Many homeowners are lulled into a false sense of security by their insurance company. They believe that if anything happens to their home, their homeowner’s insurance will cover it. However, the truth is, the slightest disruption can make everything come tumbling down. This is why when you have a homeowner insurance claim, you need a public adjuster.
Another reason is that your homeowner insurance policy is intended to cover sudden and accidental physical damage caused by a covered peril. Unfortunately, this insurance industry statement means is that in order for the damage to your home to be covered under your homeowner’s insurance policy the damage needs to be one of four things; sudden, accidental, actually damaged now or caused by a covered peril.
Homeowner Insurance a House of Cards: You Need a Public Adjuster
Those are just four of the reasons that when you have a homeowner insurance claim to file, you need a public adjuster. Insurance companies are well-versed at turning those words into a low-ball settlement or even a denied claim, just by the nature of the language they use.
Let’s talk about that language.
Sudden: A few examples of sudden could be a burst pipe, a candle catching draperies on fire, or hail damaging your roof. Not Sudden: slow leaking pipe in the wall that’s been ongoing for weeks or months, termite infestation causing major structural damage to your home’s framing, leaks through cracks in your home’s exterior stucco caused by settling, damage caused by dry rot to your home’s roof decking. Damages that do not occur suddenly are lumped into a category called “wear and tear” and “maintenance” and are, therefore, not covered damages that your insurance company will pay for.
Accidental: Say a child accidentally throws a baseball through the living room picture window, that would be considered accidental. However, if that same child put his fist through the drywall in a fit of rage … that’s not accidental.
Actually Damaged Now: Just because there is the potential for damage doesn’t mean that there is any physical damage now. Most policies are very specific about this. Here are some examples of things that aren’t actually damaged now: A pipe bursts in the slab, but the water hasn’t come up through the concrete and caused damage to any of the floors or walls yet. According to the above definition, there is no physical damage, therefore no claim. The total cost to open up and close the concrete to repair the pipe, along with the cost of the pipe repair would be completely on you. However, if that same pipe bursts in the slab and the water gush up through the concrete slab – destroying the flooring and getting the walls and cabinetry in the kitchen wet and warped, you now have physical damage. The insurance company may pay to tear out the concrete in order to gain access to the burst pipe. The cost of the actual pipe repair will be on you, but the cost to open up the concrete and put it back after the pipe repair will often be paid by the insurance company. Plus, the cost to repair your home and replace or repair any of your personal property would likely be covered by your homeowner’s insurance company.
COVERED PERIL: Your homeowner insurance policy covers the perils that are specifically named in the policy, which are listed below:
- Fire or Lightning
- Windstorm or Hail
- Explosion
- Riot or Civil Commotion
- Aircraft hitting your house
- Vehicles hitting your house
- Smoke
- Vandalism or Malicious Mischief
- Theft
If you will notice, the main cause of damage caused to homes, water, is not listed above under covered peril. Taking just that one thing into consideration should help you see that when it comes to filing a homeowner insurance claim, you need a public adjuster.
Noble Public Adjusting Group is the #1 insurance appraiser in the nation, and the only fully-staffed public adjuster in the Florida Panhandle. We have offices in several Florida locations, but we can handle a homeowner insurance claim anywhere in the US. Call us today and let’s talk and get to know each other. We file your insurance claim, we fight it, and we win.
HOME OFFICE
Noble Public Adjusting Group
107 Amar Place Suite 103
Panama City Beach (West End), FL 32413
(850) 249-MY-PA