The following is an insurance claim question we answered for a policyholder through the United Policyholders Ask an Expert Forum. Q. I live in coastal SC. January 8, 2017 is the three-month anniversary of Hurricane Matthew which caused extensive wind and flood damage. On October 10, 2016, the community association hired restoration company was on site demolishing…
Watching some of the video clips posted on the Pensacola News Journal website that shows the extensive flood damage in Pensacola, Destin, Ft. Walton Beach and surrounding areas, I was reminded of the thousands of homes flooded in Super Storm Sandy and the insurance claims that ensued. The one common denominator both events share is the large…
On April 30, 2014, Governor Rick Scott signed Executive Order 14-144, declaring a state of emergency for the following Florida counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, Franklin, Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Hamilton, Suwannee, Lafayette, Dixie, Columbia, Gilchrist, Levy, and Alachua. A copy of the executive order…
Extreme Florida weather has caused widespread wind, water and flood damage in Pensacola, Destin, Gulf Breeze and Ft. Walton and has also brought some flooding to the Tampa and St. Petersburg area. This will require that many residential and commercial policyholders submit an insurance claim. The public adjusters at Tutwiler & Associates urge policyholders to…
Here is an insurance claim question that we answered as a contributing member of insurance claim experts for United Policyholders who advocates for property owners. Q. Can the insurance company force you to use an outside vendor to inventory your personal contents rather than allow you to do it yourself? Can you refuse cleaning and inventory services that…
As we approach the midpoint for this year’s legislative session in Tallahassee, things are not looking good for a key piece of legislation championed by Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Atwater. Briefly, his push for a policyholder’s “Bill of Rights” came out of a number of formal meetings chaired by the then DFS consumer advocate. The…
Q. My tenant reported mold in a house that is 6 years old. We had a company test and they said the mold was caused by the a/c, due to a low refrigerant level, which caused high humidity levels in the house. At first, the insurance company said we were covered. But when the tenants request…
Q. I had water damage in my house due to an over flowing toilet. My insurance company said it would pay $8,000 to the restoration company that did the clean-up. The problem is that the restoration company who did the water extraction sent me a bill for $36,000. The insurance company sent me a check for…
A policyholder in South Carolina recently wrote us about a fire claim turned nightmare. When notified of a claim, insurance companies will sometimes send out their preferred vendor as a way to provide fast service but also to control costs and prevent the policyholder from hiring their own vendor, since they have contracted reduced rates…