As reports and video of the Hurricane Dorian devastation come in, the devastation and human tragedy is mind numbing. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those in the Bahamas and with those who will be part of the relief efforts. We expect the impacted areas to be unsafe for Public Adjusters and other professionals for some time. For those who are so inclined, I wanted to share a very good Hurricane Dorian Donation article from NPR on reputable organizations that will be at the forefront of the relief effort and also a list of supplies needed. In the meantime, we will do what we can to answer policyholder insurance claim questions regarding Hurricane Dorian damage and steps they should be taking. I challenge everyone, especially those in the insurance claims industry to find a way to donate to the Bahama’s relief effort.

Proud to be representing retailer insurance claims at Westshore Plaza after fire forces evacuation. Trying to get things settled without further complications.  https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/escalator-fire-forces-evacuations-at-westshore-plaza/1966197558

Our public adjuster offices settle many claims each month. Here is one written up by our Pittsburgh Public Adjuster, Mr. Zach Flora. It’s a good lesson about digging into the details and taking charge of your claim. On August 25th a Pittsburgh family of 3 were away enjoying a fun filled family vacation when they received a call from a neighbor that quickly turned their sunshine to clouds. The neighbor called with the horrible news that their garage door was mysteriously open and water was pouring out onto the driveway. 

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!

Hurricane Michael has left thousands of residential and commercial property owners with insurance claims – a process they’ve never had to deal with before. Thanks to our senior public adjuster, Kevin Leisure for participating in a recent WFLA TV interview to discuss what people need to know about the property insurance claims process and what mistakes policyholders need to avoid making. Bottom line, property owners need to be patient but persistent with regards to their insurance claim and educate themselves. Our firm has already set-up an office in the Panama City area and we expect this will be a long process of recovery. Our adjusters are dedicated to educating policyholders and getting them the settlement they deserve in order to rebuild. See our Hurricane Michael insurance claims page for additional information. 

The following is an insurance claim question we answered for a policyholder through the United Policyholders Ask an Expert Forum.

Q. We are survivors of Hurricane Maria. Our property sustained severe damages from the wind and rain. The insurance company´s adjuster reports damages amounting to $36,000. But they are only offering $10,000 arguing that we failed to reassess the property in recent years. As a result, when they apply the per square foot construction cost mandated by the local insurance industry regulator, our property comes out as severely underinsured. We had purchased the property for $125,000 nearly 20 years ago and its value nowadays is below that amount owing to the economic recession.  (Of the $125,000 we paid, the appraisal back then estimated the structure value at $40,000 and the land at $100,000) We are filing a second appeal and are wondering if this is an industry practice.  Any suggestions?

Expert Public Adjuster Dick Tutwiler explains the importance of understanding the difference between flood and water damage property insurance claims.  What to do if you have both wind and water damage. What you need to know about flood insurance to avoid claim delays.

Public Adjusters Dick and Rick Tutwiler provide insurance property claim tips on WFLA Daytime Show on when to use a public adjuster for fire loss, water damage and some advice for out of state residents who own vacation property in Florida. Happy to contribute to policyholders’ hurricane season prep.

Happy to be a WFLA Hurricane Season sponsor and help contribute our insurance claims expertise to the Daytime show. Watch the Storm Team 8 Hurricane Season Special "Surviving the Storm" this Saturday at 7pm and look for our claim tips throughout the season. More to come.

Most homeowners and business people do not understand the complexities of estimating repair costs. Even with a policy in-hand, there is much to be interpreted and many unique factors that can impact each claim. As the recovery process for Hurricane Irma continues, we’ve received anecdotal evidence from independent adjusters who are telling us they are submitting their estimates and reports only to have the carriers send them back or make in-house changes without their knowledge. Basically they find out the estimate they wrote was chopped up to save the carrier money. This is not happening everywhere, but enough to cause me concern.