In the State Of Florida the most common type of claim filed in the year 2019 were water related homeowners insurance claims. Some of the more common ways we have seen water damaging your home can include pipe breaks, AC leaks and shower pan leaks. Homes, condos and commercial properties can all suffer from this issue, but what if the source of the damage is not coming from your property? This is a problem to consider, especially for those condo owners who are living in a condominium building. You may have to deal with filing a claim on water damage from upstairs condos under your own Insurance policy.
Picture this scenario: You come home from work one day and there is water pouring into your apartment from the upstairs condo. Your first step of action should be locating the source of the water damage now that you’ve spotted the issue, it’s important to locate the source of the damage. All insurance policy’s mandate that you mitigate the damage as soon as possible as this avoids further damage to your property and helps prevent mold damage.
Remove any excess standing water: Any excess Standing water could result in serious mold damage and lead to further water damage to your property. By having a restoration company come and dry out the excess water it will help prevent any further damage. If you don’t know of a reputable restoration company ask your public adjuster and they may be able to help you find one. Public Adjusters aren’t allowed to accept referrals fees so this will be a recommendation based purely on the quality of work performed by the restoration company.
Prevent all furniture and personal belongings from getting damaged further: Most Insurance Policies include coverage for personal property. In a lot of water damage claims the personal property and furniture make up a large portion of the claim. By removing personal property and furniture right away it can help salvage a lot of it.
Prevent all furniture and personal belongings from getting damaged further: Most Insurance Policies include coverage for personal property. In a lot of water damage claims the personal property and furniture make up a large portion of the claim. By removing personal property and furniture right away it can help salvage a lot of it.
Review your insurance policies and condo laws: Let’s say in this example of water that was leaking from your ceiling was actually coming from a shower pan leak from a bathroom in the upstairs condo. Who is responsible for this water damage? Who should file the insurance claim? Being in a condominium you need to check the associations bylaws. The statutes in Florida state that the association is responsible for all areas that fall under their insurance policy, typically this includes exterior walls, windows, and drywall. All the rest of the damage will need to be covered by your own insurance policy. Even though it was your upstairs neighbors shower that was leaking into your condo you should still file a water damage insurance claim with your own carrier, and your carrier will subrogate the cost of the damage from your neighbors insurance carrier.
Call a public adjuster: Right after the loss happens the first thing you should do is call a public adjuster near you. A Lincoln Public Adjuster will help guide you through the claim process. If you’re not very informed on an issue such as water damage from upstairs condos, it’s easy for an insurance company to take advantage by underpaying or even denying your claim .
Calling a professional public adjuster with experience dealing with all kinds of water damage is the best thing to do. A public adjuster from Lincoln Public Adjusting has years of experience that allows them to spot all possible damage. This will make sure you get the maximum award out of your insurance claim.