Home flooded- private insurance adjuster??

6 years ago

A toilet in our upstairs bathroom plugged and ran for approx. 2 hours before us waking up to a torrential down pour. Insurance sent out a restoration company which then proceeded to demo the entire bathroom, the ceiling, took out approx. 100sq ft of nail down hardwood floors as well as some carpet.

This is not our first rodeo, 9 years ago our hot water tanks flooded our house in the middle of the night. However, our insurance experience 9 years ago is vastly different than it is unfolding with this flood. 9 years ago insurance sent out an adjuster who used a software program inputing everything that was damaged and needed to be replaced, it was very thorough and specific. Fast forward to now, our insurance has given us the names of 3 contractors that we are approved to use. We can have them out and they will assess the damage and perform the work OR we can use a general contractor of our choosing.

This seems like a conflict of interest, the first company that came out that I ended up sending away was trying to tell me they could match my hardwoods without sanding and staining the existing hardwoods, that is impossible. They proceeded to tell me they could match the continuas piece of carpet and would not have to replace all of it, they carpet is 8 years old how on earth are they going to find the same carpet??

My question is, is it beneficial to hire an independent adjuster? We called one and they quoted us a fee of 10% of the damage. We have called our insurance company asking for an independent adjuster not affiliated with a construction company and they said they don't do that. We had a general contractor out but he was just assuming that insurance would not pay for some things so he wouldn't submit it. Seems like we should submit high and see what they come back with. Do we try to find a general contractor on our own who is familiar with insurance claims but does not "work" for USAA? I feel like we are going to get screwed. I have included some pictures for reference.

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mdln

6 years ago

Cute doggy!

10% for an independent adjuster sounds like a great deal. I regret not hiring one to help deal with my insurance company.

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Comments (6)

cat_ky
6 years ago
Personally, I would never use a contractor recommended by the insurance company. Find a contractor, that you know is good, and is honest. Maybe even 2 of them. Have them write up an estimate for all repairs. You may have to pay a fee these days, to get those estimates done. Its worth it, in the long run. Once you get those two estimates, bring them to your insurance agency. Hopefully, both will be close to the same amounts. You may be required to use the adjuster that the insurance company sends out, but, he/she doesnt have any idea of the costs, they just note all the damage.
DavidR
6 years ago
I hate to be discouraging, and others may have different experiences, but with the admittedly few insurance claims I've had in ~40 years of owning homes, I've never had repairs that actually restored the building or car to its original appearance and condition. ESPECIALLY car insurance.

I suspect that you're only likely to get a true restoration with a very expensive policy, and I can't afford insurance like that.

For me, insurance is protection from financial ruin. That's all I ask and expect of it. Your mileage may vary.
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tania71
Original Author
6 years ago
cat_ky that is the thing the insurance company won't send out an adjuster. We had a great experience with our other flood, very straight forward had everything covered.

This is totally different, not sure how to find a contractor that may be helpful in getting what we deserve in terms of the claim and coverage. I feel like it is a complete conflict of interest to have the contractor be the insurance adjuster.
Denita
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Absolutely find a public adjuster to represent you. Don't try to work with the insurance co adjuster to get his estimate inline with the costs you receive; and, for sure don't use an insurance co contractor to do the work. You're right, insurance co's have changed over the years and what you used to get, peace of mind, by having insurance is now a whole new set of rules designed to find ways to either not pay the claim at all or to pay substantially less than what the actual damages cost to repair, especially when it comes to water damage.

IMO the best public adjuster you can get is one that used to work for the insurance industry and now works for the consumer. Talk with friends and family and get a referral to a public adjuster in your area. Good luck.
kathyg_in_mi
6 years ago
Many years ago we had a fire. If had to do over again, would hire someone to fight for me.