Rental Property Investor · NW, PA · Member since 2014 · 174 posts · 39 votes
Hi BP, It started out with one small leak which i went on the roof and started salting the gutters and cutting troughs in the ice. A week or so later i have 5 major leaks in separate areas of my house. Any tips on filing a successful claim? This is my primary residence. Deductible is $2k. Geesh
It is good that you took preventative measures. Do you have any insulation in the attic because I am sure that is now growing mold and needs to be replaced. Also the ceiling drywall and if the water leaked through the drywall whatever flooring you have if it got wet and damaged is also claimable. Keep in mind the insurance adjuster works for the insurance company, not you. A public insurance adjuster works for you and are experts in negotiating and building your claims value. You can move on with you daily life and know that the claim is in good hands and being taken care of.
@Justin C., this may be a small claim and your profile shows you are looking to build a rental portfolio in the near future. Insurance is a large expense. When you acquire 1/2 dozen, or more, properties you can begin to get some discounts when you purchase all of your insurance through one agent and increase deductibles but it is very much worth the effort to keep the premiums low. Making a small claim may raise your premium for your residence. Worse, it may raise the premium for all your properties. $100 annually for 10 properties is $1,000. Worse still, if you experience another loss in the near future and make another claim your insurance company may drop your coverage. There are not always a lot of choices when you seek companies to insure a rental portfolio. It may not be prudent to make this claim.
Justin, While a couple of leaks to many may appear to be a small claim it is actually enough damage to get you whole roof replaced. The best advice I can give you is to hold off on calling you insurance company to file the claim and look for a public insurance adjuster to first come out and give you a free estimate and more insight about the process. The problem with calling your insurance company first is that no matter what the outcomes is, is even you do not decide to filing the claim it still goes into your profile as an unpaid claim so later on if you call again about a larger roof leak they can deny you for failure to maintain your property. If you need a reference I have a great one for you. Best of luck
well... crap, lol. Thanks Kevin. I did call them (USAA) and the rep told me an adjuster would be calling me within 24hrs. He encouraged me to call someone to relieve any buildup or to stop the leaks but to keep my receipts. I called a roofer and he came out promptly and had the leaks stopped within a few hours.
It is good that you took preventative measures. Do you have any insulation in the attic because I am sure that is now growing mold and needs to be replaced. Also the ceiling drywall and if the water leaked through the drywall whatever flooring you have if it got wet and damaged is also claimable. Keep in mind the insurance adjuster works for the insurance company, not you. A public insurance adjuster works for you and are experts in negotiating and building your claims value. You can move on with you daily life and know that the claim is in good hands and being taken care of.
ok, thanks. I'm meeting with the adjuster Sat from 12-1pm. Im very skeptical for that very reason but it is what it is. Feel free to post any additional thoughts or concerns.