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Post by AN on Apr 12, 2016 11:31:58 GMT
Hit me with your best tips for dealing with home insurance claims and adjusters.
There was a major hail storm last night with softball sized hail and 70 mph winds. We have 5 broken windows (terrifying) , more broken screens, roof and all the roof vents need replaced, gutters and downpouts, some light fixtures, ac/heat unit is dinged but seems functioning. Inside the attic, the hail was so hard it broke through the plywood in some places (but shingles and tar seem intact on top of the spots, which is crazy).
Our whole town was badly impacted, but most of the rest of Dallas was only minorly impacted so I'm hopeful it won't be too hard to find fast window repair. Funny enough, I had made an appointment earlier yesterday to have a recommended roofer come out and look at it tomorrow, to check for damage from a hail storm 2 weeks ago. So I already have that lined up which is so helpful.
I already filed a claim and an adjuster will call me today or tomorrow. I know my hail-specific deductible. How do I:
1. Make sure I don't miss damage I may not be able to see (for example, we have a screened patio and unbelievably, the screens aren't torn... but they may warrant replacement if they stretched out)
2. Make sure I get paid everything I am entitled to? How will I even know if a suggested payout is reasonable?
3. Manage repair services? It sounds like lots of companies around here do the repair for whatever your payout is, no deductible. I am not commenting on the legality or morality of it, but it seems pretty widely advertised so wondering about that kind of thing. I know I need to wait until I talk to the adjuster before getting repairs scheduled, but I'd like to be first in line on the windows and roof especially.
All tips and tricks welcome. We ended up getting off pretty easy compared to how bad it could have been, but still was a mess of tons of broken glass, water, etc.
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Post by AN on Apr 12, 2016 11:37:30 GMT
Also a fun story... I have a neighbor I call Confederate Joe. He insistently flies a Confederate flag below the American flag on a big flagpole outside his house, and he got more insistent about it after the big controversy. He has confederate flag stickers on all 4 of his (nice, expensive) trucks. He recently friended me on Facebook and he is exactly everything you would picture from someone who does that... racist and sexist memes, a Confederate flag birthday cake, etc. Ugh.
Anyway, after the storm I was mildly amused to see his flagpole had been knocked down.
Nope. FIRST THING Confederate Joe did was get that flagpole back up. He had 6 broken house windows and 3 broken car windows. But ain't nothin' gonna get fixed til that flag is back up. He's the worst.
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Post by pelirroja on Apr 12, 2016 11:45:55 GMT
We had a house fire years ago. After the fire and before the insurance adjuster arrived, we hired a private adjuster to advocate for us. He dealt with the insurance company and did all the negotiating. We paid a miniscule fee for his work and the insurance company made everything right as rain. We even got compensated for meals out, smoke elimination, houselcleaning, attic insulation, etc. Those are things we wouldn't have thought to ask for. I highly recommend getting a private adjuster to be on premise when your homeowners insurance adjuster shows up.
PS: We learned about private adjusters from someone who had gone thru a situation similar to yours.
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Post by anxiousmom on Apr 12, 2016 11:52:14 GMT
I don't have a lot of advice for you, just wanted to say that I am happy that y'all made it through safe and sound-even if your house didn't.  |
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Post by shanniebananie on Apr 12, 2016 11:54:15 GMT
So sorry about your damage. That was one of the most wicked storms I ever saw brewing. We got stuck on 75 in Plano. We pulled over and covered outr heads. My kids were crying! I guess I have to figure out hail damage with insurance too.
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Kerri W
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Post by Kerri W on Apr 12, 2016 11:54:50 GMT
I have no experience with a situation like yours that covers so many different house systems. What a mess! We had a significant hail storm last year resulting in all but one house in our neighborhood getting new roofs. Our experience with the insurance company then was that they were completely ready for us. They knew there had been significant damage in our area and pretty much walked us through the process. It was a great experience as far as those things go.
My first thought would be to maybe contact a home inspector? I didn't realize there was anything like a private adjuster.
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Post by pelirroja on Apr 12, 2016 11:56:39 GMT
We got the name of the private adjuster from someone who works in the insurance field. It was very helpful. I guess it was similar to hiring a buyer's agent when house shopping.
Since the storm hit a pretty big geographical area (not just your single house), you might be OK dealing directly with the insurance company adjuster. Claims can be amended along the way, if necessary.
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brandy327
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Post by brandy327 on Apr 12, 2016 12:00:40 GMT
I have no advice for you but I'm glad you and your dh are ok. But that totally stinks about all the damage. I hope all the repairs go smoothly and quickly.
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anniebeth24
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Post by anniebeth24 on Apr 12, 2016 12:01:21 GMT
We had a roof leak that damaged walls and wood flooring. After the adjuster came out and made his estimations, we had a builder come out and make estimations for what he would charge to actually fix things. The builder's estimate was much higher than what the adjuster had written.
I spoke to our claims rep and he was very helpful. Added items that the adjustor hadn't - cleanup, removal of light fixtures, re-hanging curtains, furniture moving, etc. He said basically, "if you want X to do your repairs, we'll figure out how to get you the money."
All that to say that the adjuster's estimate is not always the final decision of the insurance company.
I'm also pretty sure that the claim can stay "open" for a period of time - (6 months?) so that you can add things as you discover them.
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moodyblue
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Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Apr 12, 2016 12:01:43 GMT
My mom and brother are going through this (in Illinois). My mom needs a new roof and skylights and window screens, etc. The insurance adjuster was great and told them to call if they found any more damage as they got into the work. The contractor said some of the windows also needed replacing and the insurance company is adding those. No problem getting things adjusted.
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Nanner
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Post by Nanner on Apr 12, 2016 12:02:03 GMT
We had a terrible hail storm almost 2 years ago and had lots and lots of damage - roof, siding, windows, screens, storm doors, vehicle, etc.
One thing to note is that the adjustor may take a few days to get back to you. They sent out a company to appraise the damage. (They also gave us the option of getting our own company out there and to go with them, if we wished). This company took care of arranging for all of the contractors and making sure everything done was done right. We didn't get a payout, per se, as the insurance company paid this company and they paid all of the contractors. We just paid them our deductible. We also had to pay part of the roof, because the roof was 25 years old and would have needed replacing within the next year or two anyway. Everything was taken care of, although we had to call them back 2 or 3 times to fix stuff, but that was done quickly.
We did have a separate adjustor for our van, which was parked at home during the storm (We had the other vehicle at work), in another city. It was written off and we got a much higher payout than we expected.
Now having said all that, I'm in Canada, so it may work differently down there. Good luck!
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janeinbama
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Post by janeinbama on Apr 12, 2016 12:06:20 GMT
Glad you guys are OK. We have had to replace roofs at 2 houses due to hail through the years. What I found most interesting is that the adjusters were able to tell which hail storm damaged the roof as they leave distinct patterns.
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kiki
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Aug 3, 2014 19:34:58 GMT
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Post by kiki on Apr 12, 2016 12:30:18 GMT
So sorry you are having to go through that! I've had two roofs replaced in the last three years, different houses though. My last company was wonderful!! I'll PM you his info! But whatever you do don't go with a company that does "exact match" they will do the work for what the insurance pays out...no wiggle room for other repairs.
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Post by monklady123 on Apr 12, 2016 12:34:13 GMT
I also have no advice to offer, but I just wanted to say that we saw your storm on the news this morning. O.M.G.  Hopefully everything can get fixed soon and that your area is free of storms for a good long time. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2016 12:43:12 GMT
You can definitely negotiate after the adjuster has given his opinion. We had a tree hit our home soon after we moved to CA. First adjuster amount was $2000 or so. Ended up over $10k and the insurance paid all but the deductible. One thing though to check is roof coverage. Some insurance policies only pay prorate based on the life of the roof (older roofs get much less). It used to be that it was a full cost replace and I think insurance found ways around that especially when people were waiting to replace 15 yr old roofs until a hail or wind storm and then claiming all the wear as damage.
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Post by angiet on Apr 12, 2016 13:14:11 GMT
Make sure that when you hire a contractor, the company was in your area prior to the storm. The will be a sudden influx of new companies in the wake of the storm. If you have problems with a repair 5 years down the line, you want to be able to go back to a company in your area as opposed to a fly-by-night operation.
Unless your roof is leaking, it can probably wait until you can get the roofing company of your choice. It is good that you already had an appointment with one. That may speed things up for you.
I work in insurance in Missouri and hail storms are the worse! They are very expensive storms!
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Post by heltr on Apr 12, 2016 13:23:41 GMT
Search for "public adjuster" - they work for you and are very experienced in damage you might not even though of They advocate for you and negotiate the insurance claim on your behalf They can take a lot of stress out of getting your home repaired correctly. There seem to be some good tips here uphelp.org/pubs/making-best-choice-when-hiring-public-adjuster for deciding whether it is the right path to take Good luck - glad you are all safe |
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Post by compwalla on Apr 12, 2016 13:50:45 GMT
There was a big hailstorm in our neighborhood a few years back and many roofs (why do we not spell this rooves? why?!) were totaled. A lot of neighbors replaced with a hail-resistant roof and reaped the benefit of insurance discounts. I don't know if your damage is bad enough to total your roof but if it is, I'd consider looking into it even if you end up paying a little more than your settlement out of pocket.
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Post by gizzy on Apr 12, 2016 14:08:21 GMT
I agree that you need a professional to help. When we had roof damage from a storm, our ins adj came out & said that it was roughly $400 damage & wrote a check. I sat there dumbfounded! We had 3 leaks just in the living room!
One day, I was out talking with a neighbor who's a plumber about what was going on and he referred me to a friend who's company did total house remodeling. I made another appt for my ins to come and they both were here to tell him exactly what was wrong.
We had almost $20,000. worth of damage and several months work that they paid for, but, it wasn't until a professional stepped in that they would even listen.
Good luck and I hope you have an easier time than we did.
ETA: My condolences about your neighbor.
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Post by cathyb on Apr 12, 2016 14:21:46 GMT
I work for the Department of Insurance for the state I live in. Please use caution when hiring a private adjuster. I am sure there are some very good ones, but in my experience, they are few and far between. They also take a percentage of what you receive from the insurance company.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2016 14:22:47 GMT
I would also recommend getting a private adjuster. My BFF recently had some major damage and she learned about private adjusters too late. Dealing with everything was a nightmare and it really would have been helpful to have someone advocating for them.
Good luck and I'm so glad to hear you're safe. That was a doozy!
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Post by sunnyd on Apr 12, 2016 14:41:43 GMT
Take pics before you clean ANYTHING up. Your insurance company should reduce your deductible by the amount of work YOU have to do, usually clean up. (Only to the tune of like $10 per hour) but still take pics BEFORE you clean up. Good luck! I would wait on the private adjuster until you meet with yours to see what he says. You will likely be treated fairly & I would only go with a private adjuster if your company's adjuster doesn't treat you fairly. The main thing you want to do is hire competent contractors. If additional damage is found relating to the claim while they are doing their work, you're adjuster will request a supplement on your claim to cover it.
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Post by Anne-Marie on Apr 12, 2016 14:48:18 GMT
I don't have any advice to offer (fortunately for me I guess) but wanted to say I'm sorry that you guys were hit by that. I can guess what area you're in due to all the news coverage last night and this morning - I've never seen hail that big and hope that I never do. We are in Lewisville and barely even got sprinkled on! Crazy!
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Post by myshelly on Apr 12, 2016 14:48:51 GMT
I am also in the DFW area and those storms yesterday were crazy!
A few years ago we lost all of the windows on one side of our house and our roof in a tornado.
This is what worked well for us. YMMV.
We hired a repair company first. It was a company that came highly recommend by friends and we checked the company with the BBB and other online resources.
This one company handled both the windows and the roof, which was very convenient.
The rep we worked with at the repair company was here when the insurance adjuster came. The rep made sure the amount reached by the adjuster was high enough to cover the repairs. We ended up not even having to pay our deductible bc the amount from the insurance company was enough to pay for everything. I really believe having the rep here while the adjuster was here got us a higher amount.
Take pics of everything (broken glass, etc.) before you clean it up. Look on social media for stories and pics of the storm and screen shot them.
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freebird
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Post by freebird on Apr 12, 2016 14:57:25 GMT
We went through this 6 years ago. I believe we were offered $9k for everything to be fixed by the adjuster and I said "hell no". I went out and got estimates on everything on my own and ended up getting $16k so I definitely wouldn't settle for what they offer because they WILL offer on the low side.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2016 15:01:05 GMT
2.5 years later my insurance claim still isn't settled. I know you know this, but document EVERYTHING. Get them to email as much as possible so it's in writing. A big habit of insurance companies is to constantly switch your adjuster and there's a lot that falls through the cracks. And Person C will tell you something completely different than Person A. It's just the way the game is played and it's maddening!
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Post by redrulz on Apr 12, 2016 15:09:23 GMT
Make sure that when you hire a contractor, the company was in your area prior to the storm. The will be a sudden influx of new companies in the wake of the storm. If you have problems with a repair 5 years down the line, you want to be able to go back to a company in your area as opposed to a fly-by-night operation. Unless your roof is leaking, it can probably wait until you can get the roofing company of your choice. It is good that you already had an appointment with one. That may speed things up for you. This is, by far, the smartest first piece of advice! You will probably have a flood of companies go door-to-door in your neighborhood in the next few days. Ignore them and go with someone local. We had a hail storm a few years back that destroyed a few blocks of my neighborhood. Our insurance adjuster (through Liberty Mutual) gave us an initial estimate, but told us it could be renegotiated after we received estimates. Basically, they would cover all repairs minus our deductible. And, they did take very good care of us. From what I can remember, our main contractor took care of everything and hired subcontractors as needed for all repairs. Our insurance even paid the contractor for managing the main repairs and for hiring all subcontractors. That part was really easy and hassle free for us. I do remember the contractor writing off our deductible, so there must be some way for them to do that. |
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Post by redrulz on Apr 12, 2016 15:15:44 GMT
2.5 years later my insurance claim still isn't settled. I know you know this, but document EVERYTHING. Get them to email as much as possible so it's in writing. A big habit of insurance companies is to constantly switch your adjuster and there's a lot that falls through the cracks. And Person C will tell you something completely different than Person A. It's just the way the game is played and it's maddening! Would you mind naming your insurance company? I've filed two large claims with my insurance company (Liberty Mutual), one for a flood (about $10,000 in damage) and one for a large hail storm (over $30,000) and have never had more than one adjuster. Our flood claim was open for over a year and we never had the issues you've had. Because these two claims are my only experience in dealing with home insurance claims, I'm wondering if I am just really lucky or if my insurance company just settles claims as hassle free as possible. |
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IAmUnoriginal
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Post by IAmUnoriginal on Apr 12, 2016 15:19:55 GMT
What an awful storm!
If you can get your adjuster and your contractor on site at the same time, it can be beneficial. They speak the same construction and claims language. Make a list of the things you've noticed damaged and things you'e concerned about. If you clean up the yard or pull anything down, put it in the corner of the garage so that the adjuster can see it. Ask the adjuster what happens if your contractor finds more damage as repairs are started. The adjusters for the company I work for are great about adjusting claims as needed.
You're going to have roofing and general contractors and public adjusters swarm into your area in the next few days. Stick with doing business with a local roofing/construction company. The companies that come in after a storm are frequently trouble. They'll come in, clean up a hail storm, shut down shop and leave town. If you have problems with workmanship or warranty, you might not be able to track them down. We've seen many that close the business entirely and re-open under a new business name at the next storm site. The first business no longer exists for you to go after in the event of a problem.
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Post by AN on Apr 12, 2016 15:46:59 GMT
Thank you all VERY much - what an awesome thread of fabulous advice. I'm reading it all and taking it to heart.
An amazing lurker who lives not too far from me PM'd me with a referral to a contractor she has used for big projects. With her referral, he called me right back and sounds amazing to work with, so I'm meeting with him today. Nothing like a referral from another pea. I'd called several providers this morning of different individual services, and most had up messages that they aren't even taking calls for at least a week due to the influx of requests (there was another, less intense, hail storm 2 weeks ago so they're probably already behind). One company was taking a waiting list but didn't think they'd even get out for an inspection/quote for a month. Crazy! VERY grateful to that pea, and all of you for your advice so I can make sure the process runs smoothly.
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