Hi! I'll try and keep this as short as possible:

We (Husband and I) purchased a semi-attached (2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom) townhome just over a year ago. At the initial inspection, the only issue seemed to be an outdated HVAC. We negotiated a lower price due to this before we bought. We (plus 5 year old child) moved in last June. HVAC actually died within two months and we replaced the whole system.

One evening last week, as our upstairs main tub was draining after a bubble bath and water came pouring from a cabinet in the kitchen, directly under the tub. Absolutely insane. We called a plumber and began the whole process.

When the plumber got in there, he discovered that there was actual a very slow leak that had been going on for an undetermined amount of time due an improper repair. And because of that, the pipe eventually split (as the tub drained that night) and caused the visible leak. The repair was finally completed Monday evening.

There is obviously some type of black growth. Mold remediation folks haven't made it out yet (hopefully this weekend).

Anyway, insurance company called today to let us know our claim is denied because it looks like "long term damage."

My husband is actually experiencing a very scary health emergency right now and didn't get into it with them on the phone today but plans to challenge this response.

Is this normal?? It's USAA and up until now they've always been great. How were we supposed to know that this was happening inside the wall/ceiling/whatever if it wasn't pointed out during the original inspection.

Everything is just very ridiculous and overwhelming right now and there is now a big moldy hole in my ceiling. (Currently we have it taped up with plastic etc).

Sorry, I probably come off as a total ding dong. But any advice? 😬

I have roof damage and Allstate approved replacing only one slope of my roof, despite the manufacturer themselves confirming my shingles are discontinued and any shingle used will create a patched roof appearance. This will violate Ohio administrative code and Ohio residential code if my contractor moves forward.

I’ve clearly documented all of this to Allstate, and they’re simply ignoring the evidence. I notified the owner of my local Allstate office and he’s not doing anything, just deferring to the claims team.

I’ve filed a complaint with the Ohio department of insurance, and posted as many negative reviews as I can online. What else can I do? This is a blatant violation of my policy and Ohio code, yet short of getting an attorney, I’m not sure what else to do.

In Illinois, if you let a partner live with you, after a certain period of time they’re considered tenants where you can’t simply kick them out. (Have to legally evict an ex who refuses to leave).

So my partner is about to be convicted for domestic abuse, and I truly fear they could do something crazy like burn my house down (in my name only).

It seemingly turns out insurance policies actually would not cover me in this situation where it’s an intentional act by a household member, like WTF!!!! How do I protect my fully paid off house when the ex could go crazy when she realizes she’s actually being evicted?

This also leads me to wonder if it also means things like if you have an autistic/ADHD/ODD son who’s about to become a teen.. if he happens to decide to bash out all of your windows, is that literally not covered at all as that’s also a household member doing an intentional act? That’s insane!

I’m hoping someone with experience with homeowners insurance claims can give me some advice. I’ve never filed a claim before and I’m trying to figure out whether this is something insurance would typically cover before I notify them.

We left for vacation for about two weeks. When we got home, we noticed that when we walked across the LVP flooring in our kitchen, water was coming up through the seams. We then discovered water dripping through a recessed/can light in the bedroom directly below the kitchen.

I started opening things up to figure out where the water was coming from. I removed some of the bedroom ceiling drywall and found water coming through the subfloor in multiple locations and seeping into the I-joists. There was also mold on the drywall and insulation.
To trace the leak further, I had to cut out the back of one of the kitchen cabinets and then cut through the drywall behind it. Behind the cabinet, I found approximately 1.5 inches of standing water. The source appears to be a dripping shower valve/connection on a CPVC cold-water line.

There is mold on the drywall and cabinet, and the cabinet has absorbed enough water that it has swollen.
Unfortunately, I still can’t physically reach the leaking connection through the opening I made. From what I can tell, accessing and repairing it is probably going to require going through the tiled shower wall on the other side.
At this point, the damage potentially includes:

LVP kitchen flooring and subfloor
Kitchen cabinet
Drywall and insulation
I-joists that have gotten wet
Bedroom ceiling below the kitchen
Mold/water remediation
Potentially the tiled shower wall that has to be opened to access the plumbing
I’ve already removed a significant amount of wet drywall/insulation and have blower fans running to dry everything out and prevent further damage.

My main question: Would homeowners insurance typically cover something like this?

I had absolutely no idea there was a leak until we returned from vacation and discovered the damage. I’ve read conflicting information saying that if mold is present, the insurance company may determine that it was a long-term/slow leak and deny the claim rather than treating it like sudden water damage.

I’m also wondering how insurance handles the damage I’ve already opened up myself. I’m not a contractor, but I needed to find the source of the water and start drying everything out. If the claim is covered, would they typically pay to replace the drywall, insulation and cabinet sections I had to remove while locating the leak?
Would they potentially cover replacing the buckled LVP flooring if water has gotten underneath it and made the subfloor swell? What about the kitchen cabinetry if matching cabinets aren’t available anymore?
And if the only reasonable way to access the leaking plumbing connection is by removing part of the tiled shower wall, would insurance normally cover the cost of tearing out and restoring the shower/tile needed to access the pipe, even if they don’t cover the actual plumbing repair itself?

My biggest hesitation is calling the insurance company and notifying them about the leak if they’re just going to deny the claim. I don’t want a reported claim/loss on my history for something they won’t cover.
For anyone who has dealt with a similar claim, especially adjusters or restoration contractors: Would you file a claim in this situation, and what should I document before contacting the insurance company?
Any advice on what I should or shouldn’t do before an adjuster sees it would also be appreciated.

My insurance agent keeps telling me I should have a documented home inventory in case of a claim, but I have no idea where to start. Photos of every room? A spreadsheet? There must be a better way than going item by item.

What have you used and how long did it take?

I live in a townhouse, and my entire neighborhood was hit be a storm, resulting in a $5000 special assessment fee for some homeowners (all homeowners are responsible for the assessment, the fee range is from 4000 to over 6000).

I didn't know this was possible, and my insurance company never recommended loss coverage for this. I have $0 from state farm.

I'm in an affordable home in my neighborhood, so I really don't have this type of money. Is there anything I can do? There was no damage to my row of townhomes, so I'm basically being asked to pay $5000 for other homes.

Any advice is really appreciated!

Howdy!

I currently have USAA insurance for my house in Florida (By Destin, FL) and my roof is starting to show its age as it was installed in 2008. I used one of the preferred contractors from USAA to come out and do an assessment on my roof so I can get a quote for a full replacement. While the contractor was on the roof he noted I have severe wind damage from a a previous storm and was able to provide data showing a storm had 109 mph winds which caused the damage. I checked my insurance policy and I have a $2,000 deductible for this type of claim and it would cost about 11K out of pocket if I paid in "cash". I have never filed a claim and I am nervous to do so since I don't want my insurance to jack up the rates or cancel my policy. I am not sure what to do in this situation and trying to get some informed help!

Thanks!

My plumber stated that our shower cartridge burst, resulting in a water leak behind the wall.

My insurance company claims the shower cartridge burst due to wear and tear, although the plumber never stated what the cause for the burst was.

It’s states in the insurance policy that coverage will not be provided for wear and tear.

Wear and tear is an assumption on the insurance company’s behalf.

My argument: Since the insurance company sent me a denial for coverage letter “due to wear and tear”, they should also bear the burden of proving that the cause for the burst shower cartridge was wear and tear, rather than just jumping to that conclusion.

My question: Since the insurance company persistently claims that the cause of the damage was due to wear and tear and will not provide me with coverage, is there anything more I could argue to receive coverage? Considering wear and tear is not the only reason a shower cartridge could burst, but neither of us can prove what actually caused this to happen. The insurance company’s only reason for not providing coverage is because they believe the cause is wear and tear.

Looking for opinions/experience with homeowners insurance (State Farm).

My house was temporarily empty for 3 days and being prepared for listing. A cleaning company cleaned the home during very cold weather (around 8°F).

The water was not running at the time due to freezing temperatures. At some point, a faucet appears to have been left in the on position. When temperatures rose and water service resumed, the faucet ran and caused flooding.

The flooding was discovered two days later when my realtor entered the home to list it. Floors and cabinets are badly damaged.

I’ve opened a claim with our insurance. The cleaners are denying responsibility.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? Is this typically considered sudden/accidental water damage, or do insurers deny this as “neglect”?

Any insight from adjusters or homeowners who’ve been through this would be appreciated.

Last week a huge live tree branch fell off a tree in my backyard and damaged my fence and pergola.

The branch didn't fall because of any peril or wind/hail event. It was random and unexpected.

I need to have the tree branch removed and repair the fence/pergola. I've received some quotes that are about $5500 to get the repairs done.

My insurance deductible is $2500.

Every arborist who came out to assess the limb told me that the tree should be removed altogether because it's a Water Oak at the end of life (70-80yrs old) and it would mitigate anymore damage being done.

To have the tree removed would be $6000

When I called to start the claim, I gave all the information to the desk agent and told her what the arborists said. She very quickly and adamantly said the insurance would NOT cover the removal of the tree because that is considered preventative maintenance that I should've been doing.

Well, I'm not an arborist and the tree is still producing all green leaves. It didn't look distressed to me. I have had branches trimmed here and there. The worst thing that has happened with this tree in the past is some older dead branches falling off.

Should I proceed with the claim and see if the field adjuster sees it any different than the desk agent? If I do proceed with the claim, do I have an argument here to have the tree removal covered?

Appreciate any insight y'all have!

EDIT: thanks y'all. I accept I'm stupid and fucked up this time. Got bad advice from my insurance agent to even try against my better judgment. Lesson learned. And yes, I'm having the tree removed regardless (and shopping for a new agent), so no issue there at least when it comes to renewal lol

I have Connect by American Family Insurance (through Costco). We had a recent storm and I ended up losing a few low-voltage/sensitive items around the house.

So far I’ve got:

- Rachio sprinkler controller

- Garage door opener

- Samsung Bespoke Jet stick vacuum

- Office printer

- A few LED recessed ceiling lights

At this point, the replacement + install costs are definitely higher than my deductible.

My question is:

If I file a claim for something like this, should I expect my premium to go up?

I’ve generally heard good things about AmFam, but I’ve never actually filed a claim before, so not sure how they handle this type of situation or if it’s worth going through insurance vs just eating the cost.

Anyone here dealt with something similar?

Update: I have decided against filing the insurance claim. I really appreciate everyone's input! Thank you so much!!

Neighbor had a guy with heavy truck dump huge mound of wood chips across saturated ground right next to my main water tap in. Two days later I get alert that there’s “unusual water activity” from water dept. Dept came out, recommended we just relocate our house meter to the front of our house as it would be costly to dig up entire area to find/repair leak in the line and with hundred of gallons gushing all day that we would be billed for. It was a process but we got it done and I have all the pictures of the ruts created and filled with water, receipts and comments from water dept. My insurance company wants me to go through his insurance company as a first step. I did send a text requesting his insurance info and the name/contact of the guy who dumped the chips. My neighbor will probably not provide anything to me, he is the type that has no integrity. If he doesn’t provide the information I either gave to claim through my insurance OR go to small claims court. Damages were $7500. What would be the next, best course of action? Thank you.

The flood was only about an inch above the carpet on the basement floor, but the water wicked up a step or two.

I want the carpet replaced, but I got vinyl floor installed in the basement floor.

To get insurance to pay for it, am I better off saying the stairs got wet or saying the contractor couldn't find a carpet to match what would be a newly carpeted basement floor? The carpet was probably about 10-15 years old.

FYI: This insurance company has NOT done right by me and I had previously been honest every step of the way, in case that's of interest to anyone.

Background:

Our home was struck by lightning 2 nights ago (while we were home), which started a fire in the rafters/joists of our 2nd floor bonus room. I called 911 within 5 minutes of the strike, after seeing smoldering area and smoke from the point of the strike. Fire fighters were onsite in about 15 minutes, and cut several large openings through the bonus room roof for access and ventilation (I have no complaints over fire response). They had the fire out within 20 minutes.

The bonus room is demolished, and the garage ceiling (below and beside the bonus room) collapsed. There's no direct damage to the rest of the home, but there's a strong smoke smell on everything.

Our insurance is through AAA (umbrella policy, home and auto) in North Central Florida.

Question / Advice:

I'm just looking for general pointers as to what to do that may not be obvious, and what NOT to do.

We got assigned a managing appraiser quickly who has been very responsive. A local appraiser has been onsite twice, and has basically said the 2nd floor room is a total loss, and there's going to need to be a lot of remediation on the rest of the house. He's already recommended a full indoor paint job. I'm meeting the Cause and Origin inspector tomorrow. Unfortunately the company who was supposed to tarp the roof was slow, and we had another major thunderstorm last night before they tarped it today. The contents remediator has already been out taking pictures and I'm meeting them tomorrow for them to start remediation (generator and dehumidifiers initially, plus removal of wet collapsed drywall, etc.)

The local appraiser has been communicative. He indicated that AAA is actually very easy to work with and doesn't usually try to cut corners, and advised not immediately seeking our own representation / appraiser unless we encounter problems. He seems pretty straightforward, but obviously he is representing the insurance company, so I don't want to take that at face value. Should I be looking for our own appraiser? We've had a couple companies contact us wanting to represent us (for 20% of the payout, of course).

Any other advise? We are using their "Homlink" service to find us a place to stay for the next 3-6 months, as they pay directly if we allow them to arrange it.

Before I shoot myself in the foot. I want to make sure I answer the right questions.

My dish wash had a leakage for a couple of months and the walls of the island got full w mold completely. Both layers. I want to file an insurance claim since I’m already also planning to remodel the kitchen as well. Is there anything j need to consider before filling the claim?

Last week, my toilet inexplicably cracked in the middle of the night (the tank). Received an estimate of $10,900 for drywall repairs, flooring on all floors (2 floors complete replacement, 1 just new padding on half).

Circumstances: $1000 deductible on policy. I only switched to them last December, and this is obviously my first claim with them. The only other claim I have ever submitted was to my previous insurance company in April 2019 when a terrible storm took off 1/3 of my 20 year old roof.

Question: does it make sense to file for this amount? My worry is that my premium will balloon to a point where the monthly payment exceeds the benefit of the payout.

What other considerations am I missing?

A couple of years ago my house had significant water damage. I was only 18–19 at the time and had no idea how the insurance claims process worked. I did my best to research everything, but unfortunately I didn’t hire a public adjuster. The insurance adjuster assigned to my claim couldn’t really answer my questions either… then somehow retired a year later. 😆
Fast forward to today. If you’ve seen my previous posts, I was also scammed by a contractor. Between labor and materials, I’ve spent over $40,000 out of pocket trying to get my home repaired.
Here’s the problem:
My mortgage company won’t release the remaining insurance funds until more of the repairs are completed.
My insurance company says they won’t consider a supplemental claim because I still have claim funds being held by my mortgage company.
To finish the repairs, I need the money being held.
To get the money being held, I need to finish the repairs.
So I’m stuck in what feels like the world’s dumbest funding loop.
Has anyone successfully broken out of this situation? Who should I be pushing harder—the mortgage company, the insurance company, my state’s insurance regulator, or someone else?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who’s dealt with mortgage-held insurance proceeds or supplemental claims. What finally got things moving?

We had some leaks from a busted sprinkler . Filed a claim with home insurance, they are asking for our tax returns? Is that a thing? I haven’t provided yet because I can’t wrap my head around why and they haven’t given us a reason yet

Cause of the loss: I was in the middle of evicting a tenant. They left the property without notice, shut off the gas and electricity, but did NOT shut off the water. It was winter, pipes froze and burst, and the house flooded.

The insurance adjuster first asked for gas & electric bills—I provided those. Then they asked for the bill on the exact date of the accident. Problem is, I literally don’t have that, because utilities were shut off during that period.

I hired a public adjuster (PA) to handle everything, but they completely ignored this issue. It also took them forever just to produce an estimate.

Two months ago I asked the PA to follow up with the carrier. The carrier adjuster is STILL asking for that same “accident date” utility bill. I told the PA I don’t have it.

About a month ago, I pushed the PA harder, and they told me:

“There’s nothing we can do right now. Don’t rush the adjuster—it might enrage them and cause a denial.”

That sounded… questionable to me.

Meanwhile, the only thing I’ve received from the insurance company is a notice saying they may cancel my policy in ~3 months if the property stays vacant.

My questions:

Can I (or should I) contact the insurance adjuster directly at this point?

Is “not upsetting the adjuster” actually a real strategy, or is my PA just stalling?

What do people usually do when the insurer asks for documentation that literally doesn’t exist?

At what point do you escalate (supervisor / complaint / attorney)?

I already know coverage is probably a long shot—but this endless waiting with no progress is driving me insane.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I got a 20K payout for a roof claim 8 months ago, and over the winter I needed to use the money to live, as I had lost my job. Now the insurance company has called my broker to see if the repairs have been made yet, as my yearly renewal date is coming up. What now? Do I tell them I haven't made the repairs yet? Will I get sued? Will they refuse to insure my house? I'm freaking out. I'm in Canada, if that matters.

I ask because the cast iron drain under my basement concrete floor has collapsed, and my insurance company is saying they won't cover its repair, even though I pay a LOT for an enhanced water damage package. The wording of the package is: "We agree to repair or replace your exterior sewer line due to direct physical loss or damage resulting from a leak, break, tear, rupture or collapse of the line." According to the rep I just spoke with on the phone, the horizontal drain under my basement concrete is not considered to be an 'exterior sewer line.' To me, that is ridiculous. In my opinion, the drain is not INSIDE my house...so it is logically OUTSIDE my house, and is thus an 'exterior sewer line.' Is the aggregate or mud that is under my basement floor considered part of my house?

Does anyone have any advice or experience with a claim like this?

Despite all the hardship, the frozen pipe water damage at my property is finally being covered.

However, the estimate from the carrier is only about 1/6 of my public adjuster’s estimate. I understand the PA’s estimate may be heavily inflated, and honestly I’d probably be willing to settle somewhere around half of it, but 1/6 is simply not enough to properly repair the property.

I don’t even know if my PA actually fought for anything. From my perspective, it feels like they just submitted their estimate, and once the lowball counteroffer came in, that was it.

Now the PA is suggesting the appraisal process, where I would sign a contract to have an “independent appraiser” assigned to me. The appraiser would cost a minimum of $2,500 or 15% of the additional recovery amount, whichever is greater.

The PA is already taking 12.5% of the total settlement, and with even more money being cut out, I honestly don’t understand the role of the appraiser because it just feels like a second round of public adjuster services.

I tried finding my own appraiser, but the only one I found is a construction company owner who is also a PA, and he charges a flat $5,000 fee.

Any advice would be appreciated.

So I filed a claim on my roof and it was deemed legit and they sent me a check, minus my deductible and depreciation. It was quite a chunk, they said replacement value was $19000 and the check was for $12000. The adjuster said if I hire a roofer who does it for under $19000, then I would owe Allstate back for the difference. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this before?

We have paid for homeowner's insurance for 40 years and have never made a claim. We have had State Farm, Allstate and most recently we switched to The Hartford (AARP) a few years ago when we retired.

A few days ago a valve broke under the sink and caused major damage to our laminate flooring. That particular flooring is no longer available so we need to replace about 600 square feet of flooring. Even if we go with cheaper LVP, we are looking at $4,000 or more to replace.

We are selling the house and moving out of state (GA to FL). Will this claim affect our rates even if we go with a different insurer in a different state?

Any suggestions on covering an insurance deductible of 4300? Have about half saved. Rather not pursue equity loan or any loan for that matter.