Protecting your physical assets with an insurance valuation that illuminates the risks and adequately prepares you for loss or damage.
Underinsurance is a global business problem. It’s not uncommon for a business to be 30 – 40% underinsured. This can lead to time consuming insurer disputes and contentious claims in the event of a loss; both issues can be avoided with a valuation to maintain a solid financial position.
An insurance valuation is what protects companies after a loss, but it’s not simply a report focused on loss and damage. An indemnity valuation, for example, can have tangible effects on business outcomes by providing your insurance broker with the expert supported data they need to negotiate with insurance markets on an agreed value basis. This can have the power to support your broker to negotiate better outcomes on your behalf.
Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.
- SUN TZU
INSURANCE VALUATION
Personal
liability
By engaging a qualified valuer to ascertain insured sums to be reported to insurers, you are transferring the duty of care away from you to the valuer. This in turn provides not only balance sheet protection in the event of a loss, but peace of mind as reporting responsibilities are shifted away from the business.
Indemnity
valuations
While most insurance valuations are determined by the replacement cost of plant and equipment, indemnity valuations adjust this cost based on age and condition of assets. This strategy can lower the amount of insurance paid – which, in turn, impacts the P&L statement and overall company profitability – which can protect income statements in hard insurance markets. Declaring on an indemnity, not a replacement basis, provides the flexibility of paying premium on the lesser indemnity value.
Optimised
replacement costs
In certain situations, there may be no requirement to replace the current plant or equipment asset (as new or as based on an indemnity value) due to variables such as changing technology, depleting natural resources, or economic obsolescence. This is where an optimised replacement value can be beneficial; offering a cost-effective way to maintain insurance obligations and cover you for a replacement that has the capacity to meet future needs.