IMPORTANT UPDATE – Any blog post in the Metropolis Solutions Blog Archive that includes any direct or indirect reference to claims handling information was posted prior to 01.07.21, is for general information only and may no longer be applicable due to recent changes in the laws concerning claims handling. Please note that Metropolis does not hold an AFS Licence for claims handling and therefore qualified expert assistance should now be sought from a lawyer about any claim or potential claim as of the 01.07.21. Metropolis Solutions can still consult on claims handling matters but only in the instance where we are directly engaged to do so by your legal representative.
“The Casting of Shadows” – Russell Kirkwood, forensic plumbing expert / shadow expert The role of the Shadow Expert is one that I have been cast in for many years – initially without even realising it. It wasn’t until one day when an insurance lawyer that I’d been working closely with on a large complex matter referred to me as being...
Metropolis Solutions has recently been involved in exposing a significant gas installation defect which is extremely common in new residential buildings – see: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-03/incorrectly-installed-home-gas-pipes-safety-risk/8085022 Licenced gasfitting plumbers, who absolutely should know better, have been opting for the “she’ll be right mate” attitude when it comes to the installation of what is known in the industry as multilayer gas piping. This brightly yellow...
Australians are known for their obsession with the beach. Whilst Melbournians are not quite as devout in this regard as their more northerly counterparts, there still is a certain kudos attached to the tag of “absolute beach front.” There are a relatively contained number of properties which can achieve this in the Melbourne area, due to the incredible forward planning of...
“A matter of degrees” or “Close enough is not good enough” Australians love their metal roofing products and with the massive contemporary housing market boom, metal roofing like Colorbond and Zincalume has become the product of choice for the majority of building construction projects. Metal roofing comes in many different profiles – but all of these profiles are designed around average rainfall...
“Shit runs downhill and pay day is Thursday” or “What lies beneath” Surely this is a simple as it gets for a plumber? The trouble is that it would seem some plumbers just don’t compute the first part of this saying (although they rarely miss the second part!). Metropolis Solutions investigates an awful lot of belowground sewer and stormwater piping systems, many...
Is the Victorian Building Authority actually keeping a close eye on the audit of plumbing work to protect consumers from shoddy and potentially dangerous plumbing work? According to the VBA’s latest annual report, more than 368,000 regulated plumbing jobs were certified by licenced plumbers in Victoria in 2015/16 and this number keeps going upwards every year. Every regulated plumbing job which costs...
The concept of harnessing the mighty power of the sun to provide energy for heating water is fantastic. Australians have embraced this green technology and no doubt this has been further encouraged by the government installation rebates that have assisted families in taking up the new technology without breaking the budget. Many new homes are now also fitted with solar...
We recently spoke to a highly reputable and significant player in the insurance building industry, whose own company had recently inspected close to 1500 properties in Sydney after the heavy rain events experienced up north of late. We were interested to find out how many of the resulting Home & Contents type claims that they were inspecting were actually due...
Summer time in Australia speaks of test cricket, flies, BBQ’s, holidays - and the sudden need to invest in or switch on your air conditioning system! Since 2008 it has been a regulation requirement that air conditioning systems are sized according to space and heat load of each unique room within a building. This regulation is intended to ensure the supply...
There are a range of independent expert consultants available to consumers and who can potentially identify and document plumbing faults for a fee, but that’s all they can do – give you a written technical report. These reports can cost you anywhere from hundreds to many thousands of dollars. In a significant number of cases that report will also only...