Repair Is a Policy Question, Not a Scoping Shortcut I have evaluated roof damage from several seats at the table: general contractor, roofing consultant and project manager, carrier-side adjuster, and, since 2018, as a public adjuster, appraiser, and retained expert. That includes more than 5,000 property inspections in Florida and over 50 disputed matters. I …
Florida Killed the AOB Racket. Louisiana Followed. Every Other State Should Be Next. Florida’s ban on post-loss Assignment of Benefits for residential and commercial property policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2023 did what years of half-measures could not: it removed the legal vehicle that let contractors take control of homeowners’ insurance …
PAY OR NOT TO PAY? How Carriers Create Their Own Claims Problems Through my years in this trade, in different roles—carrier field adjuster, desk adjuster, public adjuster, CPAU, expert witness, and with advanced designations such as SCLA—I’ve developed some deeper thoughts about the industry as a whole. Surprisingly, carriers sometimes create their own exposure to …
The Field Adjuster Saw It. The Desk Adjuster Changed It. Your Roof Was There. Your Desk Adjuster Wasn’t. Over the years, I have written several pieces and articles—better or worse. Despite the different roles I play in this trade as a PA, CPAU, and expert, I have always tried to remain as unbiased as possible. …
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Matching or Stretching? How Florida’s Matching Rule Gets Rewritten Mid-Claim A statute that never defines its own key term, and what that gap costs the average Florida homeowner. Every adjuster in this state has had this fight. Doesn’t matter which side of the table you’re sitting on — carrier, PA, attorney, appraiser — you’ve had …
It Was Good Enough to Insure—Until It Was Time to Pay When “wear and tear” becomes a post-loss substitute for causation analysis WHATCAUSEDIT? Trade-Wide HabitNot “Pay Every Claim”No Direct OpeningWho Decided?Cuts Both WaysUnderwriting There is something peculiar about the way “wear and tear” gets used in property insurance claims. Before the loss, the property was …
Appraisal Reform · Florida ADR Appraisal Is Doing Florida’s Heavy Lifting. Time to Build It Like We Mean It. Appraisal was supposed to be the fast, cheap way to settle a dollar-amount dispute without going to court. Florida courts are leaning on it harder than ever right now. The process underneath it hasn’t kept up. …
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Homeowner Claims Help Check Your Ego at the Ladder: The Appraisal Trap Two roof appraisals, both sides of the table, and the same lesson both times. Writing this article is a delicate subject. You have to be careful not to sound too biased – very hard task – be as professional as possible and knowledgeable, …
Florida Quo Vadis: Reform, or the Rabbit Hole? Homeowner Claims Help | HCH Florida | Policy Analysis Florida homeowners pay more for insurance than almost anyone else in the country — not just near the top, at or near it. Average premiums run $5,700 to $8,300 a year against a national average around $2,500 to …
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Appraisal & Umpire Practice The Umpire’s Dilemma What happens when neither appraiser has actually established the amount of loss. POLICYHOLDER $180,000 CARRIER $105,000 where the two positions meet what the evidence actually supports Not the midpoint — the line the evidence draws Ask most people how insurance appraisal works and you’ll get the simple version: …
