Reply to Negotiation with insurance after big water leak ... help me!

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[quote=Anonymous]I'm a contractor (HVAC) who has been involved in more than a handful of water leak/ water damage claims over the years.  I also had a toilet supply line in my home break last year that ended up doing $25k worth of damage in the 2 minutes before we could get the water turned off.  First, the only thing worse that can happen to a home is a fire.  These situations suck and it can turn into a royal pain in the ass to get things back to what they where.  Thoughts are with the OP.

Your experience is going to greatly vary depending on the level of service in claims handling your insurance provides.  I assume there's already a remediator (typically ServePro or Servicemaster) already at your home drying everything out.  They follow a set of rules regarding what can be remediated or has to be removed based on the type of water that leaked, the material that got wet, how long it was wet, etc.  After their phase the industry standard is the adjustor making an in home visit and the homeowner then getting estimates from 3 different contractors.  Some insurers offer a concierge type option with vetted contractors being able to come in to do the work immediately.  I chose this option for my leak and was impressed with the quality of contractors that ended up doing the repairs in my home.  Keep your adjustor in the loop as work is being done.  In my case the carpet we installed ended up being about $1800 more than the adjustor initially quoted.  We submitted the invoices showing the carpet we chose was similar in construction to what was damaged and they quickly adjusted the claim upward.

Again, depending on the insurer, they typically send a check for about 1/3 of the estimated cost of the damages.  The balance gets paid out after the repairs are completed.  The check will also have your mortgage company as a payee.  This is one of the areas that can turn into a lot of headaches depending on the lender.  In my case I had to go to a bank branch to have a manager endorse the check.  They also provided me a letter to give to my insurer saying they didn't need to be included in future payments to the claim.  On the opposite end of the spectrum I have seen lenders that required the check be sent in to them and the funds held until proof of the repairs being completed before releasing them back to you.

In your case I would push to have any floors adjoining areas that will be replaced to be refinished so everything is uniform.

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