Water Damage Loss | Dealing with a Wet Spot? | Pembroke Pines
It’s a nice life on the couch in the condo when an errant drop of water splashes your crown. Looking up, there is an angry wet spot complete with sagging ceiling and discoloration. Thinking quickly and prudently, the couch and the other furnishings get moved out of harm’s way, the floor is covered, and the bucket is placed to catch the ensuing drops. Swiftly, the building management office is called to let them know of the situation. In a perfect world, the management company works with a water restoration company to immediately send someone to stop the leak, dry the place out, and photograph and document the occurrence. After the building management and water restoration companies have been called, be sure to take all prudent steps to keep additional loss from happening and then photograph the scene for your own records. Remember to maintain all documents and receipts when dealing with the situation. Call your agent because water losses must be reported within 14 days of the happening.
Now the fun really begins.
The claim gets reported and the insurer dispatches a field adjuster to the scene. The field adjuster asks questions as to when the loss occurred, where the damage is located, and determines what it will take to repair the damage and adjust the loss. Remember, insurance is about money in that the carrier pays to make the insured whole. It is up to the insured to secure bids for repairs and make decisions as to returning the place back to as it was prior to the loss. The field adjuster turns in the field investigation to the claims examiner who works from within the insurance company. The claims examiner compares the facts surrounding the loss to the policy language and makes a determination as to what is covered and what is not, along with assessing the values of the objects that must either be repaired or replaced in order to quantify the claim in dollar terms.
Our role at Rolfs Insurance Services is to help in reporting the claim as well as to provide guidance in terms of explaining the system to the insured. Knowing what and what not to do is important in a claim and your relationship with us helps to provide the peace of mind in knowing that matters are being handled correctly. Our goal is to help you at the time of a crisis by providing timely information and service when it counts most.
