Homeowners claim for water damage denied Insurance |
- Homeowners claim for water damage denied
- Reputable travel insurance??
- water heater burst...
- Vehicle about to be declared a total loss - gap coverage exists - do I need to get my own repair estimates
| Homeowners claim for water damage denied Posted: 17 Dec 2021 08:05 PM PST This past Sunday (Dec 12) my kids were playing in the playroom and told us they "felt a drip". We looked up and one of the light fixtures in the room was literally full of water. I pulled the fixture down and felt around the surrounding drywall and sure enough my hand went right through. Insulation was soaked, joists and subfloor soaked and moldy. Given that the master bathroom shower is directly above, we were pretty sure what the culprit was. I filled a claim with my insurance that same day and contacted a water cleanup/restoration company, who sent out a tech to inspect the situation the following day (Monday Dec 13). Moisture readings taken by the tech confirmed the water damage had spread beyond just the footprint of the shower. At this time they suspected that grout/caulk degrading on a knee-high shelf in the shower was the cause of the leak. Yesterday (Thursday Dec 16) the insurance claims adjuster came. He said maybe a total of 10 words to us, didn't seem at all interested in the suspected cause of the leak, took some pictures, and left. This morning (Friday Dec 17) I got a call from our claims adjuster that they were denying the claim due to a "seepage exception clause" in our homeowners policy. The clause specifically says: (9) Seepage, meaning a gradual, continuous, or repeated seepage or leakage of water, steam or fuel over a period of 14 days or more, resulting in damage to the structure, whether hidden or not. Today I did more demo of the affected areas in the downstairs room. I also got a plug for the shower drain as I wanted to test whether the shower would leak even if the water did not contact the shelf... sure enough the leak returned a few minutes after filling the base of the shower with an inch of water. The interesting part is that the leak was still in multiple locations, broader than the footprint of the shower itself. This means that somehow the shower pan must be compromised or faulty, otherwise the water leaking out of the shower should be getting caught by the shower pan and draining via the normal shower drain. In my mind I don't see how the insurance company can deny this under the guise of "oh you should have caught it with maintenance so it's not sudden and accidental". Nether the water nor water damage was at all visible downstairs until my kids noticed a drip this past Sunday, and they play in that room daily. I considered appealing and/or getting an attorney but I fear that the cost of an attorney is probably more than the claim would be even if I did get the insurance to pay it... any advice? If I did want to get an attorney, should I look for a specific practice/expertise? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 17 Dec 2021 11:14 PM PST |
| Posted: 17 Dec 2021 09:33 PM PST Sorry for posting if this has already been answered, but I imagine it is fairly common. Basically, the water heater let go and flooded the basement overnight. I didn't notice until mid-morning when I was trying to use the hot water and was only getting cold. The result is that pretty much all the laminate flooring and two rooms with subfloor/laminate will need to be replaced (including baseboards, trim etc) (~600-800 sq ft). Nothing else was damaged, furniture etc. except a counter and a wall recently built on a portion of the subfloor may need to be replaced. I am worried bc the heater was ~12 yrs old. Prior to this there were absolutely no leaks, no weird noises, no change in color of the water... but it was probably time to change it. I bought the house in the last three years, and it was on my list... just not at the top :-( I'm I likely out of luck on this? I am in Canada, covered by Cooperators Homeowners Prestige with Comprehensive water. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 17 Dec 2021 08:11 PM PST Why would an attorney advise us to flatbed a totaled car from the city impound lot to a body shop when we've got good insurance and gap coverage? An oncoming driver improperly turned left into my son's car as he rolled through an intersection on a green light. The collision was more of a head-on than a t-bone. Witnesses said he had a short but definite loss of consciousness. He has a broken collarbone and other trauma and will be out of work for 4-6 weeks, but he's alive, and we're most grateful for that. My son's car is a 2019 Ford Fusion SE Hybrid with ~68K miles. The claims rep said our photos from the scene look like a total loss. The police took it by flatbed it to the city impound lot, where it has yet to be seen by an adjuster. His American Family vehicle policy meets state requirements with a $1K deductible, no underinsured coverage. He has AGWS gap coverage. The note was initiated in June 2021 for $500 down at $320/month. We don't know about the other driver's insurance because they were belligerent at the scene. We're waiting on the police report to surface to file a claim with their insurance. That's with the assumption that they're insured — but I digress. Today we called an attorney for a free consultation. They advised that we immediately flatbed the car from the impound lot to a reputable body shop of our choice, where it can be gone through with a fine-toothed comb before an adjuster gets their hands on it. Eight of the car's airbags are deployed, the front crumple zone is destroyed, the front doors are pushed back, the HID housings are crushed, and the radiator/coolers/condensor/electric fans are rammed back onto the engine block. It seems as if the repair costs could easily exceed the car's value. Why would the attorney advise us to tow it away for an estimate? Is it because we forgot to tell them about the gap insurance? Because we absolutely forgot to mention it, of all the damn luck. Is it because we don't know about the other driver's insurance? Two pix: https://imgur.com/a/mlxJWWt tl;dr Why would an attorney advise us to flatbed a totaled car from the city impound lot to a body shop when we've got good insurance and gap coverage? [link] [comments] |
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