Water Damage Insurance Claim

PUBLIC ADJUSTER
IN FLORIDA

Need help with a Water Damage Insurance Claim?

Most Water Damage is caused from:

• Pipe Leaks
• Slab Leak
• Pipe Burst
• Broken Pipes
• Leaky Bathtub
• Broken Water Pipe
• Leaking Pipe

Did your water leak happen suddenly or is it a long term leak?

This is a very important question.  When insurance companies deny a water damage claim it’s usually because the leak was long term.  However, we can definitely help you with any long term leak that was denied.

Give me a call, Mike Keeler

Toll Free (800) 311-5753 

or

Direct (754) 252-5438

• AC Leaks
• Ceiling Water Leaks
• Pipe Breaks & Leaks
• Refrigerator Leaks
• Dishwasher Leaks
• Water Damage after a Fire
• Water Backups from Toilet
• Stained Ceiling from Roof
• Copper Line Leak

• Water Heater Leaks
• Appliance Hose Line
• Plumbing Leaks
• Bathroom Flooded
• Kitchen Water Pipe Break
• Cast Iron Pipe Breaks
• Water Overflow from Toilet
• PVC pipe leaks
• Slab Leaks

• Floors
• Carpet
• Baseboards
• Ceiling Water Stains
• Kitchen Island
• Wood Floors

• Kitchen Cabinets
• Drywall
• Cracks in Tile Floors
• Bathroom Floors
• Bathroom Vanities
• Laminate Floors

There are a few reasons your water damage claim was denied. The insurance company might have hired an engineer who will state that the leak happened months ago, and it’s been constant ever since, or they may use any words you say against you when you filed the claim or during the claim adjuster’s inspection at your home.

“Constant or Repeated” Leakage or seepage is when there’s a constant flow of water coming from a plumbing system or area where water flows. Insurance companies will often use these terms to deny any claims, but can still help you get paid!

*Specialize in Water & Pipe Break Claims

*Previous Claim Adjuster for the large insurance company

*Attorneys hired me as an expert for water damage claims

*Worked in a Law Firm dealing with a variety of homeowners claims

Here are some reasons why you should hire a Public Adjuster:

1. They will file the claim for you, which helps minimize you saying the wrong thing that could hurt your claim.
2. The settlements a Public Adjuster negotiates will be much higher than what you can do on your own.  As a matter of fact, a statistical analysis notes that Public Adjusters get at least 700% greater settlements. Please take a moment to read this Forbes article, Click Here.
3. A good public adjuster will be able to handle any issues that arise during the claim, will help prepare you for a recorded statement or defer it, will complete the proof of loss, and complete a damage estimate.
4. A good public adjuster will be able to creatively circumvent policy language or find errors in your policy that may help get you additional money for your claim. In the case of a denied claim, a good public adjuster can challenge the denial and possibly get the claim covered and settled.

First, you probably should call a water mitigation company is there is a lot of water, kitchen cabinets damaged, floors damaged, walls and baseboards, etc..

Secondly, I’d contact a good public adjuster in your state to help with the claim right from the start.

Thirdly, take photos and/or videos of the damage from the water.

Finally, file the claim with the insurance company or let the public adjuster file the claim.

When you file the claim, you want to make sure to keep things very simple and don’t ramble.

When you have a water damage claim you want to use the following words when you file the claim:

-Suddenly   -Just happened    -Abruptly   -Recently

These are some of the words you want to avoid, especially if you didn’t know you had a leak, or the leak had been there for a long time:

-Long Term     -Don’t know how long leak was going on

-Happened a few weeks or months ago

When they ask you what is damaged, saying something like the following will suffice:

“I have damage to kitchen, bathroom, floors, but we are still trying to figure out all the damages and will have a better idea in a few days”

That’s it. Keep everything simple and to the point.  Don’t ramble on about how the leak happened, when it happened, or why it happened.

If your water claim involves a cracked pipe or hole in a pipe, just simply say:

“we had a crack in the pipe behind cabinets in kitchen”

“the pipes behind shower was leaking”

Finally, once the claim is filed, an adjuster will probably contact you in a few days.  Feel free to schedule an appointment for the inspection but don’t say too much.

Essentially, this is the process for most water damage claims:

1. Contact a water mitigation company if the damages warrant such.

2. File the claim with the insurance company

3. They might want to take a recorded statement from you

4. Insurance company Adjuster comes out to inspect the damages. Often (90% of the time) it will be an “independent” adjuster, however, they do work for the insurance company, and they are NOT your friend.

5. Depending on the insurance company and severity of the damages caused by the water, your insurance company may have a leak detection company and/or “engineer” come to your home to also inspect everything. Now, you need to understand something.  If one of these people comes out to your home, YOUR CLAIM WILL BE DENIED!!

6. The insurance company, by Florida Statute, has 90 days to make a payment on your claim or deny it.  You should expect the insurance company to intentionally take almost the full 90 days, or sometimes even longer, to make a coverage decision on your claim.

7. They will ask you for a repair estimate.

8. You might be asked to fill out a Proof of Loss form

9. Finally, your claim is either settled or you need to take different steps to get your claim settled. If your claim is taking longer than 90 days, then the insurance company is not treating you fairly.

Note Regarding Citizens Insurance company:   Every water damage claim has a limit of $10,000.   I don’t even get involved with Citizens water damage insurance claims anymore.  They are a terrible company.  The worst in Florida.

Here are some companies that I have had Water Damage Insurance Claim Settlements with:

UPC, Universal, Chubb, Progressive(ASI), Allstate (Castle Key), Homeowners Choice, FedNat, American Integrity, Security First, St. John’s, Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Farmers, TypTap, Edison, Florida Peninsula, Florida Family, Heritage, Tower Hill, American Bankers, Olympus, Safepoint, Cypress Property, First Protective, Assurant, USAA, Nationwide (Scottsdale) and Kin.

And many other carriers that write policies in Florida