Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:40 am Post subject: home owners insurance
in jan 2008 we had a fire and lost quite a bit of stuff. we hired an adjuster. it was clear he did not know what he was doing so we had to deal with this matter by ourself. the insurance company gave us a undisputed amount and we had to come up with more information if we needed additional monies. it has been a total roller coaster. our contractor is sueing us for monies because the job costed more than what the insurance company is paying. the insurance company just dont care what we are going through. both my husband and my credit have been messed up because i could not go back to work since january when the fire happened. i have to be available to meet with the contractors and inspectors. our lives have just been turned upside down. as at today we still dont know when we moving in our house and if the insurance company will continue to cover of rental. we have been renting now since jan. we desperately need help and need to sue them for personal injury. we have had a perfect credit and was never late on non of our morgages _________________ Register Now to have your Insurance queries solved.
Good morning firevictim1, and welcome to the community...So sorry to hear you suffered a fire...glad however that you all are ok...
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we hired an adjuster
huh? why? and what did he do? and what did you have to pay him/her? Your own company has them for free you know..
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our contractor is sueing us for monies because the job costed more than what the insurance company is paying.
First off how can he sue you until the job is done...secondly why would he or you have not contacted your insurance company the second you found out he wanted more than the ins company had estimated? the work should've stopped at that minute until it was figured out with your carrier...
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the insurance company gave us a undisputed amount and we had to come up with more information if we needed additional monies.
Then why didn't you and the contractor do this?
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both my husband and my credit have been messed up because i could not go back to work since january
How did your husband and your credit get 'messed up'?
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i have to be available to meet with the contractors and inspectors
I'm sorry but this is non-sense...it's not a full time job...you don't have to meet with inspectors and contractors 40 hours per week for ten months....first of all it's the contractors job to do this not yours...sorry but I'm not buying the couldn't go back to work for this reason..I don't mean to sound harsh, but if you didn't want to go back to work..ok I can dig that...but this isnt a good or acurate reason, let's be honest here...
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we desperately need help and need to sue them for personal injury.
Sue who for what? Are you kidding? You want to sue your ins company because you decided not to go back to work? And what 'personal injury' did you sustain?
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we have had a perfect credit and was never late on non of our morgages
Then why have you been now? I don't understand this part...how on earth did this CAUSE your credit to go into the toliet? _________________ **************************************
Life gaurantees a chance NOT a fair shake
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the insurance company gave us a undisputed amount and we had to come up with more information if we needed additional monies.
Then where exactly is the problem??
Just let your insurance company know that the repair cost has exceeded the amount that they have paid earlier and they may write a check for the excess amount.
Why the construction company is required to sue you when the insurance company has already agreed to pay the balance as well?
Sorry, but I think I'm missing something here. Can you explain it more vividly?
It sounds like you and your contracter are not working well with your insurance company. Those lines of communication need to stay open and they need to be informed of all that is happening as/before it happens. They can not guess the situation. Most contractors should be aware of all the steps and processes in dealing with a claim if they are a good contracting company.
I once had lightening strike my shed and cause a fire and lots of damage. With in days the adjuster was out (free from the ins. company) and worked with me every step of the way until the job was completed.
I definately feel you should be working a little better with them.
It sounds like you and your contracter are not working well with your insurance company.
If that is the situation OP then I think that you're caught in the middle.
In many places you might not be allowed to sue the insurance company, whereas, in other cases suing the insurance company is allowed only if it acts under the bad faith. I think you're required to initiate a negotiation with the insurance company to see what can be done at this juncture.
Is the work the contract doing designed to bring your house back to where it was before the fire? Or have you decided that since the fire destroyed, for example, the kitchen - that now is a good time to upgrad our kitchen?
This could be the reason for the discrepancy. If there is nothing abnormal about the repairs, then you should be able to file a supplemental claim and have it taken care of. _________________ Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. - Ferris Bueller
it sounds to me like ur insurance agent didn't set you up with enough coverage for your house and he's the guy you should be mad at, not his company
also it looks like you didn't let the insurance company do their job, they have adjusters and they usually have networks of contracters who are going to work the insurance company to make sure you are idemnified.
from what you said it looks like you and your husband jumped the gun and since the contracter knows that the insurance company is involved he is trying to commit fraud
I'd try looking at your policy and you'd see actually how much coverage your getting from your insurance company before calling them complaining they aren't doing enough for you
it sounds to me like ur insurance agent didn't set you up with enough coverage for your house and he's the guy you should be mad at, not his company
Nope Farm, I don't think that is the trouble AT ALL...
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also it looks like you didn't let the insurance company do their job, they have adjusters and they usually have networks of contracters who are going to work the insurance company to make sure you are idemnified
That's closer... _________________ **************************************
Life gaurantees a chance NOT a fair shake
**************************************
FIND a way EVERY day to lighten the load of another
**************************************
Is the work the contract doing designed to bring your house back to where it was before the fire? Or have you decided that since the fire destroyed, for example, the kitchen - that now is a good time to upgrade our kitchen?
Good catch!! I think that it could be a possible reason for the discrepancies. The OP has requested the constructor to refurbish the house for more than what was destroyed by the fire the insurance company will not entertain the excess cost. He can only expect the amount that the insurance company has determined as the worth of the damage.
we desperately need help and need to sue them for personal injury.
Further, if you are referring to your screwed credit score as personal injury I'm afraid you'll be disappointed for not getting coverage for it. I sincerely feel that you need to contact the insurance company and describe the situation to them. If the loss of use coverage component is included in your policy you'll receive compensation from the insurer for the rental apartment. However, if you don't have the loss of use coverage then you may be out of luck.
I've not seen an HO policy that didn't have ALE...but could be I guess... _________________ **************************************
Life gaurantees a chance NOT a fair shake
**************************************
FIND a way EVERY day to lighten the load of another
**************************************
as at today we still dont know when we moving in our house and if the insurance company will continue to cover of rental. we have been renting now since jan.
It looks like they are getting ALE but they aren't sure how much longer their insurance company will pay. There usually is a time limit (ours is, under normal circumstances, 12 months but can be extended) but I'm thinking their house might be complete.
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our contractor is sueing us for monies because the job costed more than what the insurance company is paying
If so, there is no reason for more ALE to be paid; they can move back in. _________________ Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. - Ferris Bueller
I think all the policy's I've seen there is a dollar limit on ALE _________________ **************************************
Life gaurantees a chance NOT a fair shake
**************************************
FIND a way EVERY day to lighten the load of another
**************************************
