Florida residents are increasingly worried about insurance and whether they can get coverage for their property. Even those who already have coverage are facing obstacles in getting repairs and replacements as they believe they are supposed to. In these cases, the consumer might think they have nowhere to turn. However, there are options to try and make sure the insurance company lives up to the agreement.
Homeowner has dispute with insurer over roof
A property owner whose roof was severely damaged in a weather incident is having problems with the insurance company making the necessary replacement. According to him, he has had multiple contractors check the condition of the roof and all agree that it needs to be replaced. The insurance company disagrees.
Before moving to Florida, the owner was an insurance agent and understands how the process is supposed to work. Despite that, the insurer capped the damage at $3,000. He had a deductible that surpassed that amount, so there was no payout.
The insurer was insolvent so the claim was taken over by the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association. It came up with a significantly higher estimate for the damage at over $16,000. Unfortunately, FIGA said the roof can be repaired while the owner and roofers who looked at the damage said it cannot be repaired and needs to be completely replaced. The owner and insurer will need to go to mediation to come to a solution.
Disputes over insurance estimates can be difficult
This type of case is not unusual. While most people are thinking about the difficulty in getting any insurance at all given the current circumstances in Florida, there are still disagreements between policy holders and companies regarding payouts.
The objective of having insurance is so people are protected from damage and can get the necessary repairs. As this case shows, even when the sides agree there is damage, there can be obstacles in getting the work done due to a lack of common ground on what needs to be done and its cost. In any insurance litigation case, people need to know what their rights are to try and reach a positive result.