A Bank “Insurance” Valuation Report
When clients require Bank valuations for mortgage, security and or refinancing purposes their Bank will appoint one of their preferred panels of valuation Companies to carry out the valuation. Included in their Bank valuation report will be one paragraph referring to insurance purposes and an estimate for replacement for the building/s.
Their Objective
The primary objective of the Bank valuation is to determine the market value of the land and buildings if they had to be sold by a Bank. For this purpose, the Bank is only interested in the lettable floor areas. A lower insurance value makes it easier to produce a lower market value, i.e. the relativity of the insurance value to the depreciated value of the improvements is important. A "narrower gap” between the insurance value and the depreciated value makes it easier to produce a lower or more conservative market value.
The Problem
We have witnessed up to a 50% difference in insurance values between an independent specialist insurance valuation and a one-paragraph Bank “insurance” valuation. If a client uses this Bank “insurance” valuation for insurance purposes, they are risking relying on incorrect sums insured for their building/s.
In many if not all Bank “insurance” valuations, the valuer, who generally has little building insurance valuation experience, does not allow for:
- Purpose-built buildings
- Purpose-built improvements
- Site improvements
- Car parking areas
- Hardstands
In addition, many Bank “insurance” valuations do not allow for:
- Escalation costs during the rebuild period
- Demolition and removal of debris
The Solution
We cannot stress enough the importance of Clients and Brokers not relying on Bank valuations for insurance purposes. Only an independent insurance valuation conducted within the last three years can adequately protect your clients should disaster strike. Don’t wait for an insurance claim to find out your clients are insured incorrectly.
