Sarasota Condo Board Experiences Runaround Before Public Adjuster Helps Negotiate Fair Settlement

Sarasota Condo Board Experiences Runaround Before Public Adjuster Helps Negotiate Fair Settlement
The public insurance adjusters at Tutwiler & Associates work extremely hard to prove why our industry profession is so valuable to policyholders. We work with potential clients and share our knowledge to guide them in their property insurance claim decision making. We strive to educate policyholders after a serious loss when they are the most vulnerable.  Case in point involves a massive electrical fire that occurred at a Sarasota condominium last August.
Read More

A Simple Fire Claim? …Not!

A Simple Fire Claim? …Not!
A strip center in Tampa’s historic Ybor City caught fire destroying half of the building, a retail/manufacturing business and damaged the other section of the building rented to another tenant. The cause and origin of the fire was not suspicious, thus all the property owners needed to do was seemingly settle the claim with their insurance company. And here is where the trouble started.  
Read More

Avoid a Fire Insurance Claim this Holiday Season

Avoid a Fire Insurance Claim this Holiday Season

We want to thank public adjuster Mike Stabile for crafting this holiday blog. The joyful sounds of the season can be heard all around, the halls have been meticulously decked, we're searching for the perfect gifts to fill the stockings and pile under our beautiful trees as we prepare to open our homes to love and laughter with our family and friends this holiday season. 


Read More
Filed Under: Tagged With:

Surplus Lines Insurance Claims - Your Coverage May be an Illusion

Surplus Lines Insurance Claims - Your Coverage May be an Illusion

A few years ago I was invited to speak at a conference of insurance professionals in Rhode Island.  My topic was surplus lines insurance which at that time was a very hot topic, at least in Florida as there was a pending Florida Supreme Court case that had it turned out different, could have changed the surplus market insurance scheme in a big way.  As it turned out due to the Court’s ruling, the surplus lines carriers preserved their unique market position and the world in this insurance community did not stop or even wobble. Having been retained recently on a couple of large commercial fire losses and getting reacquainted with some of the nuances of surplus lines, I thought now would be a good time to revisit this unique line of coverage with a couple of case studies that hopefully will shed light on some of the practical problems for policyholders if they happen to be insured by a surplus lines carrier.


Read More

Public Adjuster Restores Order after Tierra Verde House Fire Turns into a Property Claim Nightmare

Public Adjuster Restores Order after Tierra Verde House Fire Turns into a Property Claim Nightmare
On February 28, 2013 a massive fire broke-out in this upscale waterfront home located in Tierra Verde, Florida burning off the roof and causing significant fire, water, and smoke damage to the rest of the building structure, custom furniture, and personal belongings.  As is typical with all fires, which become public record when the fire department gets called, the homeowner was “assaulted” (his words) by emergency service restoration contractors and public adjuster chasers who came from all over the State of Florida to give their sales pitch.  Unfortunately, this property owner fell victim and signed with a restoration company who provided an estimate with a “not to exceed” agreement. But when the contractor sent the invoice for services performed, it was triple the amount!  The insurance company was just as surprised and refused to pay an obviously exorbitant amount. The contractor’s response was to place a lien on the property until the situation could be resolved.
Read More

Choosing the Right Public Adjuster Can Make a Difference in Your Claim Settlement

We recently handled a property claim involving a serious electrical fire in the home of a Clearwater Largo, FL family that caused significant fire, water, and smoke damage to the building and personal property. After being hired, the homeowner told us of a situation that is sadly becoming a recurring theme when fires occur. What we are referring to are the restoration contractors and public adjuster chasers who offer their services by bombarding the homeowners with confusing information and high pressure sales tactics.
Read More

Statistics Show Fires Peak during Holiday Season

Year after year, statistics indicate that fires peak between Thanksgiving and Christmas. As the chart below shows tree fires are a big contributor. As public adjusters, we see firsthand how a house fire and the ensuing insurance claim can ruin a holiday well past the New Year! We urge everyone to pay extra attention in the kitchen, around fires and with holiday decorations. Double check your smoke detectors and take special care this year while you enjoy the holidays.


Read More
Filed Under: Tagged With:

Policyholders must beware of roofers and contractors acting as insurance adjusters

A rising problem that we in the public adjusting profession have been dealing with for years seems to finally have caught the attention of Florida officials. That is, the practice of insurance adjusting without a license by roofers and restoration contractors who sometimes are also unlicensed. A recent article, Illegal for roofers to act as insurance adjusters, experts warn perfectly illustrates the growing problem that takes advantage of homeowners who are in a stressful situation trying to repair their property and get a fair settlement. Hats off to Nancy Dominquez of The Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters who states, “when you have individuals or companies trying to convince homeowners that their contracting or roofing license permits them to handle insurance claims, that's incorrect. Not only is it incorrect, it's against the law.”


Read More

Fire Insurance Claims and Contents Inventory – Be Prepared

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters was retained this week following a devastating fire that occurred in Pinellas County, Florida.  The fire hit so close my home that I found myself scrambling to check all the smoke detectors in my house.  Fortunately, everyone in this home survived without injury, but the fire was so bad that it completely destroyed everything inside the home well beyond recognition.  Even worse, the property owner a brilliant young engineer did not have an inventory of his clothing, casual clothes, household furniture, tools in the garage, or expensive electronic items just to name a few.  Everything was literally burned to ashes!


Read More

A Few Thoughts for Fire Prevention Week

Smoke from fire is like an anesthetic.  Rather than awakening you, it will put you into a deep sleep.  And a little known fact is that most fire deaths occur during the night, with most perishing due to smoke inhalation, not fire. A recent fire in Tampa where a mother and daughter perished due to smoke in an otherwise minimal fire is a perfect example.

 


Read More


"On Property" Insurance Claim Tips Blog

Tips and advice about how to properly file and protect your property damage insurance claim and get a fair settlement. We invite all readers to ask questions about their claim so our public adjusters can post answers for others to benefit. Insurance claim expert guest bloggers welcome to submit posts via our contact form.

Tags

#HurricaneSally#law and ordinanceActual Cash ValueAdditional Living Expensesadjuster licensingAdjuster Michael PlattsApartment DamageAppraisalAssignment of BenefitsBad FaithBahamas AdjusterBankBest Public Adjusterblack waterBusiness Interruptioncar crash into buildingCaribbean Public AdjusterCatastrophe InsuranceCeiling CollapseChattanooga tornadoCitizens Insuranceclaim delayclaim denialClaim Paymentclaim settlementclaimsClaims AdjusterClaims Tipscollapse claimCommercial ClaimCondo associationsCondominium ClaimsContents DamageContractor EstimatesCovid ClaimDamage AssessmentDeductibledenied claimDepartment of Financial ServicesDepreciationDisaster Planningdock damagedorian adjusterElectrical damageelectrical fireFEMA FloodFIGAFirefire claimsFloodflood adjusterFlood claimFlood DamageFlood DamageFlood Damage RestorationFlood FilingFlood InsurancefloodadjusterFlorida Property InsuranceFlorida public adjusterfrank fortsonfrozen gutterfrozen pipesHail Damagehome Inventory ValuationHurricanehurricane claimsHurricane DamageHurricane DorianHurricane EtaHurricane FlorenceHurricane HarveyHurricane HenriHurricane HermineHurricane IanHurricane IdaHurricane IdaliaHurricane IrmaHurricane LauraHurricane MatthewHurricane MichaelHurricane NicoleHurricane SallyHurricane Season 2018ice damageice damsindependent adjusterInspectionInsuranceInsurance AdjusterInsurance ClaimInsurance Claim TipsInsurance ClaimsInsurance CoverageInsurance LitigationInsurance Rate IncreasesInsurance Reforminsurance settlementinsurance umpirelasthousestandinglaw & ordinanceLightning Damageloss adjusterLoss Assessormanaged repairMediationMike StabileMoldMold DamageMortgageNashville adjusterNashville public adjusterNashville StrongNashville tornadoNatural DisastersNFIPNick ChaseNorth Carolina AdjusterOrlando Public Adjusteroverhead & profitPanama City Public AdjusterPanhandle FloodingPensacola public adjusterPinellas TornadoPipe Burstpipe leakPittsburgh Claims AdjusterPittsburgh loss adjusterPittsburgh Public AdjusterPittsburgh tornadoplumbing leakpollution claimPower Outage Insurance ClaimPreferred ContractorsPreLossPrivate Adjusterproof of lossProperty Damageproperty damage adjusterproperty insurance appraisalProperty Insurance ClaimProperty Insurance RatesPublic AdjusterRepairsresort insurance claimRestorationrestoration contractorRick TutwilerRoofRoof DamageRoof InspectionRoof RepairRoof ReplacementSandy FloodSettlement CheckSewer Back-upSewer DamageShower leakSinkholeSinkhole AdjusterSinkhole ClaimSinkhole Damagesmoke damageSouth Carolina AdjusterSt. Augustine public adjusterStorm Damagestructural damagesubrogationSuperstorm SandySurplus Lines InsuranceTampa Public AdjusterTampa Tornadotemporary housingTennessee adjusterTexas Public AdjusterTheftThird PartyTornadoTornado adjusterTornado ClaimsTornado DamageTornado HelpTropical Storm ElsaUmpireunattended death claimVacation Home Damage ClaimVandalismWaterWater DamageWater LeakWINDwind damagewindstorm insuranceWindstorm insurance networkwinter stormZachary Flora

Local Office

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters, Inc.
Licensed Public Insurance Adjusters & Loss Consultants
Offices: Tampa, Orlando, Palm City, Ft. Myers, Florida; Dallas, TX; Pittsburgh, PA

Executive Office
4300 W. Cypress St.
Suite 780
Tampa, FL 33607
Phone: 813.287.8090
Toll Free: 800.321.4488

Licensed in Florida # W840088 &
Texas #1399706 plus 16 other states
and the Virgin Islands