home click here.
There have also been cases where householders have been contacted by phone from individuals claiming to be from CIGA. Telephone contact from CIGA will only be made after contact has been initiated by the householder. CIGA will not make cold calls. If you are unsure end the call and contact [email protected] or call 01525 853300
Consumer Security
19th October 2017
Due to an increased number of approaches from fraudulent companies claiming to be the homeowner to secure guarantee data, and those using objectionable behaviour purporting to provide claims management services, CIGA has taken the decision to introduce additional security checks to ensure the homeowner’s information is protected. CIGA want to ensure the homeowner is clear as to the support and cover they can expect under the CIGA guarantee which serves to provide redress when there is a problem with an install or materials associated with cavity wall insulation and the installer is no longer trading or able to fulfil their obligations. More specifically CIGA wish to clarify that the guarantee provides for remediation of directly associated damage and not compensation for loss or indirect/incidentals.
Moving forward CIGA will continue to effectively process complaints where the homeowner is in possession of a guarantee. However, with immediate effect, homeowners that request a duplicate guarantee or data relating to the guarantee will require proof of residence at the property and in the case of third party representation, written consent from the home owner providing permission for representatives to act on their behalf. Searches for guarantee information will be dealt with as a request for a duplicate guarantee, which will be sent direct to the homeowner and will incur an administration fee of £42 including VAT in all cases. Information relating to the guarantee will not be provided over the telephone
CIGA wish to clarify that it denounces the practice of giving false expectations to homeowners by misrepresenting the redress available under the terms of the CIGA guarantee. The guarantee exists to service claims in materials and workmanship and for directly attributable costs and is effective when the installer is no longer trading. CIGA will always look to service the guarantee in a fair and transparent manner and will seek legal and/or regulatory body redress against companies or persons serving to fraudulently claim against the guarantee.