Water loss claim denials happen a lot more frequently than when I started in the business over 30 years ago. There are many reasons for this, including companies changing their policies so that while they advertise the illusion of policyholders having the peace of mind, that is far from the reality of what is sold. I noted this frustration felt by many policyholders—and not just State Farm’s—in, Is the State Farm Policy Really Worth Anything…

One question I get asked by clients after a storm has damaged their home is: “Can I start making repairs?” This can be a difficult question as the real-world factors of cost, time, availability of materials, and labor are important considerations. It is also important to understand how repairs can affect your insurance claim as most residential insurance policies I deal with include what appear to be contradicting duties to mitigate and the duty to…

It is time to register for the 21st Annual Windstorm Insurance Network Conference. If you are reading this blog post, consider yourself personally invited. I welcome you to register and attend this conference, as the planning has been near and dear to me for several months. Under President Rick Tutwiler, I was selected as the conference committee co-chair. Along with defense attorney Illon Kantro, my dedicated partner in this mission, we have enabled a…

The National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters is hosting a premier insurance policy interpretation expert, Bill Wilson, at its December meeting in Orlando on Friday, December 13. Bill Wilson will provide the keynote speech about “Policy Language Interpretation.” This is a cannot miss opportunity to learn from a person that is truly an expert about how to find coverage in a policy and then discuss it in a manner that insurance company adjusters will…

When an insured disputes coverage or the amount of loss under an insurance policy, it frequently finds it necessary to hire a claims professional – a licensed public adjuster or other claim consultant, or an attorney for assistance.…

The Tampa Bay Times published an article yesterday which should be of concern to all policyholders. Florida’s elected official who then overseas the Department of Financial Services is calling for a 30-day time period for policyholders to cancel public adjusting contracts.…

Public adjusters sometimes find themselves in disputes with their own clients. Public adjusters should be paid fees for services they perform as promised in their contracts. Failing to provide those services or performing services which harm rather than help the policyholder will invariably cause the policyholder client to rightfully challenge those fees.…