Any help would be appreciated. Over the weekend, i had a pipe/hose break and flooded my kitchen overnight. I know we need to make a claim with . They said they will send out an adjuster to survey damage. What do I tell this adjuster? Do I need to make a list of stuff damaged? Will he help me get the most money i need? Any one with any experience please help Thanks.

 

  • MSAD 9:01 pm on November 11, 2009 Permalink

    I can’t give you specific information about your claim — but I can give you some general info. You may want to contact your insurance agent with questions.

    If the claim is covered or not and how much is paid — depends on the type of homeowner’s policy you have.

    If you have a standard HO3 policy with a replacement cost provision: this general info should apply.

    First off – it is ok to clean the water up. You have probably done this already. But if not– go ahead and do it. The adjuster does not need to see the water on the floor.

    The adjuster will come out and inspect the damage. This will involve walking around the home, taking photos, measurements and notes. If the home has air registers in the floor and it is possible the water got in the register — the adjuster may go under your home (if on a crawl space).

    The adjuster may want to take a recorded interview about what happened. What they are looking for – is information about the loss. It gives them an idea of what areas are damaged and if they can pursue the manufacturer of the hose (in case the hose failed because of a manufacturer defect).

    The adjuster may have some paperwork for you to sign.

    The adjuster may offer to send a water restoration company out. This is a really easy way to handle the claim. These are companies that specialize in fire and water restoration. They have all the equipment to dry the home out and to repair anything that is damaged. These companies are "turn key". That means they can act as a General Contractor and you don’t have to hire a flooring guy, an insulation guy, a painter etc. You don’t have to use one of these companies — but it’s worth considering. Makes the process easier on you because you have one repair guy to go. The restoration company will be able to handle the job from beginning to end and will work directly with the adjuster to get the repairs done. You would pay your deductible to the contractor.

    These water restoration companies can also – inventory any damaged items and clean/dry anything that is cleanable.

    If you chose to use a restoration company – the company will have you sign paperwork hiring them. They are actually working for you – but the insurance company pays.

    The insurance company owes to put back what you had. So, if you had vinyl flooring in the kitchen. That’s what they will pay to put back. However, if you want to upgrade and put down tile — you can do that. You just have to pay the difference between the cost of vinyl and the cost of tile.

    If you need to stay in a hotel while your kitchen is being worked on– you can. Or if you need to eat out — you can.

    However – a heads up on the eating out — the insurance company will not pay the full bill for eating out. The loss of use coverage – pays for your additional expense. Had the hose never burst — you would still have to eat. But- you probably would have cooked rather than eat out. So the insurance company would not pay the full bill of eating out. However, they would pay something toward the bill to make up the difference between the cost of eating out and the cost of cooking that meal at home.

    The adjuster’s job is to try and put you back where you were before the loss — not better off — not worse off. When your adjuster comes out – just answer truthfully and ask any questions you have. That’s what the adjuster is there for. You can also ask your agent. Good agents are always willing to help you as you go through the claims process.

  • Wendy S 9:01 pm on November 11, 2009 Permalink

    It’s an insurance adjuster’s job to assess the damage, decide if coverage applies and if coverage applies work with you to decide how much should be paid.

    Tell the adjuster what happened, and providing a list of damaged items will be very helpful.

    Remember, though, that the adjuster works for the insurance company. Generally their point of view should be "pay what we owe, not a penny more nor a penny less", but there are bad apples in every bunch. If something is valued too low protest.

    My best advice, though, is to be courteous throughout it all. If there is any wiggle room they are much more likely to help people who are courteous than those that are not.

    And also a hint to you and everyone reading this- upgrade all your hoses to prevent this from happening again. Rubber hoses burst often!

    Best of luck!

  • jackson 9:01 pm on November 11, 2009 Permalink

    Take pictures of everything NOW. And make your list. When the guy comes out his job is to pay out the least possible.

    I have been through this even though I was insurerd out of the butt. Guy came out and what they initailly offered would not cover squat and would not cover hidden damage and all of that. Often with water damage you will find other issues later.

    I kind of went around with them. But luckily I knew a serious insurance guy. He explained the standard insurance policy. They will be doing work on your kitchen. In a policy "maintain your standard of living".

    That means all costs of eating out. If you have animals that covers the cost of kenneling them during construction. It can also cover the cost if a person might be sensitive of dust because of construction or repairs. That would mean a hotel room.

    I finally got the main adjuster out and he was…… what I can not say here. The damage did not look so bad since it took a few days for him to come out.

    I showed him my pics and mentioned the rest and he paused and his jaw dropped. I was not looking to rip anybody off. But it is their job to again pay as little as possible.

    The guy just said fine "what do you need"? Then they fixed everything better than before. They can do that as you pay them. You have to give them a reason to pay it out by being strong right out of the gate.

    Just my personal experience after owning several houses over the years.

  • Anne R 9:01 pm on November 11, 2009 Permalink

    When there is damage to your homeowner’s insurance adjuster will come to your home. He or She will evaluate the obvious damage but you should have a list of items that have been damaged due to the accident.