Understanding Residential Property Damage Claims

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Residential property includes single family homes, attached town homes, and high rise condos and make up the largest portion of real property in this country. Not surprising, the greatest insurance losses in terms of numbers comes from this sector. The number one cause of loss to residential property results from some water event. Water losses can be very problematic for a number of reasons. If repairs including dry-out are not done correctly, mold and other damages may result which can make a water loss turn into a full blown tear-out and repair project.

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Most homeowners have never dealt with a property claim and many simply think they are covered for all types of losses. Only when the insurance company starts to demand certain documents or deny or devalue certain claims does the reality of the complicated and time consuming nature of handling a property claim set in. In many cases the insurance company expects you to “prove” your claim. Having an experienced public adjuster on your side can remove the uncertainly that comes with dealing with an insurance carrier's demands and settlement offers and make the difference in recovering the true value of your claim.

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We have of late seen a shift in how insurance companies handle claims. In the past most insurance companies had trained in-house staff adjusters that handled their losses. Now, probably because of cost issues, claims are either outsourced to independent insurance adjusters or in some cases restoration companies are sent out to act as the adjuster/repairer. In our view neither of these options is good for the homeowner who has suffered a loss. Most field adjusters are unable to make decisions and must report back to an inside claims adjuster that in many cases may never visit your damaged property.

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If an independent adjuster is sent out to your loss, he or she of course represents the insurance company, not you. The same result can be expected with a restoration firm that may also try and bill as much as possible so as to maximize their profit. If a dispute results in the billing, the insurance company will usually say you hired the company by signing the work authorization so they will only pay what they feel is reasonable leaving you exposed to a construction lien by the restoration firm. Therefore never hire a firm to do repair work unless your insurance carrier has provided you authorization in writing.

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At Corbitt Public Adjusting, LLC we pride ourselves on obtaining the maximum claims settlement under your policy provisions so you can be paid to recover as quickly as possible.