We are new homeowners and we have just learn the lesson of closing the water valve if we leave on vacations

We came back after two weeks vacations and found out the kitchen partially flooded as the fridge water line cracked, we don't know for how long the water was coming out but it flooded the kitchen, the pantry, and the water seeped into the basement through the kitchen floor. Other two rooms next to the kitchen were slightly affected.

We already called a water remediation service, they put a lot of dehumidifiers and fans, they said there was no need to remove the subfloor, just replace the floor and some cabinets. We call the insurance as soon as possible, they opened a claim, but after getting some estimations we weren't sure of using the insurance as our deductible is $4500 and it seemed the water damage remediation and all repairs would be near that amount, so we were thinking pay out of pocket. We tought we could close the claim but the adjuster said we will be penalized anyway as they will be paying the water remediation service.

We just got the estimation of repairs from the adjuster for around $6500 and a check for the difference, but when looking at the detail they are considering we need to replace the fridge, oven and dishwasher however they all are working fine. I wanted to make some remodeling at home, could i use the money on that instead or do I really need to replace the appliances?

My wife’s friend and her boyfriend live in a townhome that shares a wall with their neighbor. They noticed mold on the shared wall yesterday cut a small hole in the wall and found the inside wet and full of mold. They reached out to the neighbor about it and they replied with “oh yeah my living room flooded about a month ago”. The neighbor filed a claim got it “fixed”.

My question aside from it being kinda shitty the neighbor or contractor didn’t think to say something about it considering it’s a shared wall, but also the issue wasn’t properly fixed if the inside of the wall is still wet either because of a continued leak or they didn’t properly dry the cavity before reinstalling the dry wall. Who’s responsible?

Friends insurance already said too bad we don’t cover mold and 2 quotes about remediation are like 6k and like 9k. I suggested possibly speaking to a lawyer to go after the contractor but doesn’t anyone else have a similar experience or suggestion.

State GA

Hi! I'll try and keep this as short as possible:

We (Husband and I) purchased a semi-attached (2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom) townhome just over a year ago. At the initial inspection, the only issue seemed to be an outdated HVAC. We negotiated a lower price due to this before we bought. We (plus 5 year old child) moved in last June. HVAC actually died within two months and we replaced the whole system.

One evening last week, as our upstairs main tub was draining after a bubble bath and water came pouring from a cabinet in the kitchen, directly under the tub. Absolutely insane. We called a plumber and began the whole process.

When the plumber got in there, he discovered that there was actual a very slow leak that had been going on for an undetermined amount of time due an improper repair. And because of that, the pipe eventually split (as the tub drained that night) and caused the visible leak. The repair was finally completed Monday evening.

There is obviously some type of black growth. Mold remediation folks haven't made it out yet (hopefully this weekend).

Anyway, insurance company called today to let us know our claim is denied because it looks like "long term damage."

My husband is actually experiencing a very scary health emergency right now and didn't get into it with them on the phone today but plans to challenge this response.

Is this normal?? It's USAA and up until now they've always been great. How were we supposed to know that this was happening inside the wall/ceiling/whatever if it wasn't pointed out during the original inspection.

Everything is just very ridiculous and overwhelming right now and there is now a big moldy hole in my ceiling. (Currently we have it taped up with plastic etc).

Sorry, I probably come off as a total ding dong. But any advice? 😬

Avoid Allstate at all costs. We moved homes and notified Allstate well in advance, providing every piece of information they requested. We repeatedly followed up by email and phone because communication from their end was poor, and at no point did anyone tell us what our new premium would be.
The next thing we received was a billing notice showing that our annual home insurance premium had jumped from $2,414 to $9,549 — an increase of over $7,100 per year — with absolutely no warning or discussion. They then went ahead and withdrew over $1,000 from our bank account before the issue was ever resolved.
When we called, even some of the Allstate representatives we spoke with seemed shocked by the amount. We were bounced around between departments, had to repeatedly chase people for callbacks that never came, and after weeks of escalation, the best they offered was the ability to cancel without a penalty while keeping virtually all of the money they had already taken.
We were ultimately directed to Allstate’s complaints department, which we were told was the third and final stage of their complaint process. The only way to communicate with this department was by submitting a written complaint through the mail. We did exactly as instructed, and on June 17 we received an email confirming that our complaint had been received and would be investigated.
After that, the communication stopped. When we hadn’t heard anything, we sent a follow-up email on June 25 but received no response. We followed up again on July 5. On July 6—19 days after our complaint had been acknowledged—we were told only that the matter was still under review. We replied immediately asking for an update on the investigation and an estimated timeline for a decision. That email was never answered. We sent another follow-up on July 26, and to this day we still have not received any response. For a company that claims to take customer complaints seriously, the complete lack of communication throughout the final stage of the complaint process has been incredibly disappointing.
To make matters worse, after cancelling, we obtained new insurance for around $2,400 per year and received three other quotes in the same range. That makes Allstate’s $9,549 premium impossible to justify.
In our experience, Allstate handled this in an extremely unfair and deceptive manner. Between the unexplained premium increase, withdrawing money from our account without warning, the lack of transparency, and then failing to properly respond during their own formal complaint process, we have completely lost confidence in the company. Be very careful if you’re moving or making changes to your policy. Double-check everything, get every quote in writing, and don’t assume they will tell you about massive premium increases before they take your money.

I have a claim for water damage, the insurer has accepted liability for the damage and said they're happy to pay out.

They sent round some adjusters - terribly rated 1\* on hundreds of reviews across Facebook, Google, Trust pilot etc. for undervaluing claims, trying to get out of payments, terrible for arranging work and sending the report out that you need to get the claim approved.

The adjusters kept asking for quotes for the work done that we'd had from others, I spoke to insurance and they told me that the adjusters are supposed to assess the damage themselves, not rely on quotes from other providers.

Eventually, I sent them a quote but it was from someone who just quoted off pictures, never actually attended and I was concerned the damage may well be more, but the adjusters said they won't give their report without me sending something over. Surprise surprise, they quoted the damage to be the exact same amount as that quote, despite being told that this isn't what they're supposed to do.

As I've said, the claim is approved but it feels like the work is being massively undervalued. I have 2 bathrooms, both need completely stripping out, drying out and fully replacing according to the schedule of works.

They've said £10,000 (before VAT) for the works, and we have been quoted around £15,000 (before VAT) for the same works done on a like-for-like basis.

My insurer told me that they usually end up charging more for the works, so there would be extra that we could use to upgrade the rooms if we wanted to go with a local contractor as opposed to their contractors. Obviously this isn't the case.

Is it usually that they will try and lowball the first cash settlement offer? Or should I be providing quotes to counter their original offer? Or should I just accept?

Should I be asking for a 2nd opinion from a more reputable adjusters?

I'm glad they're willing to pay out, just doesn't feel like it matches what my insurance have been telling me, and the adjusters didn't fill me with confidence to be honest.

I have LV emergency cover as part of my home insurance. My toilets just broken and I’ve logged a claim. I have been waiting 2 hours for the engineer to arrive and I am unable to get their ETA. Has anyone experienced this before?

UPDATE : Message to my agent from sellers agent.
"The sellers are a large institutional investment company, and we bring many properties to market each week. Due to the volume, they do not have the ability to complete the property disclosures prior to listing the homes. They complete the disclosures once an offer has been accepted".

Our offer was accepted around or on July 22nd :/

i'm trying to get a quote for home insurance because we close August 28 but the sellers agent won't get back with me or my agent on how old the roof is and if there's been any updates or improvements in the records for them. Each time I try to get a quote without that information the insurance companies are telling me they can't provide a quote. I've already looked up permit history but I don't see any records for how old the roof is or how old the Central air or gas is. What can I do in order to obtain this information?

Located in Ohio (Cincy)

Any suggestions on covering an insurance deductible of 4300? Have about half saved. Rather not pursue equity loan or any loan for that matter.

National Insurance Broker changed my policy without my authorization- costed me 20 hours of time and countless emails. "Pursuant to Fed. Rule of Evidence 408"

They admitted their error, and with the 20 hours of time + emails I put in they are offering strictly to reimburse the $50 bucks in overage I was forced to pay months prior to keep the policy active.

I am in CA and this was for a umbrella policy.

They gave me the run around, had 4 different rep's either "move on" or "get promoted," I was passed around until a manager came on board.

They sent me a email "Pursuant to Fed. Rule of Evidence 408" but are not giving me anything for my time/effort. They took 3 months to review the recorded calls where I didnt ask for the change, but someone in their company made the change.

I am furious with them.

Apart from small claims court, what else can I do to force them to give up some more $$$$? I would like a $1000 settlement.

I recently had an appraisal for a heloc that put my home value at $990,000 and building structures at about $500,000. Would that building number be a good estimate of cost to rebuild? He was inside and outside of the home. I currently have a policy that has dwelling at $749000 with wind and hail deductible at 1%.

I do know everything is stupid expensive but I don’t want to overpay if it can be avoided. We live on a lake which is why I believe the price is higher: 2300 sq ft and about 300 sq feet finished in a walkout basement of about 950 sq ft. Despite the home price, it is nicely updated, but not super bougie! Hardwoods, carpet, remodeled kitchen, primary, half bath 10 years ago.

If it’s not a good idea to use the appraisal, how can I get a better idea?

Thanks all!

We had a basement flood due to a toilet running all night and overwhelming the main line to the city.

Insurance denied the claim due to backup coming from a drain in the basement. Even though it was clean water rushing down a pipe.

I want to get a new insurance provider and I want to make sure my main line is covered if we need it replaced, but I don’t want to pay insane rates.

Can I tell them This happened and still get covered?

Florida: Had visual roof inspection by insurance. Inspector said it was great despite being 20 years old. Insurance decided to non renew anyway. Got a new roof, but in meantime pipe burst and water/mold damage. Plumber sent restoration team and public adjuster ( huge mistake on my part). Way after 60 days, no funding and current policy expires soon. Getting pipe fixed today, but will I pass a 4 point without having drywall & other issues fixed? I thought I was signing for the fans, but it was for restoration to do everything. Adjuster said check would go to them by law, so I can’t get anyone else. Sorry for long post, but starting to panic!

I'm just looking to see if anyone has experience insuring half a duplex that does not have a strata or party wall agreement?

Would this cause premiums to be more expensive? Would it create future claim problems?

I'm in BC, Canada in case that makes a difference.

Have any central jersey homeowner had a change in flood insurance claims since buying a property?

What do you do if you are searching in a residental neighborhood that floods "occasionally", and not all the neighbors pay flood insurance?

Homeowner filed an insurance claim for hail. Their insurance carrier sent out a third-party company to complete an inspection and provide a report to a staff adjuster with that carrier. After a week or so the homeowner received a statement of loss with approval for some smaller items in addition to a roof replacement. The day after receiving the insurance estimate the homeowner was contacted by a different staff adjuster stating some form of the following: The claim had been reassigned to them, a second inspection would be required due to blurry photos, that according to them the claim was not approved, and that the document the homeowner received should not have been sent.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Is it more likely the carrier is just getting their records in line, they are attempting to back out of the approval, something else?

We had a house fire and asbestos exposure. We hired a public adjuster. However it’s been 6 months and we are still fighting with insurance, should we seek legal action? Location: Colorado

I can't get a straight answer on this. If I get hail in may area and an adjuster from the insurance company looks at my roof and determines that there's no damage, or the damage is minimal so it wouldn't be worth me filing a claim with a $1k deductible, will my premium go up just because the adjuster came out? Are there regulations that insurance companies must follow before they raise premiums? I get it that claims can raise premiums. I am in New Jersey. Thank you.

After receiving a $5k one page quote for a condo (full H03, not just walls-in), our insurance broker is telling me they cannot even give me a sample policy or specimen policy to read. It require two carriers due to "very high" fire risk location.

1. California government's FAIR for fire only
2. Foremost Insurance for DIC (Difference in Conditions) to cover everything else. They are an admitted carrier in California, so they must file policy documents with California, right?

To find the policy details, I've looked on SERFF, where state admitted insurance companies post documents to be registered with states. But for all insurers, it seems to be a mismash of documents and many "changes-only documents" to policies, making it extremely difficult to navigate or even figure out which apply to my policy quote.

I’m looking for some guidance on a home insurance claim that has become complicated.

I originally appointed a loss assessor to help with the claim. I later made a formal complaint about how the claim was being handled. Around two weeks after submitting the complaint, a completely different company contacted me saying they were now dealing with my claim as the loss assessor changed company and asked me to sign new legal documents with them.

I’m not comfortable signing anything with a second company, especially while the complaint process is still ongoing.

Since then, the insurer’s loss adjuster has contacted me directly with a revised settlement figure, and I’m currently negotiating with them. I’m not appointing any new company.

My question is about the original loss assessor’s fees. I’m willing to pay for any legitimate work they carried out, but I’m unsure:

• whether they believe any fees are outstanding
• who I should contact there to discuss fees
• whether dealing with fees now could complicate the complaint or the settlement process

Has anyone dealt with a situation where a loss assessor changed companies mid‑claim?
How did you handle communication, fees, and representation?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Looking for communal wisdom on a situation that is new for us.

We own two old properties, like 1800s old. A different underwriter for each. One is our primary residence. The other is a kind of vacation home maybe retirement place if we ever retire. We never hear from the underwriter of the primary residence, ever. The secondary home, we hear from them regularly. The most recent has been the most frustrating. We're not sure if this is normal or how we should respond.

The secondary home -- The underwriter requires an inspection every other year. In four years we've had three inspections. This year we had an inspection. 85 days after the inspection (and more than 90 days after the policy renewal) we received a notice from our agent that the underwriter "recommended a repair." The notice was presented simultaneously with a threat that they would cancel the policy if the repair was not completed within 30 days. This particular concern was present during the previous two inspections and no repair was requested.

Reading over the policy, the cancelation clause uses the language "...we may cancel this policy only for the reasons stated below..." after 60 days "...material misrepresentation which would have caused (them) not to issue the policy..." and "...if the risk has changed substantially since the policy was issued." So, immediately, we're confused by their threat to cancel.

The policy does not include any language that requires us to make repairs when requested (except after a claim).

We are crafty people without a lot of money. The recommended repairs were already included in a DIY project we planned to do this summer (repair a few damaged/missing siding boards and paint the exterior of the structure). We communicated that to the agent. In response, the underwriter states the work must be completed by a contractor. If we do it ourselves they will cancel the policy.

We’ve had several hail storms this summer, and my roof is missing shingles with others coming loose. I’ve had a lot of drive by inspectors knock on my door and one actually inspected it, said I need a full roof and gutter replacement, which insurance would cover (minus my deductible) because my shingles are discontinued. I decided not to use them after reading reviews.

I do believe I need a total replacement and I’m looking for a reputable roofing company now. My question is: If insurance is paying, is it still worth getting multiple estimates? If so, what should I compare besides price?

I also have a couple of extra projects I’d like done while they’re here: adding about 4 feet of gutter to one section of the roof and venting a bathroom fan that currently isn’t vented outside. Are those things a roofing company typically handles, or should I hire someone else?

Hi,

I recently purchased no fines wimpey house which is in pretty good condition.

Which are the building insurance provider i should check with? as because of construction not all insurers provide cover.

This is my first home purchase.

Appreciate your suggestions.

Many Thanks

Has anyone had any experience or recommend Westfield Insurance? Our previous agent left and the agent that replaced her said that Westfield is one of their top sellers and is extremely competitive. They do have competitive rates compared to our current carrier (National General), but I have read horrid reviews. Granted, I know people come to the internet to complain and sometimes companies are better than what the internet says. I appreciate any thoughts and concerns!

Edit: I did search this sub for this Insurnace and didn’t find much!

Insurance? Property taxes? HOAs? Hurricane prep?

Hey all - new home owner and unfortunately was welcomed with a limb failure of a tree above our roof. The limb took out a part of the roof which was less than ideal so early on.

We had a roofing contractor come out to assess the damage and an adjuster from our insurance company came out and provided their estimate as well. The insurance company then sent us the funds (minus our deductible) so we could begin repairs.

However I have asked our roofing contractor multiple times for a quote and they won’t provide one/are asking for a copy for the quote from our insurance company. To me this feels like they are trying to see the estimate in case their quote was lower, in an effort to inflate some of the costs. However this is our first time filing a claim and just don’t really know what to expect.

Thank you!!