Q. I have a friend that lives in a retirement condominium community. They have a condo policy that covers all 8 buildings in the community. The insurance has paid to replace between 98-160 shingles per roof due to hail damage. The HOA by-laws state that the roof color must be the same on all roofs. After 17 years it will not be possible to match that many shingles on each roof. They have ordinance and law coverage in their policy for replacement cost. Would this apply in this situation? Should the insurance have to pay for a full replacement of the shingle roofs?

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Q. The city where we live experienced a ten inch water main break that flooded our basement with 4 ft. of water. We hired a public adjuster 10 days ago. Now they are backing out saying there are limitations to what they can do. Should we go with the city's insurance? Should we find out what limitations there are with our homeowners policy?

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Q. Could one choose to have a larger deductible on hurricane insurance? For example; a 20% or 30% deductible on a $100,000 home? What would be the savings as opposed to a 10% deductible?

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Q. We own a home that was built in 1964. Last Saturday our family room ceiling collapsed. There does not appear to be any moisture. The insurance company is telling us it’s normal wear and tear, the insulation was too heavy and thus the damage is not covered. There are no cracks in the ceiling, no sagging and our home is well maintained. Any thoughts on the cause? Our roof was replaced in May of 2010.
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Q. If the mortgage company holds on to my insurance repair check and delays my ability to rebuild my damaged home by hanging onto my insurance check, is there an agency that regulates mortgage companies that I can file a complaint with? Policyholder from Ocala, Florida
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Q. How much does the insurance company pay for my groceries in case of fire loss? An amount of $500 regardless or I can make an inventory with photos, prices and quantities?

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Ran into an old friend and his wife at a restaurant we both frequent the other night. Bob is a property manager and my firm has not only represented his family but also some of the properties he has managed over the years.  I had not seen him for a few weeks and he reminded me of his call to me some weeks back about a water leak in his home. It seems the shower pan had given out and when the leak finally showed up, the damage was pretty extensive. He called his insurance agent who told him the water damage would not be covered due to the language the insurance lobbyists had recently pushed through about water damage that is over 14 days old.

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Q. A pipe in my attic broke which caused flooding in a down stairs hall, bedroom and bathroom. When an assessment was done, mold was found. My policy has a cap of $5,000 on mold remediation. The contractor estimates for demolition and repair that are necessary to correct water damage have been categorized as mold remediation by my insurance company.

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Q. My vacant property was vandalized (electrical, plumbing, bath & kitchen fixtures were destroyed). The insurance company denied my claim for vandalism as they considered theft was involved. Vandalism is a covered peril, theft is not. The definition of vandalism is not absolute (there are five to seven forms of vandalism, depending on the authority) and, there is no definition of theft given in the policy (nor will any representative provide one). One form of vandalism is that of acquisitive vandalism. Clearly when the value of the property damages exceeds 100 times the value of the petty theft, there would be a case for this form of vandalism. In this case the property damage estimate was $25,000 and the estimated value of the scrap wire and used fixtures was $200. Can a claim be successful based on the assertion that, barring a specific exclusion for acquisitive vandalism, the incident was in fact vandalism?

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Q. I’m looking for help/guidance. A flood event heaved thin crawlspace slurry pour, rotated a concrete support pier and then pushed the entire slurry floor down toward center of crawl and pier. A forensic engineer determined damage was pre-existing and not caused by the flood event. His report contained anecdotal evidence, supposition and was riddled with factual errors, including measurements. It also seemed to push irrelevant observations as supporting evidence as well. What can you tell me about this type of loss and my options?
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