Hurricane Hermine has caused widespread wind, water, roof and flood damage in the Tampa, St. Petersburg area and up the coast to Tallahassee. As clean-up begins, many residential and commercial policyholders will submit an insurance claim for storm damage to their property. The public adjusters at Tutwiler & Associates urge policyholders to take the proper…
First I want to share some atmospheric observations and conditions that are clearly changing in the Caribbean and may play into the El Niño, La Niña narrative. On my trip last week to the Leeward Island of St Maarten I had the opportunity to visit with old clients, friends and observe changes that have occurred…
The following is a short primer and history lesson for the insured property consumer on these two fool’s errands. For those of us in the property insurance adjusting business, we see the storm clouds gathering given all the recent rhetoric about allowing a policyholder’s insurance company to repair their property following a covered loss. Given…
Confidentiality settlement requirements are often demanded in the property insurance adjustment process. What happens when you run afoul months or years later as a result of a conflict with some disclosure requirements that overlap the prior agreement? Anybody have any thoughts or answers to this possible fatal conundrum? A recent sinkhole case before a federal…
This is the time of year to reflect on our activities and share some of our most popular blogs. We started the year with Winter Storm Juno and the record snow and ice that brought ice dams and pipe bursts. Will we see a repeat in 2016? While we are now 10 years without a…
Some of the news reports and photographs from South Carolina support the claims that this flooding event was indeed unprecedented and historic. The only thing close to this magnitude was the flooding in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The flooding from Katrina was in large part a result of the levies being beached.…
As often happens in the adjusting business, you think you have seen or know most of the issues. But then a surprise comes along and you realize there is always something new in the business of property insurance adjusting. To put it another way, you don’t know what you don’t know. So here is what…
Many people might be surprised that having an adjuster look at your claim is only the beginning of the insurance claim process. Remember, the field adjuster that inspects your property may not be an employee of the insurance company. They are typically independent adjusters on contract and typically are paid a set fee or percentage…
As Tampa area businesses and homeowners deal with the serious flood and water damage, they will need the help of a water restoration firm to clean-up and dry out their property. Once local authorities give the all clear and it’s safe to return, mitigation efforts should be started immediately to avoid further damage or mold…
The no name storm in Tampa has caused widespread water and flood damage in the St. Petersburg and Tampa area. Now that cleanup has begun, many residential and commercial policyholders will submit either a flood (if you have flood insurance) or water damage insurance claim. Make sure you understand the difference between the two before…