Water damage - Insurance claim

[Monica R.]

Hello,

this is my first post here and I hope somebody in the same situation can help me with an answer or an advice.

We had water damage in a rental property, opened a claim with insurance and I am dealing with this nightmare for the last 2 weeks.

- Pipe was repaired and rerouted. I paid myself the pipe bill, and now I am trying insurance to pay me back.

- dry team bill was sent directly to the insurance

- insurance adjuster said that they will send me a check , that will cover for the floors and a cabinet repair.

- tenant went to hotel for a day and now moved out of the house until we fix it.

Questions:

1. loss of rent - is this covered in my insurance? Can I pay back the tenant for the days she is out? she is still paying me rent. The insurance guy doesn't want to answer to this question. Is it a mistake that the tenant is still sending me money for rent?

2. water bill for the last 2 months is close to $600. is this covered by insurance? (the difference from a regular month). Wrote already to the water company to see if they can do anything.

3. Tenant went to a hotel for $200 and sent me the bill. Do I pay it or insurance should pay it?

4. floor repair - can I do it with an independent guy or do I need to show or send invoice to insurance. My handyman cannot provide invoice to me.

Thank you and appreciate your help.

Monica

[Jeff Bridges]

I dont think insurance will pay for repair to damaged pipe, but they will pay for damage stemming from the damaged pipe. So the plumber bill is not reimbursable, but drywall, paint flooring and all finishes will be covered to allow you to return to original condition.

Citation:   https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/111815/do...

Try to consolidate repairs into one invoice if possible for ease of approval with insurance. get a licensed reputable contractor to quote you to replace or repair your cabinets as needed and also do your flooring with like materials and no upgrades. Then you can take that written estimate and share with your adjuster for approval before you commence work. The insurance company will pay prevailing market rates for put-back renovations and you dont need to skimp with an unlicensed handyman since they should fully reimburse you for a fully licensed and experienced contractor. You can get warm and fuzzy by submitting the estimate and not beginning repairs until insurance agrees to the contractor invoice price. You really want contractor who can make quality repairs the fastest and provide detailed invoices for you to provide to insurance. You dont want to drag it out more than necessary and you've already committed to insurance paying for repairs anyway. This is all my opinion having made previous water damage claims.

loss of rent only applies as far as I understand if the house is uninhabitable for months at a time and tenant had a lease but had to move out. You would get paid for that lost rent. this was a short-term hotel stay and tenant returned back home. You should accept the full rent from the tenant and there should be no change to payment cycle. What you negotiate with the tenant for their troubles is up to you and the tenant. Insurance is not obligated to pay out your tenants on your behalf. Some landlord might suggest tenant go through their renters insurance for hotel reimbursement and say its not their fault and they have no responsibility to repay tenant. Others might offer some financial reimbursement for hotel or pro-rate rent for days not spent inside the house, but not both.

You're not going to get reimbursement by insurance on water bill. Share your plumber bill with water company showing a repair was made and see what they can offer to reduce the bill one time. people sometimes get relief from company.

above is amateur opinion only based on anecdotal experience. Good luck! I've been there and its not fun.