Wet Carpet in the Morning
The alarm clock sounded its first ring and Martin’s feet swung out of bed. A new day. His feet hit the ground and boom - wet carpet. Gross.
Being the first one up, Martin made his way through their one-story home until he had found the source - a burst water heater in the utility room. In the middle of the night, 50 gallons of water had flowed across their home.
As they looked around, Martin and his wife Rita began to grasp the scope of damage. Buckled flooring. Soaked drywall. Damp carpet. Peeling furniture. Sagging tile.
An insurance claim not only felt reasonable, but necessary. The process got underway and mitigation was started.
Stories like this one are pretty common in the world of insurance claims - but what unfolded in the months to come would make Martin and Rita’s life miserable.
After filing their claim with Windy Insurance (pseudonym used for the carrier as well as homeowners), Windy sent out one of their regional field adjusters. He performed his inspection and estimated the damages to be around $12,000.
Since the mitigation had torn up most of their damaged house, Martin and Rita had to move out most of their furniture and spend the first few weeks after the loss in a hotel room. Seeing that restoration would take some time to complete, they purchased an RV, parked it in their driveway, and settled in.
As they started to get restoration bids from contractors, it became clear that Windy had severely undervalued their loss - with some estimates exceeding their current claim estimate by tens of thousands.
They took to fighting the claim on their own, appealing to carrier adjusters for additional coverage and submitting contractor estimates. The carrier ignored their calls and the additional documentation they submitted.
Rita knew it was time to force change - they couldn’t keep living out of an RV in the driveway. Already the RV mattress had caused back pain for Rita and it was becoming increasingly cramped to squeeze the whole family, including the kids, into such a small space. Martin and Rita awoke in their RV one morning and realized that six months had passed by without any change in coverage.
Rita called Telos Adjusting and explained their situation.
A Public Adjuster Gets Involved
We began our involvement by introducing ourselves to the carrier and the carrier’s handling adjuster and letting them know we were asked to help. When assisting in a claim, any party should remember that they are involved to resolve the loss and should participate in that joint goal.
Our process began with a full and thorough property inspection. A quality assessment is not just about scope of damage but about understanding the property conditions in detail and being able to tell the story of the loss.
Using hundreds of pictures captured onsite, we prepared an estimate and summary of the loss. We assisted the insured in preparing a Proof of Loss and had them track down utility bills from the loss time period and surrounding months.
Once we had documented and organized all the details of the loss, we submitted everything to Windy. Things started moving. Windy sent an adjuster to the loss location for the first time since their initial inspection. Telos met with this adjuster to point out areas of concern and explain our estimate.
The handling adjuster issued additional coverage, this time not only under coverage A (dwelling), but he also recognized that Windy owed compensation under coverages C (contents) and D (additional living expenses). After a short period of additional negotiation, we settled the claim with the insured at ~$77,000. In six weeks, coverage had been increased by ~$60,000, after six months of no movement.
Moving Your Claim Forward
If you find yourself in a situation like Martin and Rita, proving your loss to the insurance can be tiresome and stressful. Remember that the carrier’s handling adjuster may want to help, and they just need the right information. If you find yourself in this situation, consider signing up for a Claim Consult with one of our senior adjusters who can point you in the right direction or offer our assistance, should it be needed.
