I hate insurance companies!

[Dr.Phool]

They always try to nickle and dime you to death.

I live in Florida, but I have a home for sale in Cleveland. The real estate listing expired on August 1, and I planned to market it myself. The listing agent went on July 30th, to drop off the keys and remove the lock box. She called me that morning saying there was water EVERYWHERE!

I guess the toilet feed line broke in the upstairs bathroom and could have been running for up to 8 days. I flew up Sunday night (31st) and the hardwood floors in every room look like the fricking Alps! Mold has started to form.

I met with my companies adjuster, and she starts talking about depreciating this and that, not paying for mold eradication, etc. They brought in a contractor, and he's pissed because I didn't give him the job. But he's there to protect the companies interest, not mine.

I hired a Certified Public Adjuster and turned the claim over to him to settle.

Now, I'll have to wait months to sell it, and make several trips up there, with none of the costs being covered.

[tx_dem41]

1. Don't let them dismiss the "mold eradication" so easily.

I know that many companies are trying not to pay for long-term mold problems (such as "black mold"), but this was due to a catastrophic, specific event. Seems to me, you should be covered.

[Dr.Phool]

3. Thats the way I interpret my policy

As does my Public Adjuster.

I used to work in the insurance restoration business 25 years ago, and I know the kind of crap they try to pull.

[MadHound]

2. You might look into getting some reimbursement from the realtor

After all, this was the responsible person who was supposed to keep an eye on the place, right? Water running for eight days? Sounds like she wasn't doing her job at all. I think that the realty company could very well have some responsibility in this, and that they should pay for some of the damage. Check with a local lawyer before pursuing this.

[Dr.Phool]

4. We don't know for sure how long it was running

I let my neighbors store their jet ski in my garage, and they keep an eye on the place. And the last time they were in there was about 8 days previous.

[MadHound]

6. Still and all, I would check with a lawyer

When a realtor contracts with a house, they are to some extent liable for what happens to that house while the contract is in effect. This means checking the house regularly for damage, break-ins, etc. If the wood is as warped as you say, it is obvious that this realtor wasn't doing their job. You might be able to take a mold sample to a biologist and get a timeline for when it began.

Good luck, I feel for you.

[whistle]

5. That's what went on last year with the hurricane claims....

...I put my claim in for $28,000+ damages following Charlie and am only now making the repairs. This is because my insurance company which should have done everything without a hassle (reputable company, premium plan, full replacement costs, major hurricane deduction), is still withholding certain payments through nothing other than red tape and ways of getting away without doing anything.

We are doing battle over $6,000.00 yet owed (recoverable depreciation and a slight of hand they pulled on listed items in the final claim summary). I've just remained calm and taken extra care to have everything checked. I fortunately have a very good friend who is an insurance attorney for another big insurance company in the state, who is advising and directing me around the sinkholes created by this industry. It just takes time. This is another Jeb Bush fuck-up against residents of the state in favor of big insurance. Hang in there and best of luck.

[donheld]

7. I'm positive they hate you/me too

They are only interested in profit.

[catmandu57]

8. Legalized extortion

I've only had to deal with insurance on automobile matters so far, they've weasled and cheated on legitimate claims, and made things so it would cost too damn much to get compensation.
I hate fucking insurance, they're the lowest form of scum sucker out there, the local agent smiles and shakes your hand and blames the head office for fucking you.
I fucking hate these scummy mfers.

[dr.strangelove]

9. Warning to all - Read Your Insurance Policies

I've been practicing insurance law for some time. The mold issue is a particularly "hot topic" currently. The issue with mold should be addressed clearly in your policy. Many homeowner's insurance policies have an exclusion for mold damage. If you policy excludes mold damage from coverage, you may be out of luck for that portion of the claim. I have no idea if your policy specifically excludes mold damage from coverage, but it is usually not hard to find the exclusion if it is there. There is a section of the policy titled Exclusions and it will be listed there, or it will be a separate piece of paper called Mold Endorsement or something like that.

Many people don't read their policies until they need coverage, and are surprised with what they find. I am not saying this is what happened here, it just happenes often so I thought it merited a warning to other readers. I would encourage all insurance buyers to sit down and read your policy and any question you have, talk about it with your agent. That way you will have no surprises when you need to use the coverage.

Anyway, good luck to the original poster and I am sorry that this happened to you.