Commercial
Whether you own your condominium, condominium complex, rent from the building or an owner, condominium damage can be quite tedious. There are several things you need to know if you have suffered damage to your condominium.
DID YOU KNOW?
Single family homeowners have an understandable picture of their insurance needs. They are required by the mortgage company to maintain coverage in case of a loss. The bank does not want to lose the security of their loan in case of a catastrophe. As a condominium owner, your ownership is abstract, so it’s more difficult to determine the need for insurance. Your property is shared with others in the same building or on the same land.  In fact, most condo owners do not have an individual insurance policy on their property at all! This means that any loss not covered by their association will be at their own expense.
Protect your assets! Even though you have insurance through you homeowners association, you should obtain additional insurance for your individual unit, especially if you have tenants occupying your property. You need insurance to provide protection when the unexpected fire, flood, or theft takes place. If a guest is injured on your property, you need liability insurance for their medical expenses.
If you own an individual unit in a condominium:
Precautions in dealing with Home Owners Associations
Upon recognizing that the cause of damage was likely the result of association related carelessness, some boards mismanage the matter to the point where an attorney would have to get involved. More often than not, such battles can begin when a board fails to distinguish and treat the problem when they first learn of them. A board’s resistance to correct the problem, let alone acknowledge that a serious problem even exists, often results in denial, delay and intimidation.
When dealing with damages from the common areas it is important to first thoroughly understand what is meant by the term “common.” There are many complexities to this in a condominium structure. Each owner should acquaint themselves with their own associations governing documents, specifically their covenants, conditions and restrictions regarding the sections concerning “common” and “common area”.
If you think you have a mold issue because of water damage from the common area, it is very important to carefully document this. Owners often communicate their requests verbally without placing it in writing. It is imperative that you back up all verbal communication in a letter. Be sure to address the letter to the board of directors of your condominium. You can fax this letter in to them, however if you do not get some sort of written notice with 10 days, you should resend it through returned receipt such as certified mail. Mainly, be sure to have evidence of proof of mailing so that the board cannot refute that they never received any notification.
It is also very important to make certain that the problems that you are experiencing are addressed in your next board meeting. After you send your letter, make a written request for your issue on the agenda at the next meeting. It is vital to attend all open board meetings. If your association in any way prevents you from discussing your issues of the common area problems that affect your unit, this may be a red flag to a history of more serious problem.
Be sure to photograph ANY damages to your unit as well as the surrounding areas. Video cameras include options for date, however you may also be able to include dates in photographs as well. It is also always a good idea for resident owners and landlords to maintain a photographic log of all belongings of value for insurance purposes, in case of property loss or damage.
Each unit owner should have a copy of the association insurance policy. It is the right of each owner to request and receive this information. They should also have a copy of their association policy and procedure for water damage and mold. If no such policy exists, be sure to obtain a copy of that in writing from your association. It is not uncommon for an association to deny or withhold a policy for water damage and or mold only to later produce this using it against the owner.
The integrity of your condominium can depend upon the integrity of your association-its board of directors-property manager- association attorneys- management company- maintenance employees and vendors. With all the problems of adjoining walls, tricky and sometimes unkind boards, callous association attorneys, along with few individual homeowner rights, many condo owners are packing it in and moving on. Until legislation changes to better protect the homeowner, leaving an HOA may not be such a bad idea.
If you rent a condominium from a landlord or from a building complex:
Before renting a condominium, be sure that your lease agreement discusses the possibility of property damage. Also, verify that your landlord has insurance that protects your interests as well as theirs. Always has photographic evidence of all of your valuable possessions.
Be sure to report any and all problems with your unit before you sign your lease agreement. If you encounter any type of damage from hurricane, tornado, flood, mold etc. be sure to document all damage and report it to your landlord immediately.
Conclusion:
Whether you own or rent you should always make sure you are protected with insurance. If you have suffered a loss to your property damage, call a licensed public adjuster today, to help you with this difficult process. Out adjusters are licensed and experienced in dealing with large and small claims of all types. Contact All American Public Adjusters, Inc. today.
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Residential
As outlined in a general homeowners insurance policy:
“If you and we fail to agree on the amount of loss, either may:
- Demand a mediation of the loss in accordance with the rule established by the department of financial services. The loss amount must be $500 or more, prior to application of the deductible; or there must be a difference of $500 or of $500 or more between the loss settlement amount we offer and the loss settlement amount we offer and the loss settlement amount that you request. The settlement in the course of the mediation is binding only if both parties agree. In writing on a settlement and you have not rescinded the settlement within 3 business days after reaching settlement. You may not rescind the settlement after cashing or deposition the settlement check or draft we provided to you.
We will pay the cost of conducting any mediation conference except when you fail to appear at a conference. The conference will then be rescheduled upon your payment of the mediator’s fee for that rescheduled conference. However, if we fail to appear at a edition conference, we will pay your actual cash expenses you incur in attending the conference and also pay the mediator’s fee for the rescheduled conference.
- Demand an appraisal of the loss. In this event, each party will choose a competent appraiser within 20 days after receiving a written request from other. The two appraisers will choose an umpire. If they cannot agree upon an umpire within 15 days you or we may request that the choice be made by a judge of a court of record in the state where the “residence premises” is located. The appraisers will separately set the amount of the loss. If they fail to agree, they will submit their differences to the umpire. A decision agreed to by any two will set the amount of loss.
Each party will:
1: Pay its own appraiser and
2: Bear the other expenses of the appraisal and umpire equally
If however, we demanded the mediation and either party rejects the mediation results, you are not required to submit to, or participate in, ay appraisal of the loss as a preconditioned to action against us for failure to pay the loss.
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Car Claims
Home inspection is process of having a home, most often goes in hand to hand with the buying of the home, inspected and viewed for the safety of the buyer. The point of home inspection is to view any concerns with the property’s conditions, such as mold, any insect infections, and possibly anything else that would affect the status of the home. The agent performing the inspection would check different locations of the building that might have errors in them, such as the roof, the basement, the heat system, piping systems, the structure per se, plumbing, and electrical related aspects. Although, this is not limited to these select few.
The inspector would write detailed examination of all the information found, and would present it to the client who is interested in purchasing the home. The home inspector also will describe the condition of the home at the time of the examination, but will not promise anything for future of the home. Though, while the inspection will be done thoroughly, there’s no guarantee that every problem will be discovered. It is upon the buyer then, to make any decisions concerning the buying of the house.
​All inspectors are extremely well trained in their fields are reliably accurate in their examinations.  While they will accurately inspect the condition of the home at the current time, they will not inspect whether the house falls in contrary to code and/or zone regulations.
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Hurricane Sandy Fire, Wind and Flood Damage Claims – After Effects
Hurricane Sandy: Fire, Wind and Flood Damage Claims, the after effects.
Hurricane Sandy devastated New York like no other natural disaster in the past 30 years from flood water rising. The losses of homes and cars was astronomical and New York was not ready. Lives changed, people changed, New York changed. Many people lost their homes and worse yet, some even lost their lives.
The city and the infrastructure were not prepared for flooding, even the insurance companies were not prepared. Power went out, heat went out, stores were looted wind damage caused roofs to blow off lives were lost due to major flooding. In this what seemed to be New York’s darkest hour, the one thing that was not lost was the spirit of the people themselves.
Gas was no where to be found due to power failure, and the few gas stations that were able to get their deliveries had lines up to 10 blocks long and people waiting in lines at stations that they thought may get gas in the next day or so.
People got together and helped with the Flood damage, Water damage, the Wind damage and whatever other types of damage there was. They gave each other helping hands by cleaning out peoples homes, sharing food, giving out essential supplies and coming together like only New Yorkers can in a time of need.
Many people had no knowledge or experience in dealing with insurance claims and turned to Public Adjusters to battle the insurance companies, the same insurance companies who were not prepared to handle a natural disaster of this magnitude. Insurance companies themselves turned to public adjusters from outside New York state to go out and see the devastated homes and other carnage that hurricane Sandy had wrought. With the unparalleled devastation that Sandy brought with her came the largest amount of insurance claims that insurance companies have seen since hurricane Katrina and they were shown to be lacking in not only staff but also in compassion.
Many insurance claims were underpaid if not totally denied because most people do not know their insurance policies and it is easier for an insurance company to deny a claim then to pay it and hurt their bottom line. Fortunately New Yorkers are an intelligent and resilient lot, they learned how to survive and move on, they hired public adjusters for their unpaid and underpaid claims and did the best they could until the money started to come in. Unpaid insurance claims due to flood water into paid insurance claims, underpaid insurance claims turned into well paid insurance claims and people started to fix the flood damage homes, water damage, wind damage and what ever other types of damage was caused by hurricane Sandy.
Insurance claims rose from and insurance adjuster were sent to deal with flood damage and water damage claim thru out 5 boroughs. Hurricane sandy brought total devastion to brooklyn, staten island, long island and queens. Neighborhoods were lost, much of Breezy Point in Queens burned down, Seagate in Brooklyn was submerged, Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn was underwater, South Shore of Staten Island used life boats to get people and pets out of their homes and to safety and long island.
Much like the time after the twin tower tragedy New Yorkers came together like only they can. They got back on their feet, they weathered the storm, they will rebuild and Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx will be better then it was before hurricane Sandy because once more we proved that we will heal and we will move on.
[representyouinsurancepolicies] [footer1]- Published in Featured
Sandy Devastates New York and New Jersey Coastlines
Hurricane Sandy devastated New York like no other natural disaster in the past 30 years from flood water rising. The losses of homes and cars was astronomical and New York was not ready. Lives changed, people changed, New York changed. Many people lost their homes and worse yet, some even lost their lives.
The city and the infrastructure were not prepared for flooding, even the insurance companies were not prepared. Power went out, heat went out, stores were looted wind damage caused roofs to blow off lives were lost due to major flooding. In this what seemed to be New York’s darkest hour, the one thing that was not lost was the spirit of the people themselves.
Gas was no where to be found due to power failure, and the few gas stations that were able to get their deliveries had lines up to 10 blocks long and people waiting in lines at stations that they thought may get gas in the next day or so.
People got together and helped with the Flood damage, Water damage, the Wind damage and whatever other types of damage there was. They gave each other helping hands by cleaning out peoples homes, sharing food, giving out essential supplies and coming together like only New Yorkers can in a time of need.
Many people had no knowledge or experience in dealing with insurance claims and turned to Public Adjusters to battle the insurance companies, the same insurance companies who were not prepared to handle a natural disaster of this magnitude. Insurance companies themselves turned to public adjusters from outside New York state to go out and see the devastated homes and other carnage that hurricane Sandy had wrought. With the unparalleled devastation that Sandy brought with her came the largest amount of insurance claims that insurance companies have seen since hurricane Katrina and they were shown to be lacking in not only staff but also in compassion. Many insurance claims were underpaid if not totally because most people do not know their insurance policies and it is easier for an insurance company to deny a claim then to pay it and hurt their bottom line. Fortunately New Yorkers are an intelligent and resilient lot, they learned how to survive and move on, they hired public adjusters for their unpaid and underpaid claims and did the best they could until the money started to come in. Unpaid insurance claims due to flood water into paid insurance claims, underpaid insurance claims turned into well paid insurance claims and people started to fix the flood damage homes, water damage, wind damage and what ever other types of damage was caused by hurricane Sandy.Insurance claims rose from and insurance adjuster were sent to deal with flood damage and water damage claim thru out 5 boroughs. Hurricane sandy brought total devastion to brooklyn, staten island, long island and queens.
Neighborhoods were lost, much of Breezy Point in Queens burned down, Seagate in Brooklyn was submerged, Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn was underwater, South Shore of Staten Island used life boats to get people and pets out of their homes and to safety and long island. Much like the time after the twin tower tragedy New Yorkers came together like only they can. They got back on their feet, they weathered the storm, they will rebuild and Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx will be better then it was before hurricane Sandy because once more we proved that we will heal and we will move on.
[representyouinsurancepolicies] [footer1]- Published in Featured
Hurricane Sandy Insurance Claims
Hurricane Sandy, the after effects.
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Congress Passes $9.7 Billion Storm Relief Measure
WASHINGTON — Under intense pressure from New York and New Jersey, Congress adopted legislation on Friday that would provide $9.7 billion to cover insurance claims filed by people whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.
The measure is the first, and least controversial, portion of a much larger aid package sought by the affected states to help homeowners and local governments recover costs associated with the storm. The House has pledged to take up the balance of the aid package on Jan. 15.
The House passed the insurance measure354 to 67; it then cleared the Senate by unanimous consent. President Obama is expected to sign the measure into law.
In the House, all of the votes against the aid came from Republicans, who have objected that no cuts in other programs had been identified to pay for the measure despite the nation’s long-term deficit problem. The 67 Republicans who voted against the measure included 17 freshman lawmakers, suggesting that the new class will provide support to the sizable group of anti-spending conservatives already in the House.
Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, brought the bill to the House floor after he drew crisitcism from Democrats and Republicans alike for adjourning the previous Congress earlier this week without taking up a $60.4 billion aid bill that the Senate had passed to finance recovery efforts in the hurricane-battered states. Among those most critical of Mr. Boehner were several leading Republicans, including Representative Peter T. King of Long Island, who is a senior member of Congress, and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who is a possible presidential contender in 2016.
The bill adopted on Friday would give the National Flood Insurance Program the authority to borrow $9.7 billion to fill claims stemming from damage caused by Hurricane Sandy and other disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[footer1]- Published in In the News
Auto Claims
All American Public Adjusters, Inc can help you collect money to repair or replace your vehicle after you have been involved in an accident. Many times insurance company come back with a low claim settlement offer. We are able to recover additional money for vehicles that were damage in an accident due to diminished value. We are also able to get additional money for vehicles that were in a total loss accident. We have licensed adjusters and auto appraiser on stand by to answer any of your questions and appraise the true value of your vehicle .
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Governors say no to hurricane deductibles
Homeowners in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will save thousands of dollars in insurance costs after several state governors declared that Sandy did not make landfall as a hurricane, exempting them from insurers’ hurricane deductibles
Unlike regular deductibles that require homeowners to pay a set dollar amount — typically $500 or $1,000 — hurricane deductibles often require you to cough up 1% to 5% of your property’s value. So a policyholder with a house worth $300,000 and a hurricane deductible of 5% would have to pay for the first $15,000 in damages before insurance payments kick in.
Hurricane deductibles only go into effect when storms have sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or more, or Category 1 hurricane strength. And state governors from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are saying Sandy didn’t make that cut.
“Homeowners should not have to pay hurricane deductibles for damage caused by the storm,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York. Governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Dannel Malloy of Connecticut made similar statements, as did Maryland’s insurance regulator.
The insurance industry would have reached the same conclusion that sustained wind triggers were not met, said Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute. “No one would have been charged the hurricane deductible,” he said.
Insurers came up with the idea of hurricane deductibles after they made heavy payouts for Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which caused $15.5 billion in damages. Increasingly, insurers in hurricane-prone states along the Eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico have been adding the deductible to their policies.
Disaster and risk-modeling firm Eqecat estimates that there will be between $10 billion to $20 billion in insured losses from Sandy.
Robert Hunter, an insurance specialist with the Consumer Federation of America, believes insurers apply hurricane deductibles improperly at times. A storm may hit Long Island, N.Y., as a hurricane, but it can quickly weaken by the time it moves inland. Nevertheless, those living upstate in Albany could be hit by the hurricane deductible even though the storm was downgraded before it reached them. “If it’s a hurricane anywhere, it’s a hurricane everywhere,” said Hunter.
The Insurance Information Institute’s Hartwig said the conditions that trigger the deductibles are not only fair but they are clearly stated in homeowner’s insurance policies, which are vetted and approved by state insurance departments.
[representyouinsurancepolicies] [footer1]- Published in In the News
FEMA bringing manufactured housing NJ, NY hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy
FEMA is bringing manufactured housing to NJ, NY hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy
Part of Sandy Hurricane Superstorm Aftermath
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL | Associated Press | Nov 8, 2012 5:36 PM CST in
The federal government is moving manufactured housing into areas in New York and New Jersey that were hit hardest by Superstorm Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday
A snow plower drives on New Jersey Avenue as snow covered debris from Superstorm Sandy lies on the sidewalk, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, in Point Pleasant, N.J. A nor’easter hit the New Jersey shore on…
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said the disaster relief agency has several hundred mobile homes in its inventory of emergency supplies and has started moving some of them to disaster zone. He said it is unclear yet if FEMA will need to order more of the temporary homes.
Officials still don’t know “what total demand would be,” Fugate told reporters.
Forty prefabricated homes were en route from a staging area in Maryland to a staging area in New Jersey, FEMA officials said. State officials in New Jersey and New York will decide where the houses will be placed, federal officials said.
Since the storm hit last week, more than 317,000 people have registered with FEMA for financial help and the agency has approved more than $300 million in emergency aid. In New York and New Jersey, FEMA has determined that more than 101,000 people are eligible for temporary housing at hotels or motels in the region but it’s unclear exactly how many people are taking advantage of that option.
More than 56,000 people have also been ruled eligible for FEMA’s individual and households program, which provides money for renting a new place or housing repairs.
Fugate said some people who have been forced out of their homes have sought shelter at hotels as far away as Albany.
FEMA was widely criticized for using trailers after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated New Orleans and parts of the Gulf Coast in 2005 after many of those trailers were later found to contain toxic levels of formaldehyde.
A class-action settlement agreement in a federal lawsuit over the trailers earlier this year called for around two dozen companies that manufactured trailers distributed in that emergency to pay a total of $37.5 million to resolve claims from residents housed in the trailers.
Fugate said the mobile homes being sent to New York and New Jersey have been approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The mobile homes being used for this storm are not the same kind that were used after Katrina and Rita, FEMA said.
Officials in New York and New Jersey don’t know yet how many people may have been left homeless by the storm. In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this week that officials were going door-to-door in hard-hit areas to determine the need for temporary housing. He said the worst-case estimate is 40,000 people, half of them in public housing.
But Bloomberg said as many as 20,000 will probably get their heat and power back within a few days. Ultimately, the number of people who need housing could be under 10,000, he said.
At least 4,000 residents were in New Jersey shelters. On Wednesday, some storm evacuees were moved from shelters to tent-like housing at a racetrack in Oceanport, N.J. because a building that had been used as temporary shelters had to revert to normal use.
A nor’easter that hit the region Wednesday hindered recovery efforts and cut power to some areas that had only recently had the lights turned back on.
Call us for Hurricane Sandy Insurance Claim Help
- Published in In the News