The Independent and Impartial Appraisal: Can the appraiser discuss their opinions and findings of the loss with their policyholder client before the appraisal panel begins their deliberation?

The Independent and Impartial Appraisal: Can the appraiser discuss their opinions and findings of the loss with their policyholder client before the appraisal panel begins their deliberation?

A policyholder wrote in and recently asked:

Q. I’m hoping you can help me with an answer to a quick question. I hired a public adjuster to do an insurance appraisal because the insurance company has been jerking me around. The public adjuster will not share the dollar amount of his appraisal with me. Is that standard practice? He is stating that there is a clause in my policy that requires the appraiser to be independent and impartial, which then prohibits him from sharing his appraisal value with me. I think he is incorrect and is simply waiting for the insurance company’s appraiser to submit his value before writing up his own. Can you please advise? Thank you.


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The Property Insurance Claims Games Continue for Hurricane Michael Policyholders

The Property Insurance Claims Games Continue for Hurricane Michael Policyholders

Read an excellent feature article by the Tampa Bay Times this weekend on how policyholders are still being denied claims dollars that will help them recover from Hurricane Michael. Our public adjusters continue to battle and negotiate for homeowners and business owners. Some insurance companies are very professional while others continue to play the deny and delay game.

 https://www.tampabay.com/florida/2019/06/26/hurricane-michael-destroyed-their-homes-then-the-insurance-heartache-began/


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Policyholder Question – Will the bank holding my mortgage release my insurance settlement?

Policyholder Question – Will the bank holding my mortgage release my insurance settlement?

When a homeowner files an insurance claim, the last thing they expect is having to include their mortgage holder on the check. But this is usually the case and cause settlement delays and confusion depending on how the mortgage holder processes the settlement. The following is a related insurance claim question we answered submitted by a policyholder.

Q. I have a VA loan through TD Bank whose main office is in Lewiston, Maine. I live in Florida and retained a public adjuster to help me deal with my insurance claim. I suffered severe damage from Hurricane Michael on 10/10/18. Do you think I will have any problems with the bank releasing insurance proceeds directly to me seeing as it could be an inconvenience for the bank with me living so far away? Also, what records will the insurance company require if I do some of the work myself and have others help me?


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Adjusting Expectations for Hurricane Michael Insurance Claims

Adjusting Expectations for Hurricane Michael Insurance Claims

It’s been just over three (3) months since Hurricane Michael decimated Panama City, Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe causing billions of dollars in damage in just those areas alone.  Michael was the strongest hurricane to ever strike the Florida Panhandle, reaching back to the beginning of even fragmentary historical records in 1851. Let’s not forget the thousands of people affected in northern areas of Florida such as Blountstown, Marianna and the many other towns throughout Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina where it pummeled thousands trying to recover from Hurricane Florence a month earlier, not to mention Virginia where the remnants of Michael caused 5 deaths.  


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Hurricane Michael Damage and the Building Moratorium

Hurricane Michael Damage and the Building Moratorium

As Hurricane Michael damage recovery moves into the new year, we continue get deluged with property insurance claim questions from frustrated policyholders. Right now, we seem to be at the stage where policyholders have received settlement offers they feel are too low to fix their damage or where property owners feel their insurance company is not being responsive. This is especially true with commercial claims and the business community in the Panhandle as evidence in this article Local Businesses Say Insurance is Taking Too Long on Claims. Now there’s a good way to kill off the small business community!


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More Insurance Claim Challenges for Hurricane Michael Condominium Owners

More Insurance Claim Challenges for Hurricane Michael Condominium Owners

This is about the time in the insurance claims settlement cycle that we start getting calls from property owners living in condos, who are looking for help following property damage to their building that impacted their unit. This often takes the form of damage to the unit owner’s property, including their personal property as well as items such as carpet, other types of floor covering, trim items such as door frames, baseboards, cabinets and the list goes on depending on the type and severity of the damage and the wording in their condominium documents. When a covered casualty event occurs, whether it is from wind, water, fire, or the dreaded “mold” word, the finger pointing starts and in many cases the unit owner is caught in the middle.


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Enhanced conditions for electrical fires in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael

Enhanced conditions for electrical fires in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael

The effects of Hurricane Michaels wind and rain damage are still readily apparent in the Panama City area. Roofing crews and blue tarps are still visible wherever you travel. But what may not be so obvious, are storm related damages that may have resulted to electrical and mechanical systems in your home or business. From my perspective, too many policyholders blindly follow a contractors or even their insurance company’s desire to “fix up” the damage and move on to the next claim, putting themselves and their property in danger.


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Hurricane Michael Insurance Claim Settlement Checks – Check the Details and Watch What You Sign

Hurricane Michael Insurance Claim Settlement Checks – Check the Details and Watch What You Sign

Your property or business suffered damage during Hurricane Michael. You promptly filed a claim or had a public insurance adjuster document and file the claim for you. A check from the insurance company appears in the mail. Great! How easy could it be? But wait, there’s a catch…..on the back of your check there is language that states you are releasing the insurance company from any further costs related to the claim.


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Hurricane Michael’s Insurance Policyholder Deductible Surprise

Hurricane Michael’s Insurance Policyholder Deductible Surprise

By now folks in Panama City and surrounding areas hit by Hurricane Michael, are finding out how little they are going to get paid for their insurance claim damages. Our office continues to receive calls and emails from policyholders seeking help and answers about their property insurance losses. Predictably, a lot of the frustration from policyholders is about the fact that their claim file was closed without payment due to a subjective opinion by adjusters the insurance companies.


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Hurricane Michael Insurance Claim Update – The Public Adjuster’s On-the-Ground Perspective

Hurricane Michael Insurance Claim Update – The Public Adjuster’s On-the-Ground Perspective

It’s been 1 month since Hurricane Michael roared ashore. My fellow adjusters and I have seen some horrific damage in the Panama City area and we plan to be there for the long-haul. Many policyholders are just starting to receive their insurance checks in the mail and much to their surprise, the settlement checks received are grossly insufficient and barely cover a fraction of what the true cost of repairs will actually be. We see this same scenario play out in every storm that we have worked over the years. 


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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