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…
Some of the news reports and photographs from South Carolina support the claims that this flooding event was indeed unprecedented and historic. The only thing close to this magnitude was the flooding in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The flooding from Katrina was in large part a result of the levies being beached.…
As Tampa area businesses and homeowners deal with the serious flood and water damage, they will need the help of a water restoration firm to clean-up and dry out their property. Once local authorities give the all clear and it’s safe to return, mitigation efforts should be started immediately to avoid further damage or mold…
For those who do have flood insurance, we encourage you to review and pay close attention to your flood policy’s terms and conditions. The policies issued by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are unique because they fall under a Federal Government program with its own rules and regulations. As an example, the NFIP policy…
Water losses are by far the most frequent claims reported to the insurance industry. I suspect water losses are also the most frequent perils that impact property owners. Since many are not reported however, we really have no accurate data to determine the full scope of damages that water causes notwithstanding the CLUE reports (Comprehensive…
For those of us who are insiders in the Florida claim adjusting business, the AOB issue has been the hot topic with a whole host of folks calling for its demise. I had previously written about this insurance claim scheme and the response to my blog was amazing. Seems no one likes the assignment of…
It looks like the Florida Legislature has taken the first steps in properly addressing the Assignment of Benefits (AOB) issue that is creating insurance claim and other problems. For first time readers, AOB is when a policyholder assigns their claim benefits over to a contractor. There was a great blog today on Assignment of Benefits by Scott…
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…
A rising problem that we in the public adjusting profession have been dealing with for years seems to finally have caught the attention of Florida officials. That is, the practice of insurance adjusting without a license by roofers and restoration contractors who sometimes are also unlicensed. A recent article, Illegal for roofers to act as insurance…
Over the past few weeks we have discussed the increasing activity of the practice of public adjusting without a license and some restoration contractors (some licensed and some who are not) putting “Assignment of Benefit” clauses into their contracts that basically sign over a policyholder’s entire insurance claim proceeds to them. First, let me say…