On November, 2018 a Pittsburgh woman returned to a flooded home due to a water leak. The women decided it would be best to call her insurance agent, ask for advice and if this was something that her insurance would cover. She was instructed to file a claim and was referred to a preferred vendor of her insurer to mitigate the damage.
Over the next few days arrangements were set up for the woman to temporarily stay in a hotel while she watched her home torn apart from top to bottom becoming virtually unrecognizable.
Somewhere around a week later the woman was contacted by a person saying he had been hired by the insurance company to inspect the damage and make her whole again. The gentleman took about an hour, did a few measurements, took a few pictures and he was gone.
With no real direction as far as what to do, the women realized she was going to need a contractor. A friend recommended one who she hired. With no news or payment from the insurance company after a few weeks she decided to call and email her assigned adjuster. The adjuster informed her that a check had been issued and to expect payment to arrive in 7-10 days. A month had past and other than her house being torn apart, no repairs had begun.
A check for approximately $20,000 arrived. Now the woman doesn't know much about this kind of work but knows the amount it took to build her home. She discusses the repair requirements with her contractor who estimates the repair is in the range of $60,000. She immediately calls her insurance company and expresses her concern. During this conversation the adjuster tells the insured that her contractor is wrong and is overcharging her. She can use him but they don't approve his bill and will not pay any more. Now in a panic, the women decided to explore her options.
On January, 2019, the insured met with and hired Mr. Zachary Flora a Public Adjuster with Tutwiler & Associates. Mr. Flora immediately visited the property, documented considerable damage and assembled a repair estimate of his own. After notifying the insurance company that Tutwiler & Associates was involved, the insurer informed the policyholder that they had hired a different consultant to inspect the damage. With attention to detail, Mr. Flora produced an estimate that came very close to the woman’s contractor price. After the inspection, a few follow up calls and letters documenting the details of the loss. Mr. Flora was able to negotiate an additional $35,000 towards repair of the home, along with the replacement to all damaged personal property. The woman was able to work with her chosen contractor to properly repair her house and put it back in the condition it was in before the water damage. This is exactly what a property insurance policy is supposed to do.