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Long story short, we had a frozen pipe issue in a 2nd floor bathroom over the weekend. Flooded the bathroom, ruined the brand new vanity, ran in to the hall (carpeted) and in to two bedrooms. Leaked all the way down to the basement - damage also in first floor hall and garage. Lots of walls and ceilings & insulation ripped out.
Insurance sent an environmental crew out the same day (Saturday) to cut out all the wet sheet rock, remove carpet padding, pull carpet back to dry and they left fans and dehumidifiers on all 3 floors of the house and in the garage.
The insurance adjuster came out today. First of all, with his personality, he should be sitting at a desk in a small closet in a basement somewhere playing with a stapler.
I followed him around and kept asking him "Well, what about this?" All I got back was, "Eh, YOU can figure that out with a little caulk and some paint" or, "I've seen worse".
Our back hallway is connected to the kitchen and the kitchen is connected to the foyer (open floor plan). He's only willing to paint the walls & ceiling where the sheet rock was ruined, not carry the paint job in to the kitchen or anywhere else. The paint job is 5 years old. I've done enough painting to know that it's not going to match up. So when I told him this he told me, "no one will notice".
One of the bedrooms that had soaking wet carpet is the bedroom of my middle child who has reactive airway disease. Carpet wasn't pulled back, padding wasn't taken out and fans/dehumidifier weren't put in to place in this room until Monday. I'm concerned because we just got my child off of his meds/inhaler, after being on them for 7 years.
He told me, after I expressed my concerns, that "99.99% of the time, reactions to mold are all in people's heads anyway".
I almost punched him.
It is supposed to be this difficult?
I'm not asking for my entire house to be replaced, I just don't think that where damage occurred due to the water issue that I should have to settle for "a little caulk and paint" to hide the separation of molding of all types (baseboard, crown, door). I don't think I should have to wait and see if any mold grew in the carpet in my upstairs hall/bedrooms after 48 hours and to the potential detriment of my child's health. I think it should be put back to the way it was before the water damage.
I've never had to deal with an issue like this before. Am I expecting too much?
Please let us know the amount that your insurance is willing to pay out later on.
BTW, you might as well pull back that carpet in the bedroom for the kid. If the carpet pad is soaking wet or if it's kind of old anyway, then discard the whole thing.... not worth having to deal with mold later. If the carpet pad isn't that wet, then the heat (+ a fan) can probably dry it out.
Until you get his report you don't know what they will pay for. You can also appeal the decision of the adjustor and have another one come out. They are well within their rights not to paint your kitchen if there was no damage there though. If the paint job is 5 years old the you would get the equivilant of a 5 year old paint job to replace it..which is nothing really. Your child's medical condition really isn't the fault of the insurance company and really has no relevance to your claims.. The idea is to put you back where you were before the loss, not to improve your situation.
Until you get his report you don't know what they will pay for. You can also appeal the decision of the adjustor and have another one come out. They are well within their rights not to paint your kitchen if there was no damage there though. If the paint job is 5 years old the you would get the equivilant of a 5 year old paint job to replace it..which is nothing really. Your child's medical condition really isn't the fault of the insurance company and really has no relevance to your claims.. The idea is to put you back where you were before the loss, not to improve your situation.
Actually, the insurance company is supposed to set the damaged areas to similar conditions as before the damage occurred. For example, If I have a house fire and the carpet and padding have to be replaced, a sample of the carped and padding is sent to an independent lab for analysis. The results of the test is used to decide what type of carpet and padding the old ones were, and a similar quality but new carpet and padding are used to replace the old ones.
Another example: if the fire damages a mattress, in the claim paperwork I enter how much i paid for it and the date of purchase, but in the next block the replacement cost is entered. So what i do is to go to a local store and look for the same mattress, and the price. This is the number that goes in the replacement cost. It means that a lot of the items lost to the fire today, cost more than what i would have paid two or more years ago. What I paid years ago is not what matters, but the replacement cost.
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That said, I didn't know these things before I had a house fire. I learned about it much later. I also learned that one should take photos or video every single item you have in your house, including the stuff in the china cabinet, drawers...everything in the house. Take these videos or photos and store them at another location other than your house. This way you can see all the stuff you owned before the fire, and claim them accordingly.
It "sounds" like you're over-reacting to a stressful situation. It's a normal "reaction".
I take it the adjuster was doing his preliminary walk-thru and notes(?) all of that information will be used in a software program called Xactimate. Pretty much every insurance company uses this to calculate the cost of repairs. And yes, sometimes there are circumstances where things are no longer available for replacement, or colors don't/can't match exactly; those are areas that are worked out between you, the adjuster, and the contractor doing the repairs.
The lab that ray was referring to is called- ITEL. I have used ITEL on several occasions and have experience with using and dealing with Xactimate. The only thing I can say about Xactimate- it's only as good/or bad as the person who inputs the data!
Until you get his report you don't know what they will pay for. You can also appeal the decision of the adjustor and have another one come out. They are well within their rights not to paint your kitchen if there was no damage there though. If the paint job is 5 years old the you would get the equivilant of a 5 year old paint job to replace it..which is nothing really. Your child's medical condition really isn't the fault of the insurance company and really has no relevance to your claims.. The idea is to put you back where you were befor the loss, not to improve your situation.
Really? So if your house burns down, and because it's 200 years old, you get a house rebuilt based on 200 year old standards of cost and what you should expect in a 200 year old house?
I wasn't and am not asking for improvements.
Who said my child's medical issue is the fault of the insurance company? Not me.
My child's medical issues absolutely have relevance to my claim because BEFORE the incident, I KNEW there was no mold in the carpet. The carpet wasn't tended to until 48 hours after the incident and 48 hours after THAT, it's still not dry.
And since the idea is to put me back to where I was before the issue? That would be consistent with carpet that was never soaked with water and never had the potential to grow mold (might already be doing so), paint that was all the same color throughout the first floor, baseboards/crown & door moldings that were not detached (where a little caulk and paint could fix the gaps caused by the water damage).
It "sounds" like you're over-reacting to a stressful situation. It's a normal "reaction".
Honestly, I had no stress until the adjuster showed up today. This entire situation was not a big deal to me. The damage didn't take out my kitchen or family room. No furniture, appliances, electronics, games, toys, hardwoods (my entire 1st floor is made up of hardwoods) , no baby pictures, no memories were damaged or lost.
I have no emotional attachment to sheet rock, paint, molding, carpet, a vanity, etc.
I've bought fixer-uppers and lived in them. I've flipped properties for a profit and I'm also a LL who just had a pipe freeze and split in one of my properties (in the basement, so minimal damage from the basement and up in to the unit, for a total of $600).
I get it. I've lived in personal residences where construction was a daily issue for months. I can tell you about the garbage-holes I've put in to compliance and sold, so trust me, I KNOW when to be stressed because I've done it over and over again. I've also seen what mold can do - including the mold you can't see, and especially to anything porous that has been compromised by sitting water.
I have a finished basement (not a great job) with soaking wet carpet along with walls/doors and ceilings torn out. I couldn't care less. It's the basement. My child isn't sleeping there. I don't want the carpet to be dried out - let it go, rip it up & take it away - the paid for by insurance "environmental" crew said "Lo siento" - gotta do what they gotta do. We were less than two weeks away from having the basement remodeled (with plans/permits and contractor in play) anyway. I think my being honest with the adjuster about that made him side-eye me about everything else.
Quote:
I take it the adjuster was doing his preliminary walk-thru and notes(?) all of that information will be used in a software program called Xactimate. Pretty much every insurance company uses this to calculate the cost of repairs. And yes, sometimes there are circumstances where things are no longer available for replacement, or colors don't/can't match exactly; those are areas that are worked out between you, the adjuster, and the contractor doing the repairs.
I guess he was. Does the middle earth dweller have to come back? I'll make sure to not be here when he does. My husband can deal with him. And let me tell you something, had the adjuster NOT been such an ass, I wouldn't have returned his serve.
Thank you for your input, I do appreciate it.
Last edited by Informed Info; 01-29-2014 at 11:11 PM..
We had some storm damage a few years ago and the adjuster was out immediately. He did a preliminary calculation and cut us a check right then to get the repairs started. He also said that if we discovered any hidden damage that he may have overlooked or that the repair costs were higher than he estimated then he would send a check to cover the difference.
After the work was done and we totaled up the repair costs there was about a $2500.00 difference. The insurance company requested a copy of the bills and then sent us a check about 14 days later for the extra costs. It pays to have a good insurance company.
Ours is AAARP/Harford in case you wanted to know.
PS: We did not follow him around with our nose in his business. I think they appreciate that.
Actually, the insurance company is supposed to set the damaged areas to similar conditions as before the damage occurred. For example, If I have a house fire and the carpet and padding have to be replaced, a sample of the carped and padding is sent to an independent lab for analysis. The results of the test is used to decide what type of carpet and padding the old ones were, and a similar quality but new carpet and padding are used to replace the old ones.
Another example: if the fire damages a mattress, in the claim paperwork I enter how much i paid for it and the date of purchase, but in the next block the replacement cost is entered. So what i do is to go to a local store and look for the same mattress, and the price. This is the number that goes in the replacement cost. It means that a lot of the items lost to the fire today, cost more than what i would have paid two or more years ago. What I paid years ago is not what matters, but the replacement cost.
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That said, I didn't know these things before I had a house fire. I learned about it much later. I also learned that one should take photos or video every single item you have in your house, including the stuff in the china cabinet, drawers...everything in the house. Take these videos or photos and store them at another location other than your house. This way you can see all the stuff you owned before the fire, and claim them accordingly.
Replacing a mattress and painting walls that were not damaged are 2 different things. Yes, replacement of a damaged mattress will be at replacement cost because obviously you don't have that item any more but wanting walls that were not damaged to be repainted isn't replacing anything so why should they pay to have them painted??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sawdustmaker
Really? So if your house burns down, and because it's 200 years old, you get a house rebuilt based on 200 year old standards of cost and what you should expect in a 200 year old house?
I wasn't and am not asking for improvements.
Who said my child's medical issue is the fault of the insurance company? Not me.
My child's medical issues absolutely have relevance to my claim because BEFORE the incident, I KNEW there was no mold in the carpet. The carpet wasn't tended to until 48 hours after the incident and 48 hours after THAT, it's still not dry.
And since the idea is to put me back to where I was before the issue? That would be consistent with carpet that was never soaked with water and never had the potential to grow mold (might already be doing so), paint that was all the same color throughout the first floor, baseboards/crown & door moldings that were not detached (where a little caulk and paint could fix the gaps caused by the water damage).
You are asking for improvements to areas that were not damaged. If you have a 200 year old house I hope you have an endorsement to replace it to 200 year old standards--meaning 200 year old wood floors, woodwork, etc.
You don't know that your carpet has mold or if it will mold. If you have taken the proper steps to prevent that--fans, pulling up the carpet, etc. and it does mold, they will replace that. I'm lost why the company didn't do that in the first place and why you didn't ask the environmental company about that when they were there if they had pulled back the carpeting in all the other rooms??
Again, you don't have the report yet, you don't know what they are going to replace and what they are not yet. Until you do, it's not worth stressing over and like I said, if this one claims adjuster is off base, they will send out another adjuster at your request.
Another example: if the fire damages a mattress, in the claim paperwork I enter how much i paid for it and the date of purchase, but in the next block the replacement cost is entered. So what i do is to go to a local store and look for the same mattress, and the price. This is the number that goes in the replacement cost. It means that a lot of the items lost to the fire today, cost more than what i would have paid two or more years ago. What I paid years ago is not what matters, but the replacement cost.
That entirely depends on your insurance policy, it can be cash value or replacement costs. If you don't know what you have you better check it. I've been through a house fire and if you don't have replacement cost insurance you're going to be in for a rude awakening if you have a fire or other catastrophic loss.
I've heard a lot of horror stories but in our case the insurance company was outstanding, we had Erie. They totaled the entire house and the contents, the first thing they did was send an inventory specialist. She and her assistant counted everything in the house they could and when I say everything I mean everything, she went through a desk and even counted how many boxes of rubber bands there were. In the rooms that were destroyed we had to make up a list of items. After she was done they sent us an inventory sheet that was like 300 pages single spaced small type, there was two values listed for each item. One was for the replacement cost or what it would cost to buy a new or similar item and the other was for the cash value. The cash value was typically 20 to 30%....
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