Anyone ever dealt with an insurance adjuster after flood damage?

Spent the day helping a friend pump out and then empty his basement.

Water was ~2 feet high on the first floor.

 

Adjuster is saying they will only cover furnace, water heater, washer and dryer in basement,

and will only cover 4 ft tearout on first floor after house was sitting in the water for 2 days.

Friends have a young child and are very concerned about mold.

 

Any experiences appreciated.

Anyone ever dealt with an insurance adjuster after flood damage?

Spent the day helping a friend pump out and then empty his basement.

Water was ~2 feet high on the first floor.

 

Adjuster is saying they will only cover furnace, water heater, washer and dryer in basement,

and will only cover 4 ft tearout on first floor after house was sitting in the water for 2 days.

Friends have a young child and are very concerned about mold.

 

Any experiences appreciated.

 

No personal experience but I was listening to NJ101.5 today and three people commented on having a certified public adjuster deal with the insurance company on your behalf, They will attempt to get as much covered as possible they get a percentage (10%) what the insurance pays, so it is their best interest to get you anything and everything covered.

 

Good luck

No personal experience but I was listening to NJ101.5 today and three people commented on having a certified public adjuster deal with the insurance company on your behalf, They will attempt to get as much covered as possible they get a percentage (10%) what the insurance pays, so it is their best interest to get you anything and everything covered.

 

Good luck

 

+1

 

A friend of mine's brother does this, he always gets way more than the insurance company will offer. In fact, his agreement is that if he can't get you more, he doesn't charge anything. It's mostly about detailing everything.

 

As a general rule, the insurance company will try to low ball you out of the gate. If they catch a whiff of desperation, they've got ya. You have to be willing to live with the problem until you get a fair settlement.

What scum bags these insurance companies are, I've had some water in my basement, but it wasn't finished, and no real damage, so I am lucky. My buddy on the other hand wasn't, the got a good foot of water in his basement when the power went out and the sump failed, flooding it. When he called the insurance company they said they wouldn't cover anything because he didn't have " Sump pump failure coverage " , what bull.

 

Hope everybody that are making a claim and has to deal with these people, I wish you the best of luck.

 

-alec

My Mom had a fire in the basement years ago. Hiring a Public Adjuster was the best thing we ever did! Lots of water & smoke damage in a finished basement apartment complete with kitchen & bath. That adjuster got her a ton more money than the Insurance Co. wanted to pay. It's all in the details as far as contents are concerned. The Adjuster knows how much money it costs to replace things--they keep up on that stuff, so you don't have to do all of the homework! And you don't have to find all of the receipts for everything you lost either! A good Adjuster is worth their weight in Gold!

 

What's covered by what policy varies from Co. to Co., and the Adjuster can work with the Insurance Co. to get your friend the Max they deserve. Some policies will pay for a trailer to be dropped on the front lawn during repairs, so you can be there to watch the workmen work to make sure everything is done right!

 

An Adjuster rounds everything UP and the Insurance Co. likes to "bundle" things together, like "American Pickers"!

 

Dave

Anyone ever dealt with an insurance adjuster after flood damage?

Spent the day helping a friend pump out and then empty his basement.

Water was ~2 feet high on the first floor.

 

Adjuster is saying they will only cover furnace, water heater, washer and dryer in basement,

and will only cover 4 ft tearout on first floor after house was sitting in the water for 2 days.

Friends have a young child and are very concerned about mold.

 

Any experiences appreciated.

 

 

Pete,

 

First off, take a look at your policy and see what is covered, water damage (Flood Damage) may not be completely covered unless you have flood insurance. Also it can depend on how and why you have water damage. I hope your covered and can recoup all of what it will cost to repair what was damaged. I would also call some reputable contractors in your area get some estimates on your own, i would only deal with contractors that will do free estimates. I only mention that because there are so many jobs out there at this time that I just had a neighbor told that would be charged to come look at a job.

 

Also being that there is a good chance that mold may be an issue I would also call one of the independent home inspectors and see what kind of advise they may give you. Just be careful with the township at this time, local inspectors could jump the gun and cause more problems for you than is really needed at this time.

 

Harry

I have no experience with this sort of thing, but may I suggest they get a large dehumidifier? It certainly couldn't hurt and may help to inhibit mold growth in the event the insurance company ultimately does not cover the full repair cost.