HELPING HANDS
From banks to utility providers, firms are doing their best to assist Grenfell Tower survivors
SURVIVORS of the Grenfell Tower disaster not only lost their homes, they also lost everything they needed to go about their everyday lives – ranging from cash and vital financial documents to ID and bank cards.
Here, The Mail on Sunday assesses how providers, such as banks and insurers, are helping victims and their families get their financial lives back on track.
BANKS
EXTENDING credit, writing off mortgages, putting a stop on bank charges and giving emergency cash to those affected are just some of the actions being taken by banks which serve the community hit by the devastating blaze.
All the main banks with customers living in and around the block in London’s North Kensington have rallied to provide support, sending staff to the site. Some have brought trained bereavement advisers into nearby branches to help families of the reported 79 dead.
This is confirmation, if any were needed, that communities benefit hugely from the presence of a local bank or building society branch – and rely on human interaction. These events add weight to the argument that branch networks should be nurtured not pared back.
Martyn James, of consumer group Resolver, says: ‘There is no substitute for being able to speak to someone face-to-face in such circumstances. Machines and phones are just not good enough. High street banks are a vital hub for the community and will become more so as society ages.
‘Banks should maintain their branches in communities even where they are not profitable.’
Over the past two years alone more than 1,000 branches have been shut by major high street banks. The banks are rising to the challenge that the disaster has thrown up through the branches that remain.
Lloyds Banking Group, which was among the first financial providers to donate a large sum to the relief effort – giving £500,000 to a fund set up to help those who have lost their homes and families – revealed the importance of the role of branches in the aftermath.
The bank has 127 customers among the residents of Grenfell Tower, some of whom will inevitably emerge to be among the dead.
But for survivors, staff in three of its nearest branches have been helping them get quick access to their current accounts, savings and credit cards.
David Oldfield, group director at Lloyds Banking Group, which incorporates the Halifax brand, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The most important thing is to be on the ground to help, including attending community meetings. Branch colleagues are on hand to support people and give cash to help them get by.’
Oldfield adds: ‘One former resident appeared in a branch with her son, daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter. She’d lost everything.
‘She had no ID, no cards and no access to any money. Staff were able quickly to give her access to her account and organise new cards for her to pick up at the branch. Another lady who lived on the tenth floor came in for a new bank pass book. Staff were able to organise that and inform her about a residents’ meeting she could attend.’
For those in arrears on a loan or credit card, the bank says it will not chase payments for the foreseeable future. Instead, it has assigned
them to a specialist team that looks after the bank’s most ‘vulnerable’ customers. It will also be ‘suppressing’ fees and charges on current accounts and stopping charges on credit cards for a couple of months.
Trained bereavement advisers are being dispatched by several banks. These staff are on hand to help those left behind with practical issues such as how to get hold of a death certificate and deal with probate and wills.
Meanwhile, Barclays has written off the loan of its sole mortgage borrower who lived in the block as well as waiving overdraft fees on customers’ current accounts, and is either writing off outstanding loan and hire purchase amounts or stopping interest charges.
The Grenfell disaster is unprecedented. But under more normal circumstances, a borrower with a mortgage on a home suffering a fire would still be responsible for mortgage repayments while the property was repaired or rebuilt.
This would be via buildings insurance, usually a compulsory purchase for all mortgaged properties so as to protect the lender’s interest.
Buildings and contents insurance normally covers the cost of alternative accommodation for a householder while works are being carried out. The amount paid is usually 20 per cent of the sum insured for rebuilding costs. The banks have set up dedicated helplines: Barclays: 0345 734 5345; HSBC: 0345 609 2527; Lloyds: 0345 300 0000; Halifax: 0345 720 3040; Bank of Scotland: 0345 721 3141; Co-op: 0345 721 2212; RBS: 0161 451 0218; NatWest: 0161 451 0217; Santander: 0800 0156 382; Nationwide: 0800 917 23 93.
INSURERS
THE Association of British Insurers says providers of home contents cover to residents of Grenfell Tower have been discreetly providing support and making goodwill payments.
They have helped with essential purchases such as clothes and food. Some have assisted residents with moving into temporary accommodation. Inevitably, in many cases it will be relatives of the dead who will in time need to come forward to make claims, if cover was in place.
Insurance giant Aviva has dealt with a small number of claims already. Its team visited the site on the day of the disaster to locate and support those needing help – with one customer found alternative accommodation.
Many insurers also contacted policyholders who live close to the site who also needed help, such as businesses that were unable to operate because of the police cordon around the area.
At Aviva, property claims staff are making use of psycho-social support training they have undergone in the last year to help them manage the emotional impact of claims on customers.
BENEFITS
THE Government has set aside a fund to help victims with payments of at least £5,500 each to get them through the next few difficult weeks.
Meanwhile, the Department for Work and Pensions says it is working with local job centres to make sure that those affected have access to their usual benefits and pensions. For guidance, call one of a series of helplines open from 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday: 020 7941 6661, 020 7941 6634 and 020 7941 6671.
PERSONAL ID
PASSPORTS, visas and driving licences – crucial for helping oil the wheels of an individual’s personal finances as well as their ability to work and travel – have all been lost in the fire.
Those directly affected can ask for help obtaining new documents by calling 0300 222 0000 to arrange for a member of a specialist team to call them back.
The driving licence issuing authority the DVLA has promised to replace licences and vehicle registration certificates quickly – and for free. Residents affected need to call 0300 083 0103, which will be staffed from 8am to 7pm between Monday and Friday, and from 8am to 2pm on Saturday.
UTILITIES
ACTION by utility companies includes energy providers writing off any outstanding debts. Similarly, Thames Water is cancelling debts and will refund those who paid bills in advance. Telecoms companies have been handing out free chargers, phones and preloaded SIM cards as well as freezing charges and offering credit.