I need feedback on how to handle a homeowner insurance claim from a flood. I hired a disaster restoration company who did part of their job but never came back to check on mold growth. I now have found mold in my home and want to make sure I step through this properly to get all my repairs covered thru the insurance claim. Insurance originally covered the flood problem. Anyone have words of guidance?
Wow! Thanks for all your responses to my mold/insurance question. I had a service come out to investigate/treat the mold. As fortune would have it; one piece of wood had very little in it and that has been removed, treated and replace. Yeah! I thank God it went so well and had so many of you respond with words of wisdom.
Did you use Puroclean? I don't have advice about the settlement but you will need to have the mold taken care of soon so you don't get sick so I'd recommend calling Kenneth Burross of Puroclean at ###-###-####. Good luck!
K.:
I have a brother in Lewisville that handles things like this. He works with different insurance agencies and I am sure he would know the steps to take.
He's name is Terry Brent. His business is on the corner of Main and 121 -- WCM Services. His work number is ###-###-####. http://www.wcmservices.com/index.html.
He has been in this business since he was about 16 years old and he has lots of experience. Just tell him that his little sis sent you. If he is not around ask for Pam...that's his wife.
J.
Uggh! That's going to probably be hard to fight. I've been a licensed insurance agent for 10 years & from my experience, most of the insurance companies in TX, if not all, have excluded mold damage unless you purchase an endorsement (seperate coverage) to add it back.
I would first call your agent & explain the situation and see if he/she can help you.
Secondly, you need to go through your contract/paperwork from the restoration company. It has always been my understanding that they check for mold automatically. I would also call and talk to the manager at the restoration company.
Some restoration companies will come out and give you a free estimate on removing the mold. You might get a 2nd opinion & estimate of what it would cost to remove it.
As a last resort you may have to talk to a lawyer to find out if the restoration company has any liability.
One thing I will pass on -- 90% of mold problems in the claims that used to be covered would have been taken care of with just household bleach. I don't know where you problem area is, but that's something to consider.
Good luck and if you want to send me a message with your specific insurance company and some policy info, maybe I can give you more specific info.
Hope this helps!
Take pictures of the mold areas.
In writing contact the company that originally came out that treat the mold.Follow up with a phone call. If the company was recommended by your insurance company, contact your insurance company to let them know what happen.
Contact the Better Business Bureau Consumer Protection Agency at the Attorney Generals office in your area.
If you are corresponding by phone log the date, time and person you spoke to with and a summary of the conversation. Keep a copy of any mail correspondence. Organize all correspondence by date. I am a Paralegal,I see thing like this often, hope this helps.
K.,
That is going to be tough. After the "black mold" scare of the last few years, most insurance companies no longer cover mold in any way. Some may, but most don't. I'm not sure if yours will be covered because of the original flood or not. I would look over your insurance contract carefully...maybe even have a lawyer look over it.
I would contact the Better Business Bureau on that company and write that company a letter stating what you would like. I'd send that letter to the CEO/General Manager stating your complaint and what you want them to do. You could also send a copy of the letter to the Better Business Bureau and see if they can do anything else, if you don't get anywhere with your letter.
If all this doesn't work, you can always contact an attorney to get some legal action done or you can take the company to small claims court. Small Claims Court would be the cheaper method, however you would need to spend some time researching and preparing for your case against them. If you have the money, it would probably be better to hire an attorney.
Have you contacted your insurance company for any guidance from them on what to do in this situation? Maybe talking to a Supervisor might help. I've never been thru this problem, so we can't be of much help. Does your insurance company have a website and your insurance policy declarations/written policy should explain more also.
Hope this helps and good luck!
I don't know if this will help, but since it was the disaster company's obligation to make sure your house was clear of mold, here is a link to file a claim with the Texas Department of Insurance - maybe if you file a claim against the company, the insurance will be more likely to let you file again.
https://wwwapps.tdi.state.tx.us/inter/perlroot/consumer/c...
Here is the link to their mold resource page:
http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/home/mold.html
The Texas Real Estate Commission has strict rules as to how mold remediation should be handled, and the company you hired didn't follow them. Hopefully you won't be responsible for additional repairs.
