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.

The Windstorm Insurance Network (WIND), an association that brings together both insurance defense and policyholder advocate professionals to connect, learn, and engage on important topics in the property/windstorm insurance claims industry, once again stepped up to assist with Hurricane Michael relief efforts. Below is the information related to the donation as posted by WIND. I’m proud of public adjuster and WIND President-elect Rick Tutwiler’s involvement and continue to be proud of the efforts put forth by all the officers and staff of this excellent organization who will hold its 20^th Annual Conference January 30 – Feb 2 in Orlando.

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.

As policyholders begin to hear back from their insurance company regarding their Hurricane Michael insurance claim, many will learn that the amount offered by their respective insurer is not sufficient to pay for their complete loss and damages. Some may even learn part of their claim is denied. This is common when there is widespread damage to a geographic area and especially true with more complicated commercial claims to businesses, condominiums and hotels where methods to fix or replace damage can become complicated. There can be many reasons for this including overworked adjusters not documenting specific damages, out of state adjusters not familiar with the market or inside claim adjusters who have never personally seen the claim simply denying certain parts of the claim. 

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.

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.

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. 

If the feedback we are getting on the ground in Panama City and the inquiries coming into our offices are any guide, policyholders are none too happy with the settlement offers they are receiving for their Hurricane Michael property damage claims. Most often we are told the offer does not remotely cover the cost of repairs based on estimates local contractors are providing.

After a meeting with the Board President of a Panama City Condominium Association, I had the chance to follow-up with some recommendations for dealing with their insurance company adjuster and contractors that I would like to share with others who may benefit from the same information.  

First, keep in mind that the Board has a fiduciary responsibility to the both the Association members and to itself. The Board will need to assign someone to manage all aspects of the claim to the very finish.  Whether that person be an individual or a committee, ideally that person(s) would need to be qualified and competent to get the association through this burdensome process.  By no means will this be an easy process and given the magnitude of this catastrophic Hurricane. These claims can get complicated and many will not be amicably resolved their claims to their satisfaction.

If your Florida home was severely damaged by Hurricane Michael to the extent that it is uninhabitable to live in, most insurance policies provide a coverage called “Additional Living Expense” or “A.L.E.” if it is a covered loss. Under the Additional Living Expense coverage, you and your family may be entitled to rent another home of the same size, like kind and quality as well as be reimbursed for any extra expenses you incur such as food and temporary lodging.