LESLIE: Amanda in Texas is on the line and has a question about filing claim when insurer wants to cancel policy.
TOM: Insurance.
LESLIE: What’s going on?
AMANDA: Well, I have a house that – it was built in the 40s. And in 2009, I put a brand-new roof on it. And I have had – and it was – and it kind of fell into disrepair. We had done quite a few repairs to it and now – and several insurance companies, every time that I find something that I would ask them to – I’ve been through a couple of insurance companies. Never had a problem before. But now, I asked about – we had some storms roll through. Ice storms. And on Friday, I got a letter saying that they had decided they were going to cancel my insurance after I had filed a claim with – some ice storms had messed up some shingles on my roof and I was going to get an estimate to just redo that part of the roof.
And my problem is – can I file on insurance since I’m still, technically, covered until the end of next – until the end of February?
TOM: Yeah, I don’t think your – I think as long as your insurance was in effect at the time of the incident – so at the time of the damage – I think you can be filing claim when insurer wants to cancel. But if they’re already giving you a hard time about cancelling, and your home insurer won’t pay, then what I would do is I would call a public adjuster.
Do you know what those guys do? They’re experts at basically working directly with your insurance company and getting you the maximum amount of payout that you would possibly qualify for. And they don’t miss a thing. You know, they don’t miss a thing. They don’t miss a nail, a shingle, a coat of paint, nothing. If you get a good public adjuster, they work on a percentage of the claim, so they try to get you as much as they possibly can. And if they’re just going to be ornery and cancel your insurance because you had the audacity to file a claim and actually use it …
LESLIE: To actually use it.
AMANDA: Right. Right.
TOM: It’s not atypical when filing claim when insurer wants to cancel. So it’s not like they’re picking on you. It’s what they do.
I don’t get it. You would think that if you – if they file – if you filed a claim and you had repairs, you would be the least likely person that’ll do that again. But OK, that’s the way they want to play the game. Then you go ahead and find another homeowner company when your home insurer won’t pay. That’s all you’ve got to do.
But I would get a public adjuster, because they’re already showing that maybe they can’t be trusted, in my view, or they’re going to give you a hard time or they’re going to give you the runaround. So I’d get a public adjuster. I’d have them look at the claim and see what you can qualify for and then get it fixed.
And it was ice damage, too. And if it was ice dams, you may have to strip the whole roof off and put in ice-and-water shield to fix it.
AMANDA: Yeah. And that’s what I’m thinking that that’s going to be the issue.
TOM: Yeah. Yep. Yeah, I’d get a public adjuster.
Alright. Good luck with that project.
Leave a Reply