Here is our 2^nd installment of questions we are fielding from the flooding in the Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina.  Hopefully we can help others seeking similar answers with flood insurance claims issues.

Q.  My lower cabinets were damaged by the flood waters.  Does my flood insurance pay to match them and pay for my upper cabinets? 

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Whenever there is a severe storm like the flooding in the Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina area our inbox gets inundated with questions from policyholders who are entering the insurance claims world for the first time and are seeking answers on how to recover from their damage. Over the next week we’ll publish some of the more popular questions with hopes that we can help others seeking similar answers. 

Q.  What does the NFIP flood policy require me to do after I report my claim.
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Q. My insurance company will not submit a letter of demand for the appraisal clause. If I do, will I then be responsible for all fees? My policy reads if they do the letter of demand, they will pay for all my appraisal fees.  
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As public adjusters, we continue to assist policyholders with property insurance claims after severe winter storms like we have experienced in Boston, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and other markets this winter. Roof collapse, ice dams, frozen pipes, water damage and yes even wind damage will be common occurrences. We’ve compiled some of the most commonly asked questions we get after these types of events and offer them below to help homeowners and businesses recover if they have a claim. Got a property insurance claim question? Send it to us or see our winter storm adjuster page. 

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Q. A shower pan leak caused wood floor damage. Our insurance company says damage from a shower pan is not covered. That seems absurd to me. There is no way we could have known there was a leak until we saw the wood warping. Should our insurance claim be covered?

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Q.  What would be a reasonable estimate one could make for in adding this Ordinance or Law coverage?  I read your paper Law & Ordinance Coverage, Is it Illusionary? (very informative/readable and liked his coined term "Nature's Casino") this is what an insurance company attached to their policy application. I was laid off from work and am working with extremely limited funds.  If you could direct me to a resource or person who could answer my question it would be sincerely appreciated.
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Water damage to lower units is a common insurance claim we frequently see in condominium communities. Believe it or not, this can become a complicated claim depending on where the leak originated, the specific damage that was caused by the leak and if the cause of the damage is the result of someone’s negligence or just faulty plumbing. We came across a good overview of this situation in a Herald Tribune article and encourage you to read it. Regardless, make sure you quickly contact all parties if this type of insurance loss occurs and consider putting a public adjuster on your team to avoid claim denials and proper compensation.

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Here is an insurance claim question that we recently were asked to weigh in on as a contributing member of insurance claim experts for United Policyholders who advocates for property owners. 

Q. My shower pan or the drain was leaking slowly. I had a piece of carpet over the carpet at the door of the shower and did not realize it. There is mold through to the sub floor under the pan and the carpeted area which we can see on the ceiling under the shower in the basement. I have Total Protect homeowners. They said it was not the plumbing so will not pay. My regular home insurance is with Allstate. Their representative told me they never pay for a pan leak even if it is the drain or pan itself. I pay for all of this insurance and then they refuse to accept responsibility. What do I do?


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Here is an insurance claim question that we recently were asked to weigh in on as a contributing member of insurance claim experts for United Policyholders who advocates for property owners. 

Q. We received a question from a North Carolina consumer regarding a roof replacement due to windstorm damage. The carrier is claiming that only a "spot-repair" is required under the policy but the homeowner has requested a full replacement. This position is supported by the North Carolina Department of Insurance, yet I find scant case law to support it. Further, when I browse through the North Carolina Insurance Code, I find a reference to "like, kind, and quality" v. "functional" repairs but I'm not clear on what this means in practice. If you have had any recent experience with this type of scenario, I would be interested in your insight.

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Q. The restoration company who repaired our home after an attic fire caused a contamination of fiberglass insulation by improperly clearing and cleaning the attic from smoke damaged insulation.  We know that the restoration company should be the one to take responsibility and maybe even use their General Liability Insurance, however instead they went out of business. We have talked to several lawyers and they say we have no recourse with our property insurance carrier.  We feel that our insurance company should take responsibility and make the restoration company who messed our home up pay to have it cleaned up properly.   Does an insurance company have to use bonded and general liability covered contractors?
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