Source: http://fightsforyou.net/tag/water-damage-attorney-2/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 21:10:27+00:00

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Florida Property Damage Insurance Claims – How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit or Provide Notice of a Claim?
So you are a South Florida homeowner living in Coral Springs, Cooper City, Hallandale, Boca Raton, Homestead, Key Biscayne, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Wilton Manors, Hialeah or another area within Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach, and one day you come home to a flooded condominium or house. Your furniture is soaked, your walls have started growing toxic mold, and the home has become uninhabitable due to the significant water damage. Thinking that you may have to file a property damage insurance claim with your homeowners insurance company, you contact a Miami, Florida Water Damage lawyer to get some information on how to file a claim. The South Florida lawyer asks you if this was a sudden water loss from a burst pipe or water heater, was the water and property damage due to the recent Hurricane and windstorm that just occurred, or was the water damage due to normal wear and tear. You tell the attorney that your not sure, it may have been from a roof leak.
Florida Statute §95.11(2)(e): if you sustain a property loss on or after May 17, 2011, the Statute of Limitations for filing lawsuits on all property insurance claims (for breach of insurance contracts) is five (5) years from the date of the property loss. Before this law was changed, a Florida homeowner could bring a lawsuit within five years from the date the insurance company breached the insurance contract (ie., a wrongful denial of a claim via a denial letter or an improper/lowball estimate).
Florida Statute §626.854(11)(a): compensation to a public adjuster for a reopened or supplemental claim may not exceed twenty (20) percent of the reopened or supplemental claim payment.
Florida Statute §626.854(15): a public adjuster must ensure prompt notice of property loss claims submitted to an insurer, the public adjuster’s contract is to be provided to the insurer, the property is to be available for inspection of the loss or damage by the insurance company, and the insurance company is to be given an opportunity to interview the insured directly about the loss and claim. The insurer also must be allowed to obtain necessary information to investigate and respond to the claim.
Florida Statute §627.70132: a claim, supplemental claim, or reopened claim under an insurance policy that provides property insurance for loss or damage caused by the peril of a windstorm or hurricane is barred unless notice of the claim, supplemental claim, or reopened claim (ie, reporting the claim to the insurance company) was given to the insurer within three (3) years after the hurricane first made landfall or the windstorm caused the covered damage. The term “supplemental claim” or “reopened claim” means any additional claim for recovery from the insurer for losses from the same hurricane or windstorm which the insurer has previously adjusted pursuant to the initial claim. Prior to this law change effective June 1, 2011, an insured had five years to report a claim.
Florida Statute §627.351(6): for any claim filed under a Citizens Property Insurance Policy as of May 17, 2011, a public adjuster may not charge, agree to, or accept any compensation or fee greater than ten (10) percent of the additional amount actually paid over the amount that was originally offered by the corporation for any one claim. This appears to limit the ability of a public adjuster to get involved on a Citizens property loss claim until after the homeowner has made a claim and been offered property insurance loss proceeds. This does not limit the ability of a Miami, Florida Hurricane and Windstorm damage insurance claim lawyer from getting involved from the beginning, however.
Florida Statute §627.7011(3)(a): as to losses for which a dwelling (house structure) is insured on the basis of replacement costs, the insurance company must initially pay at least the actual cash value of the insured loss, minus any applicable deductible. However,the insurer shall pay any remaining amounts necessary to perform such repairs as work is performed and expenses are incurred. If a total loss of a dwelling occurs, the insurance company is to pay the replacement cost coverage without reservation or holdback of any depreciation in value pursuant to section 627.702. As such, if work is contracted for but not done, and therefore, expenses are not incurred, the insurance company will not issue a check to their insured.
Florida Statute §627.706(5): any claim brought on or after May 17, 2011, including, but not limited to, initial, supplemental, and reopened claims under an insurance policy that provides sinkhole coverage, is barred unless notice of the claim was given to the insurance company within two (2) years after the policyholder knew or reasonably should have known about the sinkhole loss.
As you can see, these changes in the law (most of them taking place on May 17, 2011), will affect the ability of policy holders to bring Florida property damage insurance suits and claims, and public adjusters will be significantly affected, especially for claims on a Citizens Insurance policy.
When living in South Florida, it is more important than ever for a homeowner or renter/tenant to secure insurance for the many different hazards that may affect one’s property. After all, we are especially susceptible to tropical storms and Hurricanes in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach areas. Yet, even though we have not experienced a Hurricane in quite some time, having homeowners or renters insurance can provide peace of mind given the many other perils which may occur and that can destroy one’s property, including fires, electrical surges, floods, sinkholes, tornadoes, lightning strikes, vandalism, theft, and/or sudden water losses from a burst pipe, faulty/broken plumbing or a failed seal in a water heater.
Actual Cash Value: if a policy provides for actual cash value as opposed to replacement cost, this would be the amount of money it would cost to purchase a similar item in like condition and quality in today’s market place, ie, the market value of the property that takes into consideration depreciation. An example of depreciation is say carpet or other types of flooring that has a useful life of say 10 years but at the time of loss was 5 years old, the market value of the carpet would be less than the replacement cost, as the market value would take into consideration this wear and tear over the years and reduce the value of the property.
Replacement Cost: if a policy provides for the replacement cost of damaged property, this would be the amount of money it would take to purchase the same type of property of like kind and quality in today’s market place.
Alternative Living Expenses: also known as ALE, alternative living expenses may include the reasonable expenses incurred to relocate for the time it takes to repair an uninhabitable property, such as staying in a hotel for days or weeks, excess food expenses above what one normally would spend, transportation expenses in case you need to travel greater distances than normal, and storage expenses, just to name a few. It is important to save your receipts in order to prove that these expenses were actually incurred.
Loss of Use: an interchangeable term with alternative living expenses (ALE) on a Miami, Florida, homeowners insurance policy, loss of use damages are paid when a homeowner incurs excess expenses during the time it takes to repair an uninhabitable property.
Deductible: the amount of money the policy holder must pay out of pocket before the insurance company will start paying from your insurance coverage. For instance, a Miami, Florida, homeowner may have a $5,000 deductible on a windstorm policy, and when a Hurricane damage insurance claim is made, if the property damage claim is adjusted at $15,000, the insurance company will pay you a net of $10,000, ie., minus the $5,000 deductible.
Exclusion: within a homeowner’s policy, there will be certain provisions called exclusions that an insurance company may cite to in order to deny a claim. Common exclusions cited in a homeowner’s insurance policy could include mold (given that is it something that grows over time), flood (you would need to purchase a separate flood policy), landslides/sinkholes (ie, earth movement), neglect/wear and tear (policies cover water damage caused by sudden and unexpected losses, such as a burst pipe or a water heater that explodes), a sewer backup, loss caused by intentional destruction, and ordinance/law (such as construction to bring a house up to code), just to name a few. However, insurance companies typically offer a homeowner the opportunity to purchase coverage that normally would be excluded.
As you can see, whether you are a homeowner/tenant in Coral Springs, Cooper City, Hallandale, Boca Raton, Homestead, Key Biscayne, Weston, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Wilton Manners, Hialeah or another area within Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach, there is a lot to think about when it comes to your insurance policy and potential property damage disputes and claims that may occur.

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