Fort Pierce Beach House - Hurricane Irma Damage and Flood Damage

Flood waters, as well as wind from Hurricane Irma damaged a Fort Beach vacation property

Fort Pierce, Florida - Shortly after Hurricane Irma had passed, our public adjusters were contacted by two potential clients (B.S. and R.S.) who lived in Miami that own a beach house in Fort Pierce, just a few blocks from the Fort Pierce inlet. This home was their vacation property that they use to get out of the city and relax at the beach. 

Without having seen their property yet, they asked if VIP Adjusting's public adjusters would check out the property for them to make sure it was still standing and we were happy to oblige. Luckily, the home was still standing, but there were flood waters inside the home and pretty clear wind damage to the outside. 

The Loss - Hurricane Irma and related storm surge/flooding

Being directly adjacent to the ocean, it's no surprise that the storm caused damage to this Fort Pierce beach house. The unfortunate part for the homeowners was that they had recently purchased and renovated this property and were now looking at having to deal with two insurance companies and then renovate again.

The Flood Claim - NFIP

There was a clear flood line in the home indicating where the flood waters had risen to, causing damage to the new kitchen cabinets, flooring, and brand new appliances, as well the baseboards and about a foot of drywall.

The public adjusters at VIP Adjusting have handled flood claims in the past, which are vastly different from the average homeowners insurance claim and standard property damage. The NFIP, or National Flood Insurance Program is a program through the federal government to make sure all homeowners are able to get flood insurance. Nationwide premiums, as well as FEMA, serve to keep the premium costs low for situations such as these.

There are also a completely different set of guidelines in how to present and handle these claims. Ultimately, following the initial claim presentation, this process went pretty smoothly for this insured and all of the damaged items were fairly compensated. 

The Hurricane Claim - A Florida Insurance Company

The wind damages to the property from Hurricane Irma were a different story and went as expected. There were clear wind damages to the roof of the home and the exterior air conditioner, and interior water staining to the ceilings and upper drywall from roof leaks (not damaged by flood).

The insurance company accepted coverage but refused payment as being under deductible. After ignoring the public adjuster's estimate a lawsuit was filed and after just a few months the claim was ultimately paid fairly, but not without having to jump through all the hoops. 

Complications with split cause claims

It doesn't often happen that damages to a home from multiple sources, but when it does, it can be tricky for both the homeowner or insured and their public adjuster. It's important to claim all of the damages, while at the same time, the damages need to clearly be attributed to one cause of loss or another, instead of both. If it's unclear which source was the ultimate damage, it needs to be specified to the insurance company or companies so that the insured and public adjuster aren't pursuing double damages, which, if intentional would constitute insurance fraud. 

The flood and hurricane scenario is one of the most common split cause of loss claims, but it can also happen in daily claims where a plumbing leak and the change in pressure results in multiple leaks at once, or a leak detection finds multiple leaks which may or may not have been long term.

In this instance, for our client, it was invaluable to have an experienced and local public adjuster in the Fort Pierce area, both to handle the overlapping damages caused by wind and flood, and to facilitate the entire process at their vacation home that was several hours away from their primary residence. 

Miami Plumbing Leak Egregious Denial from Insurance Company - Overturned in Litigation

Miami, Florida - VIP Adjusting usually doesn't handle many claims in Miami. Our headquarters are in Fort Pierce in St Lucie County, and we normally handle claims throughout the Treasure Coast and Space Coast, from Jupiter, to Stuart, to Vero Beach, and Indialantica, but a client referral came to us in Miami.

This client, M.V., came home from work to find water spraying from the wall in his garage where his washing machine hookup connected to the wall. What happened next will probably make your head spin.

Even our public adjusters were surprised with the conduct of this insurance company!

The Loss - Pressurized plumbing leak to washing machine

The homeowner/insured came home from work and entered through his garage. He immediately saw water on the floor and spraying from the wall at about chest height since the washing machine was on a raised step.

Thinking quickly, the insured snapped a quick video and turned off the water supply to the house at the main valve to the home. 

The damages to the garage and kitchen

Obviously there was water spraying in the garage. The pressure from the spray had burst a hole through the drywall and was spraying out onto the concrete floor. Aside from the drywall damage in the garage, and what would be required to open the wall and repair the pipe, the damages in the garage were minimal, but, a lot of water also ended up inside the wall, which was shared with the home's kitchen.Inside, there was visible damage to half of the kitchen's cabinets, and in one space between the cabinets, you could see extensive staining and discoloration to the drywall behind the cabinets. Adjacent to the cabinets, tile baseboards had fallen off and broken.Despite the relatively minimal visible water in the garage, this home clearly had much more extensive damage and required significant repairs. 

A plumber initially opened the garage wall, and repaired the supply line to the washing machine, leaving it open for inspection by the insurance company. What remained outstanding was removing and replacing all the kitchen cabinetry, drywall in the kitchen, replacement of the tile backsplash, and replacement of the continuous tile flooring that could not be matched throughout the home.

The Insurance Claim and Outcome

For such a small leak, there were some pretty substantial repairs to restore the home to pre-loss condition. Maybe that's what made the insurance company do what they did next.

Despite the fact the insured had a video of the active leak from the burst pipe (that wasn't leaking when he left for work), the insurance company conducted its "investigation" and DENIED the insured's claim, declaring that the homeowners' leak was the result of "constant or repeated seepage or leakage which occurs over a period of time."

This language in the insurance policy is meant to exclude coverage for leaks that have been ongoing and known to the insured for a long period, essentially reinforcing the duty to protect the property from further damages. An insured who can't be bothered to address a leak for months shouldn't be entitled to insurance coverage because the damages have likely worsened because of the insured's actions. 

A leak that occurred the same day and was actively observed and documented, however, is not that. To adopt this insurance company's view, this insurance policy would cover all plumbing leaks except when the insurance company didn't feel like paying for it. Technically, the first drop of water is a new leak and the second drop is "repeated leakage." This is just an illogical conclusion.

The real outcome

Unfortunately the insured had to file a lawsuit to obtain a fair recovery and obtain the benefits he was entitled to under the insurance policy. Luckily, it happened in short order. The time from the date of loss to the final settlement in litigation was just about 6 months, which is pretty reasonable for Florida insurance claims. 

At the end of the day, a settlement was negotiated that let the insured replace their kitchen and backsplash, but instead of replacing the full tile floor because of the broken baseboard, the insured agreed to replace the baseboard with wooden baseboards.

Had this homeowner not connected with a public adjuster, he may well have never pursued the insurance company after they issued the coverage denial, and that's exactly what most insurance companies hope for.

Hurricane Irma damage to West Palm Beach home denied as under deductible - Roof paid in Appraisal

West Palm Beach, Florida - A two-story 3,000+ square-foot plantation-style home in the Southland Park neighborhood of West Palm Beach was damaged by hurricane Irma, resulting in water damaging several areas of the home's interior ceilings and floors. Due to the value of this home, it unfortunately carried a high deductible on its windstorm insurance. The homeowner (G.W.) contacted the public adjusters at VIP Adjusting before reporting the claim, and although it didn't start smoothly, the insured was paid enough to replace their roof, even after their deductible was applied.

The Loss - Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma had a hurricane-force wind field that exceeded the width of the entire state of Florida, and affected nearly the entire state as it traveled from south to north. Some homes escaped damage from the storm, while others suffered only minor damages. Many homeowners weren't so lucky and had severe damages to their homes.

Luckily for this homeowner, the hurricane damage to this home fell somewhere in between. After the storm had passed, the insured noticed there was some staining in a few areas of the home, including in some of the bedrooms, the downstairs tray ceilings in the main living area, and there was also damage in some areas of the wood flooring throughout the home. 

The damages to the home

In order for the insured to have noticed the interior staining, there first had to be damages to the roof caused by the storm. VIP Adjusting's public adjuster got on that second story roof, and verified and documented the damages that allowed the water to come in.

On top of that, near the children's bedrooms, there was a musty odor and it was verified that some areas of mold did develop in the aftermath of the storm while most homes were without power.

The Insurance Claim and Outcome

Our public adjusters reported the claim on the homeowners' behalf and documented the damages while also preparing estimates of the damages. The insurance company's original inspector, perhaps in the post-storm haste, took a look at the policy's huge deductible and simply declared that the damages wouldn't exceed it. To be fair, this property's deductible was larger than most other homeowner's insurance claim value entirely.

In any event, our public adjusters persisted, submitting our estimate to the insurance company and demanding appraisal.

The appraisal process

Some insurance policies require an insurance appraiser to be neutral or disinterested in a claim. Other times it's a tactical decision to use an outside appraiser to lend credibility to the claim. In this instance, a licensed and insured general contractor with extensive insurance appraisal experience was selected as the homeowner's appraiser.

The insurance company inexplicably selected an out-of-state vice-president of a large national construction company who didn't appear to have any ties to Florida, nor had any of the reputable appraisers or umpires our public adjusters have built relationships with even heard of the guy. This struck us as odd for an insurance company marketed as a luxury homeowners insurance company, but an insurance company’s choice of appraiser isn’t up to the insured or the public adjuster. Little did we know that was only the beginning...

We initially tried to reach out to the appraiser for the insurance company, proposing umpires, only to be completely ignored. When we reached out to the insurance company after a more-than-reasonable timeframe had passed, the appraiser responded, lying that he had responded, when he had done no such thing. The insurance company's appraiser elected to carry that unprofessional behavior throughout the rest of the appraisal process. 

The insurance company's appraiser was incredibly rude to our insured's appraiser, and elected to bring in "experts" whose credentials we verified did not qualify them to provide the opinions they were offering, including unlicensed contractors and individuals from out of state who were unfamiliar with Florida building practices and Florida building code.

As a result of the ongoing dispute, the umpire was invoked and an additional inspection was conducted with both appraisers and the umpire. At the umpire meeting, the insurance company's appraiser started yelling at our appraiser in the insured's home in front of the insured who had to excuse themselves from their own home. 

The umpire cut that behavior off quickly, but not before the insured had to be subject to such an unprofessional outburst from their insurance company's representative. 

Ultimately, the umpire agreed with our appraiser and issued an award of more than $110,000. Despite the high deductible and previously having been offered $0 by the insurance company, our client was able to replace the roof and adequately repair the interior water damages to the home.

Post-appraisal follow up

In addition to the favorable award, the insurance company was notified of the unprofessional behavior by their representative in the insured's home, and were apprised of all of this insurance company’s core values that this behavior goes against. This so-called “luxury” insurance carrier offers insurance policies that waive hurricane deductibles, and also had waived hurricane deductibles in the northeast after Superstorm Sandy, so we requested that be done here, as well as refunding the insured the costs associated with the umpire, since the dispute could have easily been resolved with a reasonable and qualified appraiser on behalf of the insurance company, as evidenced by the appraisal award in our favor. The insurance company's representative declined the deductible refund, however did agree to provide compensation for the behavior including the costs of the umpire.

St Lucie Plumbing Leak - Broken Tiles - Successful Appraisal

St. Lucie County, Florida - A single family homeowner (R.Y.) in Port St. Lucie had a burst supply line inside the slab of his home. Water was coming out of the slab in multiple locations causing significant damage.

The homeowner contacted the public adjusters at VIP Adjusting to assist him with the insurance claim process and to make sure he was fairly paid for his homeowners insurance claim.

The Loss - Supply Line Plumbing Leak - Burst Copper Pipe

A copper supply pipe inside the slab of this home burst and resulted in water damage in the insured's garage. The homeowner immediately contacted a plumber who turned off the water supply and located the break between the home's main and the kitchen, as well as a leak between the plumbing manifold and the master bathroom. The plumber noted water coming from the slab in multiple locations. In order to restore the use of the home's plumbing, the plumber performed a plumbing re-route, which is typically covered by most homeowners insurance policies.

The Damages to the home from the plumbing leak

While the homeowner initially only noticed water in the garage, during the leak detection process, the plumber noticed water escaping in multiple locations from the slab, often ending up inside the slab and escaping in other locations. 

The use of a moisture meter during the inspection showed damage to drywall in several rooms, including multiple bathrooms and the kitchen, damage bathroom vanities, and damage to kitchen cabinets. In addition to the use of a moisture meter, there was also visible damage to exterior stucco where water was escaping, and multiple popped tiles and cracked tiles in the home that were not damaged prior to this plumbing leak.

The homeowner hired a water mitigation contractor to provide restoration services to the home, including removal of wet drywall, and the use of fans and blowers to dry wet materials in place, including the damaged cabinets and vanities, all to prevent mold growth. This type of water remediation was required under the homeowner’s insurance policy as part of his post-loss duty to protect the property from further damage. 

The Insurance Claim and Outcome

VIP Adjusting's public adjusters reported the claim on the homeowners behalf and documented the damages while preparing an estimate on his behalf. Based on the public adjuster's presentation of damages to the insurance company, insurance initially paid $41,000 for the damages to the home, including repair to damaged drywall, replacement of tile flooring in the kitchen (but not all of the tile flooring), and a minimal repair for refacing of the cabinetry. The insurance company also paid for content manipulation, packout, and storage, including the difficult area in the garage.

VIP Adjusting's estimate prepared by our licensed public adjusters included replacement of the bathroom vanities, replacement of the damaged kitchen cabinetry, and replacement of the tile flooring throughout, including the visibly broken tiles that the insurance company did not believe were caused by the water damage.

Our public adjusters disagreed with the insurance company’s evaluation of the flooring, since the homeowner indicated it wasn't damaged prior to this leak, the cracks to the tile looked new, and not old or worn, and the damage was consistent with the dampening and drying, expansion and contraction of the slab and mortar underneath.

Resolving the claim through the appraisal process

Ultimately, as a result of the dispute for the proper payment of this claim, it ended up in appraisal. We wrote recently about the strengths and weaknesses of resolving insurance claims through the appraisal process. 

For this claim, we selected an impartial third-party general contractor to act as the appraiser on behalf of the homeowner. Our appraiser and the insurance company's appraiser were able to come to agreement on the majority of the damages and reached a final appraisal award of over $85,000, more than double the initial claim payment. When all was said and done, our client was able to perform the significant renovations that restored him to his pre-loss condition.

If you've found yourself with water on the floor in your home, let VIP Adjusting's public adjuster's perform a free claim evaluation for you. Sometimes, when you think there's just a little bit of water on the floor of your garage, there can be a lot of hidden damage that can result in costly repairs. If this homeowner had waited until he started trying to make repairs to report his claim, he might have had his claim denied!

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Jensen Beach - Hurricane Irma Damage in Beachfront Condo - $45,000

St. Lucie County, Florida -- An owner (A.U.) of a beachfront condominium in Jensen Beach who had sustained damage to his unit as a result of hurricane Irma contacted VIP Adjusting about two weeks after the storm unsure of how to proceed.

Claims for damages to a condominium in Florida can be tricky, not only because the coverages are limited, but because there is also a condo association that bears responsibility for certain items and common elements. 

VIP Adjusting's public adjusters have handled numerous claims for condo damage throughout Florida's treasure coast and is familiar with both the coverages from a condominium policy, and the responsibilities of the condo association.

The Loss - Hurricane Irma

Obviously hurricane Irma caused widespread damages throughout the Treasure Coast and the entire state of Florida. Our client owns a condo unit on Jensen Beach, without any other buildings or structures surrounding it to block it from wind. Luckily, the storm was passing from south to north, with the eye of the storm on the west side of the state of Florida, as opposed to coming on shore from the Atlantic. The damages were pretty significant, but could have been much worse.

The Damages to the condo unit

Hurricane force winds were felt across the entire state of Florida, and our client's Jensen Beach condo was no exception. Damages were caused to the exterior of the building by wind, both to the building's windows and roof, as well as the building's exterior structure or envelope. These items are common elements for the condominium and are the responsibility of the condo association and its commercial insurance policy, but many condominium unit owners' insurance policies first require this damage be present in order to afford coverage for a claim. 

This condo unit sustained damage caused by wind driven rain to the unit's kitchen, including the cabinetry and the insured's laminate flooring and carpet throughout the unit. 

There was also damage to the ceilings and walls, which present issues of their own. In a condominium, usually the association is responsible for items and damages inside the wall, as common elements. This isn't always the case, but most of the time it is. 

In addition, through interpretation of Florida's Condominium Statute, Chapter 718, the association is responsible for the drywall, while the unit owner is responsible for the surface of the drywall (skim coating and paint).

While this is the legal responsibility, it can often be difficult for a condo owner to get the association to pay for, or repair the drywall inside the unit and often end up paying for this repair on their own out of pocket, and surprised that their insurance won't reimburse them.

The Insurance Claim and Outcome

VIP Adjusting's public adjusters documented the damages and presented them to the condo owner's insurance company. Based on that presentation, the insurance company initially paid $22,000 for the damages. 

The insurance company's initial payment paid for damaged carpeting, paint and texturing on the walls, and some of the flooring. The actual payment for the repairs wasn't as low as we expected, but what the insurance company failed to take into account is that these repairs were to take place in a condo.

The insurance company only paid $50 to move out and protect the contents of the unit during repairs, $200 for a dump truck for removal of the damaged property, and $175 for labor minimums for an electrician. 

Packing/Storage and Dealing with Building Regulations

This is why you need to hire a public adjuster. Even if the insurance company fairly paid for the actual repair costs, it didn't address any complications related to protecting the personal property of their insured, or getting someone to deal with performing repairs in a condo building that requires all guests to check in at the desk, work only during certain hours, access the property through certain entrances and exits, and not disturb other tenants.

The insurance company's payment would have been fair if these repairs were done in a single family dwelling, and would have only been short on the personal property.

In our insured's case, however, no repairs could be done in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma with the payment that was received. 

VIP Adjusting's public adjusters disputed the payment for these damages, and addressed the building issue. There were hours of packing of personal property that would be required to perform the repairs. More hours of bringing the personal property down in a service elevator for storage. On-site storage was not acceptable because of the condo's regulations. $50 was not a sufficient payment.

The same goes for the removal of debris. Debris from demolition wasn't simply walked out the front door and placed in a dumpster. It needed to be brought in multiple trips down a service elevator, only during certain times, and an on-site dumpster rental was not permitted. $200 was not a sufficient payment.

Then there were labor minimums. Yes, a labor minimum was appropriate for an electrician because only minimal electrical repair needed to be done. But for general repairs, it is not the same as repairing a single family home. Labor is increased because workers need to travel up and down elevators, with debris, with new materials, with tools. Before that can even start, the building needs to approve the contractor, and conduct background checks to make sure they aren't in the building for nefarious purposes. Many contractors are turned off by these regulations. On top of that, the hours of repairs are limited and with additional labor required, the timeframe for the job takes 4-5 times as long.

Ultimately, after making these arguments, the insurance company agreed to double its initial payment in an agreement with VIP Adjusting's public adjusters, paying the insured $45,000, including a pre-payment for additional living expenses while the repairs were to take place.  

If you have suffered damage to your condo unit, VIP Adjusting would be glad to provide you with a free claim consultation. Contact VIP Adjusting today, or call now. 

You might also be interested in:

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Panama City - Hurricane Michael - $100,000 Settlement

A Panama City, Florida homeowner (N.M.) contacted VIP Adjusting after receiving an unimpressive initial payment. After suffering damage to the dwelling and other structures from a category 5 hurricane, the insurance company only paid $11,000 after withholding the deductible of $5,000 and excessive depreciation of over $6,000! That payment included a hefty amount for debris removal and downed trees on the property as well.

The insurer had essentially paid only for the replacement of the roof and nothing for the interior of the home.

VIP Adjusting documented damages to the interior and exterior of the home, with extensive photographs and videos, as well as documented damage to the owner’s personal property.

An estimate was prepared which included the roof, the exterior including the brick veneer, and interior rooms exposed to water damage. An extensive estimate was put together for a finished barn and outdoor entertaining space.

Unfortunately for the homeowner, their policy’s limits for the detached structure and outdoor entertaining space were very low (which served to absorb the deductible). After just a few months of discussion, the insurance company agreed to pay the full amount of VIP Adjusting’s estimates after the policy’s limits were applied, netting more than $100,000 for the total claim.

Lake Worth - Air Conditioner Leak - Laminate Floor Damage

A Lake Worth homeowner (W.S.) contacted VIP Adjusting after water was found to be coming back into the house from an air conditioner drain line.

Damage was relatively localized to a bedroom and the AC closet. We walked the insurance company through the cause of the water leak, presented documentation of the repair to the drain line, and presented the damages.

The insurance company accepted coverage for the loss and issued an initial payment for repair, but limited to the AC closet and bedroom. After VIP Adjusting provided photos of the damage to the laminate flooring and a discussion was had about the feasibility of repairing that type of flooring, the insurance company ultimately agreed to pay for the continuous flooring throughout the home, more than doubling the initial payment.

Port St Lucie - Hurricane Irma - Appraisal - 660% More

A Port St Lucie homeowner contacted VIP Adjusting after being dissatisfied with his initial Hurricane Irma payment.

Yes, Hurricanes typically carry a higher deductible, and this insured had nearly a $7,000 deductible, but with his initial payment of only $9,800, he could barely make a dent in his repairs.

VIP Adjusting performed a thorough inspection and put together an estimate that included over $25,000 for damage to the roof, damages to the exterior fence, and interior damages to the master bedroom and bathroom, and kitchen as a result of leaks from the damaged roof.

When the insurance company received the estimate, they requested the claim be resolved through the appraisal process. Through that process, the claim was ultimately valued at over $66,000 allowing the insured to finally complete his repairs.

Panama City - Hurricane Michael - Policy Limits

A Panama City homeowner contacted VIP Adjusting the week after hurricane Michael made landfall as a category 4 storm (later upgraded to a category 5) with substantial damage and after an initial discussion with the assigned inspector left them with an uneasy feeling.

VIP Adjusting’s representative was present for the initial inspection and the homeowner’s uneasy feeling was justified as the inspector strolled through the property declaring what areas of the home he believed contained damage that pre-dated the storm. VIP Adjusting presented the damage to the assigned adjuster, and immediately sought to discuss the claim with the assigned desk adjuster.

The initial payment was substantial, about 75% of the policy’s limits. In initial discussions with the desk adjuster, VIP Adjusting highlighted early disputes and emphasized that not only would the Coverage A - Dwelling and Coverage B - Other Structures limits be exceeded, but significant debris removal would be required, ordinance and law coverage would be triggered, the additional living expense coverage limit might be exceeded, and the insured had a significant contents claim.

It was not an easy process, but within a few months, the insurance company had agreed to a settlement that represented a figure equal to the Coverage A, B, and D policy limits and additional coverages, and also included a significant payment for the insured’s contents.

West Palm Beach - Hurricane Irma - Paid Full Estimate

A West Palm Beach homeowner (W.J.) contacted VIP Adjusting in February 2018 after receiving a payment from their insurance company that they weren’t sure would take care of all the repairs. Sometimes, a more detailed evaluation is the role VIP Adjusting is called to fulfill for our clients.

The insured had been paid roughly $10,000, which might seem low for hurricane damage, but there also was not very much apparent damage, and a relatively high deductible of $7,000. If we found the payment to be sufficient, we would have gladly told the homeowner instead of pursuing additional funds.

We initially approached evaluation of this claim from the perspective of determining whether the insurance company’s payment was acceptable. We found some underpayment in the roof repair, unaddressed damage to the brick veneer of the home, some bathroom damage and damage to the AC units.

After submitting our estimate, and realizing the requests were reasonable, the insurance company agreed to pay the full value of VIP Adjusting’s estimate, with $17,000 in new money.

Stuart - Bathroom Leak - Appraisal - 600% more!

A Stuart homeowner (W.G.) contacted VIP Adjusting after three months of pursuing a claim for a failed supply line inside the wall behind one of his bathrooms.

Upon noticing water, the homeowner called a plumber who located the source of the water, shut off the water supply, and cut through drywall to repair the plumbing.

Despite extensive damages, and other access related repairs, the insurance company only paid about $5,000. Unsatisfied, the homeowner contacted VIP Adjusting.

VIP went to the home and first documented the damages caused by the water in the bathroom, both to the walls and vanity, as well as noted the areas of drywall which had been cut, behind the toilet, vanity, and portions of the baseboards, as well as another drywall cut in the adjacent room for access. In addition VIP Adjusting noticed damage to the tile base from the repair, as well as damage to the continuous laminate flooring in the adjacent room.

It can sometimes be difficult to show damage to laminate flooring in photos, but we were able to show separation between the boards, and swelling and bubbling of the surface.

After submitting our estimate, the insurance company immediately issued a supplemental payment of over $12,000 and agreed to proceed to appraisal to resolve the remaining dispute.

The final appraised value of the claim was over $31,000, over 600% of the initial payment

Port St Lucie - Plumbing Leak - 5,300% Supplement

A Port St Lucie homeowner (D.B.) noticed a plumbing leak in his home and called a plumber to fix the leak, his insurance company, and a water mitigation company to prevent additional damage and perform drying services, all in the same day.

The homeowner was surprised when, after all his diligent work in protecting his property and complying with the policy, the insurance company issued him a payment of only $650.

He called VIP Adjusting to assist him in getting a fair payment for his damages.

Upon our arrival, we noticed and documented damage to the kitchen cabinets, two bedrooms, and his garage, in addition to damaging some of his personal property contained in the garage.

VIP Adjusting prepared and submitted its estimate and after some negotiations, and a little bit of time, we were finally able to obtain a settlement of $35,000 for the claim.

Port St Lucie - Roof Damage and Interior Leaks - Hurricane Irma - 7,300% more than initial offer!

A Port St Lucie homeowner (P.G.) was referred to VIP Adjusting by a family member several months after hurricane Irma after discovering a leak in June, 2018, and only then realizing was their roof damaged by the storm. This is a relatively common occurrence for homeowners to believe there’s no damage to the home, having survived the storm and not noticing anything, only to have a leak develop over the next few months. Most people don’t routinely get on their roof or check for damage until there’s a reason to believe there is a problem. Needless to say, this can put a homeowner at a disadvantage with the insurance company right from the start.

VIP Adjusting reported the claim, conducted an investigation, documented the damages, prepared an estimate, and presented the claim to the insurance company.

Our inspection revealed that there was evidence of storm damage to the roof, and that it took some time for the layers of the roof to become compromised.

The insurance company initially approached us with a low offer (less than $1,000), knowing it wasn’t sufficient, but after a little negotiation, an agreeable settlement was reached at $60,000, with almost $40,000 for replacement of the roof, and $20,000 for repair of the interior damages.

West Palm Beach - Mobile Home - Supplement for Policy Limits

A West Palm Beach owner of a mobile home, or manufactured home, (K.E.) contacted VIP Adjusting in February of 2018 after being paid $10,000 for damages caused by hurricane Irma in September of 2017.

VIP Adjusting went in and conducted an inspection of the damages. Mobile and manufactured homes can present unique challenges as the materials and assembly methods are different than homes built in place, and repairs can sometimes be affected depending on the types of damages.

After completing the inspection, VIP Adjusting presented an estimate and photographs that exceeded the policy’s limits and the insurance company agreed to pay the policy limit by way of a release.

Mobile homes and manufactured homes can also present unique situations upon settlement since the home has a title, like a vehicle, and is subject to various regulations with repair. A total loss (or typically any loss over 80%) requires a salvage title be issued if repairs are elected, or, the homeowner has the option to purchase a new mobil home or manufactured home.

Port St Lucie - Roof Leak - Huge Supplement!

Yesterday, we wrote about M.D.’s denied Hurricane Irma claim, but at the time we were retained, he had also been spinning his wheels on a claim for a roof leak that occurred well after Hurricane Irma. The insurance company had given him about $4,000.

With coverage having been afforded for this claim, it was the easier of the two claims, but they ended up being handled together anyway.

Based on VIP Adjusting’s estimate of the interior damages, the final payment for this claim was 25,000, over 6 times the initial payment!

Port St Lucie - Denied Hurricane Irma Claim - Roof Paid

Several months after Hurricane Irma, this Port St Lucie homeowner (M.D.) contacted us about two claims he had been attempting to handle on his own. His hurricane Irma claim had been denied, partly as being under his deductible and partly as being unrelated to Hurricane Irma.

When VIP Adjusting was retained, we conducted a thorough inspection of the damages, documented evidence of storm damage to the roof, rebutting the insurance company’s engineer report, and presented it for payment.

Unsurprisingly, the insurance company continued to refuse payment. After pursuing legal remedies through the filing of a lawsuit, the insurance company eventually agreed to pay for the entire roof.

Part 2 of M.D.’s claim to follow tomorrow.

Panama City - Hurricane Michael - Policy Limits

A Panama City homeowner (C.D.) was referred to VIP Adjusting after receiving an unsatisfactory offer on their Hurricane Michael claim.

The insurance company had initially paid about $40,000 on a policy with an $88,000 limit. Within two months of hiring VIP Adjusting, an estimate had been prepared and submitted and the insurance company agreed to pay the policy’s limits.

It’s unfortunate VIP had to get involved, and that the homeowner was likely under-insured, but the final result could not be any better.

Fort Pierce - Plumbing Leak - Kitchen and Flooring

A Fort Pierce, Florida (C.D.) was referred to VIP Adjusting after discovering water in their kitchen. A plumber repaired the leak coming from a fresh water supply line to the angle stop in the kitchen.

VIP Adjusting was brought in to assist at the outset of the claim and documented all of the water damages and moisture levels throughout the home.

The insurance company initially paid around $10,000 for repairs to the kitchen cabinetry and flooring, but after VIP Adjusting submitted its estimate of the damages, the insurance company agreed to pay more than double its initial estimate, paying over $22,000 for the damages to the kitchen and flooring.

Miami - Hurricane Michael - 1,200% More!

A Miami, Florida homeowner (B.C.) contacted VIP Adjusting in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma after being underwhelmed with the payment for her Hurricane Michael claim.

She had submitted her claim for damage to her roof, and for water damage throughout the entire home, and after nearly 3 months, the insurance company had only issued payment for about $9,000.

VIP Adjusting documented the damages to her roof and the water damages throughout her home and prepared an estimate of the damages.

After receiving the estimate, the insurance company hired a general contractor to conduct an additional inspection, and the contractor largely agreed with VIP’s estimate. A large supplemental payment was made, and a negotiation of the remaining disputes ultimately resulted in payments totaling over $123,000!

Stuart - Bathroom Leak - $23,000 Payout

A Stuart, Florida homeowner (M.C.) was referred to VIP Adjusting after having a break to the sanitary line (often referred to as a waste line) servicing his bathroom to assist him with his claim.

Typically, when there’s a plumbing leak, the actual plumbing repair itself isn’t covered, but the ensuing water damage is covered, as well as any repair that needs to be done to access the plumbing repair. With waste line leaks, the access portion is often a big portion of the claim because these pipes operate with the assistance of gravity (as opposed to pressure in the supply lines) and are located underneath the floors.

M.C.’s insurance company initially paid him only about $7,000 to conduct the repair, but after VIP Adjusting submitted its estimate of the damages, the insurance company negotiated a settlement that was $23,000 to repair the water damage to the bathroom and adjacent bedroom, as well as to trench the floor to access the failed plumbing pipe.