Insurance claims
Why the first weeks matter
Insurance & Property Claims Advisor · Read Sarah’s biography
The initial investigation and the value of presenting your own repair scope.
Transcript
This is one the board never sees coming. A 40-unit condo community has water coming through the roof into six units after a windstorm, the carrier's engineer calls it some storm damage, mostly workmanship and age, and the carrier pays for one section. 18 months later, the board is still fighting that particular number.
So the first few weeks that a claim is being investigated are a crucial moment.
That is when the adjuster is collecting the facts of the loss, all the damages, and also
looking at coverage and determining liability.
This is important to be able to get two estimates in front of the adjuster, one that the carrier
prepared and one that the insured or the claimant prepared.
That gives the adjuster the opportunity to look at damages from both parts.
So do this.
Get your own scope in front of the carrier before their engineer writes his.
For the board, the board pays for an independent scope once they see it sets the carrier's number.
If you own the building, you've got more room to move.
An owner can commission a scope in a week.
A board has to vote on it.
If it's your house or your own home, your reserve got set off the first adjuster visit.
Your contractor finds more damage when the walls are open.
you will need to send that to the adjuster to compare with their own estimate.
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