Help- Insurance Claim, shattered tank, ruined home :(

[Squampton]

Originally Posted by swiftvision

I just called USAA. They said if it's sudden water damage, it's covered (vs a slow leak).

No special rider.

I am not in the US but Canada, and I do rent, and got the insurance company to provide in writing sudden water damage from an aquarium would be covered, however like you mention a slow leak isn't. Has to be catastrophic sudden event.

I also carry 5 million liability since well we don't own the place, and are not on ground floor, but no huge tanks.

[Squampton]

....

[gsiegel]

Originally Posted by neiltus

I am going to chime in on this...and your not going to like or enjoy some of the answers.

-----SO SORRY! I went through this when my tank was first built and 120 gallons of water ruined our flooring and other things. The company that built the tank covered it but I feel for you and have been there. I am also an attorney and will chime in to some of the comments below.

1. You need to read and understand what your paying for with your homeowner or renter policy, and all insurance policies for that matter. It's very common for agents to sell less coverage to show lower rates.

-----100% correct - do not buy cut rate insurance.

2. Servicemaster, or a water remediation company can help if acted on quickly. Fans (a ton of them) and dehumidifiers can save baseboard (sometimes) and drywall and cabinets. Time + the bacteria that are in our aquariums are not your carpet's friend.

-----Sorry again for the delayed response but also correct. We had multiple high powered fans and wet vac to mitigate the damages and took many pictures and videos to show the insurance company we did everything possible after the flood began.

3. You probably can't sue your insurance company. I don't know the laws in your state, but your policy may call for mediation only. See #1.

-----You need to read your policy but you may be able to sue or the policy may call for arbitration (not mediation)

4. Being able to hold any insurance company liable for something someone who works in their phone bank tells you is next to impossible. Some attorneys will take your money and tell you otherwise. See #1 about in writing.

-----You will get a licensed adjuster and not just someone working in a phone bank. They need to be licensed to advise on your claim and whether or not it is covered depending on what coverage and exclusions your policy may provide. Ultimately ask the adjuster to point you to anything specifically in the policy he/she is referring to if you do not like the response. (I am not looking to take your money or case). Also depending on the state the case may be taken on a contingency basis where the lawyer does not recover any $ unless you prevail and if you do prevail the attorney fees may be paid by the insurance company (and not deducted from what is awarded to you). A lawyer where you live who handles homeowners insurance claims can tell you quickly how it would apply with you.

5. Geico, State Farm and other major insurers suck. I suggest after this is done looking at your states complaint database when selecting a new insurer.

----Do not necessarily disagree. Many others are much worse though. Agree about USAA being good at handling claims as was stated in another post here. Hartford is also good handling claims generally. (Not a selfless promo - just based on my experience against them)

6. Since your in a condo, you might need to look at what is past the drywall. This could involve neighbors or the building. This might be a reason to need an attorney.

-----Agreed - I would consult with an attorney, or even a public adjuster regardless to help guide you. Best of luck to you!

Very sorry and wish you well. Been through this multiple times with overhead fire sprinklers freezing in my office buildings and living in hurricane prone areas. I have found it cheaper to not be covered and to pay for it myself and take steps to prevent it. Your not really out a home....trust me, roof is still there, you still have electric, plumbing and to a certain extent privacy.

[Hal]

So sorry to hear. It sounds like you're having a miserable time.

Step 1: ask your insurance company to show you, in writing, the portion of the policy that allows them to exclude your claim. Be polite, courteous, and calm. You'll get a better result than if you scream at the insurance agent. In the meantime, read the entire policy yourself and highlight anything that seems relevant to them covering the situation. Keep in mind that it could be a general exclusion with very broad, vague language, so read carefully.

Step 2: apply common sense to what they show you.

Step 3: I'd personally fight it awhile myself before hiring a lawyer. Lawyers are expensive and it should be a pretty simple exercise to determine if this situation is covered or not. Trust me, 90% of being a lawyer is just reading things carefully to figure out what the document says. Keep in mind that there is an escalation process listed in your policy, so you have that.

Many insurance companies will deny any claim that is different from what they see every day. This might just be a reflexive response by them.

[HiImSean]

Guys, the OP is over a year old...

[WitsNWrasse]

Sorry, I know this is over a year old...

if anyone is interested it took 7 months for the complete repair, and there are still a couple things that haven’t been finished (over a year later). The whole cost to fix everything was over 50k. I did end up getting tile baseboards in my living room just in case.

BUT I have a brand new kitchen, new floors, sliding glass door, and I just bought my second tank. About 80% of my fish and corals survived being in shitty quarantine that long, so phew.

If anyone ends up in this situation and stumbles upon this thread, feel free to pm me and ask questions about my experience.

[PeteStarks]

Sorry to heard about your whole adventure, but thanks for posting an update. Most posts end up like a tv show that got canceled on a cliffhanger. 80% survival is pretty good with everything considered.

[JaySchulz]

Originally Posted by WitsNWrasse

Sorry, I know this is over a year old...

if anyone is interested it took 7 months for the complete repair, and there are still a couple things that haven’t been finished (over a year later). The whole cost to fix everything was over 50k. I did end up getting tile baseboards in my living room just in case.

BUT I have a brand new kitchen, new floors, sliding glass door, and I just bought my second tank. About 80% of my fish and corals survived being in shitty quarantine that long, so phew.

If anyone ends up in this situation and stumbles upon this thread, feel free to pm me and ask questions about my experience.

Did insurance end up covering the damage to your condo?

[alton]

This is one of those threads that needs to stay in the fore front because it will happen again to some one on here

[WitsNWrasse]

Originally Posted by JaySchulz

Did insurance end up covering the damage to your condo?

Yes they did. They denied me two or three times tho, and then like I mentioned I had to get an adjuster. Everything was covered (except the display tank of course since that caused the damage)
And I ended up getting some things fixed up a lot earlier since they had to be replaced anyway (like the sliding glass door- the wood was so swollen and warped it couldn’t even be opened).

I will say, buying replacements of my personal property was obnoxious- they give you a check for the “depreciated value” and then you have to prove you purchased a new one to get the rest. So they might say due to the couch being 4 years old, the replacement cost might be 1500 but now it is only worth 300. So you get the 300 now, and then you have to buy the new couch, and then in a couple months you’ll get a check for the rest of the 1200.
That was hard, especially for someone that lives pay check to paycheck and I didn’t just have a couple thousand dollars laying around to “front” the cost of a lot of this stuff. Obviously there’s credit cards, but personally I hate racking up debt even if I know I’ll pay it off in a few months.

But they did cover a lot of random electronics tho- like iPhone cords, power strips, lights, etc. they didn’t even want to deal with having an expert in the fish industry come out and inspect my pumps, lights, etc and just deemed it all as non salvageable because of the salt water and the shorted circuits.

Other tips I have:
When you are creating your list of damaged property: don’t forget about shipping costs. That can be added into the total cost of the item. My adjuster automatically added taxes too- so just be aware that taxes and shipping costs contribute to the full cost of the item.

Another loophole-
If you get kicked out and can’t stay in your place while it gets repaired, your best bet might be to stay with a friend or family member. The insurance company can then pay your “landlord” (aka friend) the going rate for a rented room in your area. Maybe, if your friend is nice, they could use some of those funds from the rent they get to help you replace your personal property. not condoning lying, of course- but your friend can technically use those funds for whatever they see fit since it is now their money.


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[Bent]

This might be the best thread on the forums in regards to worst case scenarios.

Though I’m sorry it happened to you, maybe you can take some solice in the fact that your suffering may save someone else in the future.

From the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

[WitsNWrasse]

Originally Posted by Bent

This might be the best thread on the forums in regards to worst case scenarios.

Though I’m sorry it happened to you, maybe you can take some solice in the fact that your suffering may save someone else in the future.

From the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

I sincerely hope I help at least one person if this ever happens to anyone- only reason I came back a year later to give an update !!! I will reiterate for the people in the back- pm me if this happens to you and you are freaking out and need some opinions or suggestions !!!!


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