This is the time of year that we all start casting an eye on the tropics as the hurricane season ramps up and the chances of severe storms increases. Tampa Bay is particularly vulnerable to severe damage because it has been such a long time since we experienced a severe hurricane. Out of code buildings…
Q. We had a dishwasher leak into my cabinets and on my engineered hardwood floors. A claim was filed. Independent adjuster came out. When I got my estimates done they came out higher. Insurance already sent a check to us for 45kand repairs are at 65k. Now they want to send out a staff adjuster. My…
The following is an insurance claim question we answered for a policyholder through the United Policyholders Ask an Expert Forum. Q. In my original claim, my insurance company said that my 98 year old mother had replacement coverage. We’ve gone through her contents and submitted a statement of loss. In our findings, most of her contents were…
Almost two months into the 2017 hurricane season, most of the pundits have upgraded the likely number of tropical storms we can expect in the Atlantic basin this year. Of course, these experts can never tell us when and where the storms will impact a particular geographic area, but what we all can do is…
Fireworks are a great way to celebrate the holiday, but they can be dangerous and start dangerous fires that damage property and generate the insurance claim process. Leave lighting them to the pros. Inexperience with fireworks is an easy way to get burned or cause property damage. In the weeks around July 4, an average…
“Recovery from a hurricane is a difficult, long term process,” says Craig Fugate, former FEMA National Emergency Management Director. Listening to all the pundits talk and write about 2017 hurricane disaster planning, I was reminded about the former big Wall Street brokerage firm, E. F. Hutton and their tag line that ran with commercials some…
The following is an insurance claim question we answered for a policyholder through the United Policyholders Ask an Expert Forum. Q. We had a fire in our split-level duplex. The downstairs unit was a complete loss and the upstairs had smoke damage. Upon further inspection, the entire structure had to be brought up to code which totaled…
There were a number of articles over the course of the last few weeks that focused my attention back to the water peril. Spring storms in the middle section of the country with the severe floods that always seem to follow; global warming issues being reported almost daily with the threat of rising sea levels;…
Ken and Joan spent their working lives in public service, Ken as an educator, and Joan as a nurse. It was their dream to have a vacation home in a warm climate so they purchased a condominium in Bonita Springs, Florida. A contractor error caused a pipe break in a unit above theirs and entirely…
Last week I got a call from a writer based in Florida who is doing an article for the AARP Magazine (American Association of Retired People). The reporter was doing research to coordinate information that may be useful to folks whom may have the unfortunate experience of suffering through a catastrophic event that many of us in…