Freeze Damage and the Insurance Claim Process

Imagine for a Moment

It’s February, and you are just getting back from a winter vacation spent in sunny Florida. While all the other New Yorkers had to deal with the cold spell that just passed, you were on the beach, sipping a cocktail, and breathing in the sunny and 75 degree weather. Your skin is tan, and you can still hear the ambient sounds of the Atlantic in your head. Sure you just traded sunny and 75 for cloudy and 30 degrees, but after seeing on the weather channel that the previous week had temperatures in the single digits, you aren’t complaining. As you unlock your front door and step inside your home, reality bites you harder than any frost bite last week ever could have.

The first thing you see is water, everywhere. Drywall and yellow insulation are hanging from the ceiling joists. Your wood flooring is buckled, exploding upwards at a 45 degree angle. Your furniture is soaked, and looks as if it has been for days as the dye colors are now running together. Your wet cabinets are so saturated with water that the granite countertop you have is now cracked, as you cabinets were no longer strong enough to carry their heavy load. All of your personal belongings such as electronics, paintings, and decorations are all water damaged.

You walk through your home to find out what happened. As you walk closer to your bathroom, you start to feel a cracking below your feet. You discover that the floor is frozen due to the cold weather. As you step up to the sink you see exposed supply lines that are frozen and popped off. The water has frozen like a stalactite sticking out of it. You decide to walk over to your kitchen sink, and see that the same phenomenon has happened here. It’s clear that your vacation is over.

You Have Freeze Damage – Now what?

It’s obvious that you need to act fast. It’s time to call your insurance company. After all, this is exactly what you have been paying your premiums for. Discovering the freeze damage done to your property is just the beginning. Once you find the damage, it’s time to file a claim. Unfortunately, this task isn’t always as easy as it may seem, and let me tell you, it’s going to take a while for you to get back to your previous home condition.

When filing a claim:

• There are going to be a lot of moving pieces
• There are going to be a lot of different people involved such as adjusters, contractors, plumbers, and engineers
• There are going to be a lot of different language used that seems foreign to you, filled with jargon you have never heard of, or even considered
• There is going to be a long wait period. You will be waiting for your property to get inspected, waiting for the adjusters report to come in, and waiting for funds to come in. Not only that, but there’s a good chance that these funds won’t be enough to cover your damage completely, so your adjuster will need to re-open your claim and go through this process all over again.

Going through this process alone may have you feeling stressed and overwhelmed. The good news is, you don’t need to.

Here to Help

What you need in a crisis such as this, is a public adjuster on your side. You need someone who is going to fight with and for you, and put justice on the critical. All public adjusters aren’t created equal, so you are going to want someone who is on your side, and knows what they are doing.

Our public adjustment firm specializes in helping New York policyholders successfully navigate through the often complex and difficult property claims process.

We will manage your entire claim to help you achieve a maximum claim settlement in the least amount of time possible. We will work hard to make sure that you are paid fairly for your damages, and get back to pre-loss condition quickly.

Our services include:

• Claim Submission
• Claim advisory services
• Communications management
• Inspection Coordination
• Final settlement negotiation
• Professional recommendations
• And more!

Give us a call today to get a free, no obligation consultation with a licensed public adjuster. On our call, we will review your claim, discuss options, and provide our professional recommendation for moving forward.

Don’t put yourself through more than you need to, and come out with less than you deserve. Choose someone who will fight for you.

Remember, when you sustain property damage:

Contact Claimly First!