A Simple Fire Claim? …Not!

A Simple Fire Claim? …Not!
A strip center in Tampa’s historic Ybor City caught fire destroying half of the building, a retail/manufacturing business and damaged the other section of the building rented to another tenant. The cause and origin of the fire was not suspicious, thus all the property owners needed to do was seemingly settle the claim with their insurance company. And here is where the trouble started.  
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Public Adjusters Give Back to the Community

Public Adjusters Give Back to the Community

Congratulations to Public Adjusters, (from left to right) Mike Stabile, Mike Platts and Rick Tutwiler who showed their community spirit donating time to Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa to hand out turkeys and all the other fixings necessary for families to have a great Thanksgiving dinner. We want to thank all our clients who put their faith in having us handle their insurance claims and wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. We all have much to be thankful for. 


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Adjuster Education - Turtle Glass Building Codes and the Impact on Beachfront Property Owners and Carriers

Adjuster Education - Turtle Glass Building Codes and the Impact on Beachfront Property Owners and Carriers
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 I didn’t know that I needed to know. This new revelation came this week when meeting with my client in his gulf front estate in Siesta Key, Florida.
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Lightning Damage and Your Property Insurance Claim

Lightning Damage and Your Property Insurance Claim
Summer is the time of the year when lightning can cause severe damage or even destroy your property. No surprises to folks in Florida, as they know we are widely regarded as the lightning capital of the U.S.  The raising heat over the Florida peninsula pulling in the cooler sea breeze later in the day often creates spectacular lightning shows followed by out of this world thunder claps. The results of these storms can be manifested in two ways, both bad. The first is life, health, and safety issues and the other is property damage resulting from lighting strikes that cause fires to buildings and destroy personal and business property. The insurance claims that follow can get quite complicated. 
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Public Adjuster Restores Order after Tierra Verde House Fire Turns into a Property Claim Nightmare

Public Adjuster Restores Order after Tierra Verde House Fire Turns into a Property Claim Nightmare
On February 28, 2013 a massive fire broke-out in this upscale waterfront home located in Tierra Verde, Florida burning off the roof and causing significant fire, water, and smoke damage to the rest of the building structure, custom furniture, and personal belongings.  As is typical with all fires, which become public record when the fire department gets called, the homeowner was “assaulted” (his words) by emergency service restoration contractors and public adjuster chasers who came from all over the State of Florida to give their sales pitch.  Unfortunately, this property owner fell victim and signed with a restoration company who provided an estimate with a “not to exceed” agreement. But when the contractor sent the invoice for services performed, it was triple the amount!  The insurance company was just as surprised and refused to pay an obviously exorbitant amount. The contractor’s response was to place a lien on the property until the situation could be resolved.
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Our Most Popular Property Insurance Claim Posts of the Year Part I

Our Most Popular Property Insurance Claim Posts of the Year Part I

While this is the time of year to look back and count all our blessings, I thought we would share some of our most popular blogs of the year in case you missed them. How time flies! Do you remember the Polar Vortex and serious pipe burst claims of early 2014? How about the tropical storm that hit the Florida Panhandle and the terrible flooding it caused? In each one of these weather events, there is always something for property owners and even the most experienced public adjusters to learn about how to better handle insurance claims. Thanks to all our guest bloggers and fine public adjuster staff that shared their knowledge and contributed blogs this year.

A safe an happy holiday to all!

Broken Water Pipes from the Big Freeze “Polar Vortex” What a National Mess!

Policyholder Question: Frozen Pipe Burst Claim Dispute - Is it Time to Hire a Public Adjuster?

Ice Dams Frozen Gutters – Their Baaaack!  

Click to read more of the best posts of the year...


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Choosing the Right Public Adjuster Can Make a Difference in Your Claim Settlement

We recently handled a property claim involving a serious electrical fire in the home of a Clearwater Largo, FL family that caused significant fire, water, and smoke damage to the building and personal property. After being hired, the homeowner told us of a situation that is sadly becoming a recurring theme when fires occur. What we are referring to are the restoration contractors and public adjuster chasers who offer their services by bombarding the homeowners with confusing information and high pressure sales tactics.
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How Emergency Contractors Can Hijack Your Insurance Claim

Action 9 News in Orlando recently did a story about a homeowner who experienced a water loss and quickly hired an emergency contractor who tore out the damaged portion of the kitchen and then kept the insurance proceeds without finishing the job. The conclusion of the report was to strongly recommend that folks that have an insurable loss not sign an all-inclusive right to proceeds contract with a contractor. 


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Unlicensed Practice of Public Adjusting Post Draws Valuable Insights and Comments from Readers

Last week when I published the blog: The Unlicensed Practice of Public Adjusting, the Insurance Claims Keep Rolling In I apparently hit a nerve with a number of professionals from various parts of the property insurance industry that sent some very helpful comments that I’d like to share. Hopefully this may get a dialogue going that addresses this matter in a mutually beneficial manner.


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Couple has Advice for Those Who Have Even the Simplest Insurance Claim

An Orlando area client who filed what they thought was a simple property insurance claim for water damage to their home found them forced out of their home since September of last year due to mistakes made by the “preferred vendors” of their insurance company and the insurance company’s refusal to take responsibility for the situation.  Tutwiler Public Insurance Adjuster Brad Barrett  was eventually brought into the situation late and has been trying to bring the situation to what is called Appraisal, where an Umpire can hopefully rule in the client’s favor.



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"On Property" Insurance Claim Tips Blog

Tips and advice about how to properly file and protect your property damage insurance claim and get a fair settlement. We invite all readers to ask questions about their claim so our public adjusters can post answers for others to benefit. Insurance claim expert guest bloggers welcome to submit posts via our contact form.

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Local Office

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters, Inc.
Licensed Public Insurance Adjusters & Loss Consultants
Offices: Tampa, Orlando, Palm City, Ft. Myers, Florida; Dallas, TX; Pittsburgh, PA

Executive Office
4300 W. Cypress St.
Suite 780
Tampa, FL 33607
Phone: 813.287.8090
Toll Free: 800.321.4488

Licensed in Florida # W840088 &
Texas #1399706 plus 16 other states
and the Virgin Islands