 Many homeowners are concerned that filing a claim will raise there insurance rates. This is definitely not the case. After all, the reason we pay homeowners insurance is to protect us against loss of our most valuable investment, our home. Therefore, the insurance company does not raise your rates for using the very service you are paying for. Raising your rates for filing a claim would be equivalent to paying your car payment, and the monthly amount going up because you drove it.
One company laughed at the thought of premiums going up because a homeowner filed a single claim. When it comes to auto insurance, filing a claim can have serious repercussions because your insurance company might jack up your premium the next time you renew. But what happens when you file that first homeowners claim? Will your premiums skyrocket or stay the same? According to insurance companies, nothing happens. One company's representative even laughed at the thought of premiums going up because a homeowner filed a single claim. Spokespersons for many of the 10 largest homeowners companies went out of their way to stress this: "A single claim, almost regardless of its size or type, won't raise premiums." And what insurance companies are saying seems to hold true in practice. Bob Hunter, the Consumer Federation of America's insurance expert, confirms, "One claim won't trigger a price increase." One state department of insurance spokesperson says, "It's almost unheard of for a single claim to raise premiums, especially if it is an act of God." Act of God refers to an event caused entirely by the forces of nature. Schedule your Property Damage Consultation!!!
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 Wow! There was over 47 inches of snow in one week here in Philly?
There are several things you should do to prevent claims on your home insurance.
It is time to shoot the ground hog! I don’t think I can handle six more weeks of a winter like this.  Ice Damming can cause roof leak damage. This occurs when the gutters to your home are clogged with debris. This debris can be leaves that were never cleaned out in the fall months, or even ice build up when temperatures fall below freezing, creating an ice dam whereby the roof snow backs up the roof and leaks in through ceilings and exterior walls.
If this occurs you need to mitigate water damage immediately, but don't go up on your roof. You should contact your Public Adjuster. Your adjuster should be able to get emergency services done without costing you anything out of pocket. You also need to understand the dangers of mold. If your home has a sloped roof, and is more than 20 years old, there is a 98 percent probability that your attic has excessive heat, leading to ice damming. Flat roofs also suffer ice damming and the weight of ice and snow damage. This can result in subsequent water damage, and may have other serious problems identified by that heat, too. Even newly constructed homes may have serious attic heat problems. Your response may be, "I don't live in a snow climate, so I don't have to be concerned about ice dams, right?" Wrong! The problem of ice damming is a much deeper issue than it may first appear, and may be indicative of construction and health related problems other than just that of a "roof" problem. Ice damming can lead to delamination of the roof sheathing, wood rot of the roof rafters, and failure of the insulation - leading to higher fuel bills, the development of mold growth, and health problems disguised as asthma, allergies, colds and sinus conditions. Most people attribute the problem of ice damming to the "roofer," saying the roofer caused it. But this may not be the case. Although in some cases, the accuser would be right, in most cases, the roofer is not to blame for ice damming and related problems. He may have done everything correctly when installing a roof, and still there may be ice damming and water leakage - not from unsatisfactory roofer workmanship, but rather as a result of one of several subtle sources of heat, created by:
Winter is here and in full force. Correcting the above problems is easy during warm weather, but almost impossible to correct in cold weather, so act now, call your public adjuster and they will take of the damages for you. One of the most common types of mold that thrives in a moist attic environment is black mold. Black mold spreads by spores, and there is growing evidence of serious health hazards associated with breathing in the black mold spores. If your home has experienced any of the above scenarios, schedule your policy review and home inspection today.  During the Blizzard of 1996, which dropped up to 36 inches of snow, a Doctor's 15,000 square foot house ends up with a total of almost five feet of snow on it's roof. Strong winds during the storm caused the large amount of snow to accumulate on the roof. Metro is hired to handle the claim. The Independent Insurance Adjuster hired by the Insurance Company meets with Dan Young, the Metro Adjuster, to inspect the loss. Shortly there after, an estimate is received from the insurance company for $30,000. Once Dan was able to pick himself off the floor from laughing so much, he began the negotiation process.
A new adjuster was assigned to the claim by the Independent Insurance Adjuster Company. The insurance adjuster brought his contractor out to inspect the loss with our Adjuster. Shortly there after, an estimate is received from the insurance company in the amount of $60,000. Amazingly, the loss was worth 100% more than the first adjuster had determined. Once Dan was able to pick himself off the floor from laughing so much, the negotiation process continued. A third Adjuster was assigned to the claim by the Independent Insurance Adjuster Company. Within two weeks, the Independent Insurance Adjuster Company quits, refusing to handle the claim. The Insurance Company sends one of their in house adjusters to inspect the loss. After a few inspections with Metro's Structural and Architectural Engineers, as well as Metro's Adjuster, the insurance company adjuster is ready to make an offer. The settlement offer received by the insurance company was almost $226,000.00 Once Dan stopped jumping up and down off the floor, the claim was settled. Just imagine how much the claim would have settled for if the Doctor had not hired Metro. By the way, during the policy review, it was noticed that the Doctor had a shore home also. After an inspection of the shore home, another claim was written. The total settlement for this property was just over $25,000. |
Kharee ShorterI am a License and Bonded Public Adjuster in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. My mission is to walk you down the path to the American Dream of homeownership and much more... Archives
June 2011
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