Residential Claims

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Residential fire and flood claims can be the most stressful on the family. When it is a commercial claim, the owner can be detached and think of it strictly in terms of profit and loss. When it’s a home, it’s definitely more personal. You want people who will take a caring touch, understanding the importance of this damage and will have compassion. What you really want is people who have been through this hundreds of times before and know what the family needs, before they even know to ask.

Some common questions include:

●  Where are you going to live during reconstruction/restoration?

●  What about damaged personal belongings with a strong sentimental or family attachment?

●  How can collectible, antique or vintage items be treated differently or even excluded from coverage?

●  What about personal electronics, photographs and videos saved on computers and phones. Are there ways that the data can be recovered, and who will pay?

●  How do you get the best possible settlement while spending the least amount of time in delays, minimize delays keeping you out of your house?

●  So many houses have personal touches that really make it at home. How do we get an insurance company to pay for those extras?

●  What about extended coverage for structure, how does code & ordinance factor in, what in your house is personal property vs structure, how do you determine what is cleanable vs non-cleanable under personal property?

The questions we get from clients in the first days after a fire or major flood can take several hours to unwind. But this is why we’re here and why the state licenses us to work as an advocate in the insurance claim process on your behalf. Unlike the insurance company adjuster, we have the time and patience and will make sure all of your questions are answered. That’s what a good Public Adjuster does in the first few days, then the real work begins.

Property damage to your home can take several forms and in the insurance world these are known as perils. It could be from water damage, fire damage, storm damage, or from property theft/vandalism. 

As you start to move through the claims process, assembling a team of people to help maximize your settlement and confidently take care of your personal property and your dwelling should be your primary focus.

Parts of your team could include the following:

●  A licensed general contractor, working as a Restoration Contractor, with excellent knowledge of Xactimate. This is the software used by the vast majority of insurance companies in pricing both labor and materials for repair/replacement.  This contractor should be both an expert at writing the estimates and have excellent trades people to make sure your home is put back in the best possible condition.

●  A personal property/contents contractor. This can be your general contractor or a separate contractor specifically for your personal property. They pack out, clean, store, and pack back all your personal property after your home after repairs are complete.

●  A good public insurance adjuster. This licensed and bonded professional works to help you understand the claim process and your policy, protect your rights and interests, coordinates with your contractors to maximize your settlement and handles the non-cleanable personal property in order to cash those items out with the insurance carrier.

●  A soft goods contractorA can be part of what your contents contractor does or a separate company that specializes in the clothing, leather goods, shoes, draperies, rugs and bedding throughout the home. These are often loosely considered “The washable items”.

●  A housing company works to locate and pay for a hotel for a short term stay and long-term housing in the form of a VRBO, an apartment, or furnished or unfurnished rental home. They help locate the housing and pay upfront for the rental housing, billing the insurance company, so you do not have to tie up your own money for housing.