Insurance or public adjuster

[Marina Loos]

Hi Everyone

A few years ago I purchased a duplex with a roof that was about 10 years old. The inspection didn't show any issues and I didn't have a single issue until last year when we had a major storm that caused a huge power outage and several leaks to the roof. I called the insurance company and they rejected the claim stating that the damage to the roof was actually old damage therefore they wouldn't cover it. To make it worse, the insurance inspector had texted me earlier (before the claim was rejected) and asked if I was willing to sell him the property. Of course I said no. I considered reporting him but I didn't. This was the same time I was dealing with the same insurance company on a different rental house that burned down that was being rebuilt and at the time was threatening to cancel my insurance so I was overwhelmed with that whole fiasco.  For the record, the fire was caused by tenant negligence and the insurance did pay. 

1 year later, we've had a few bad storms including yesterday. The quick cheaper fixes that were made by the roofers don't last. My property manager called me today and said the tenant is filling up a bucket of water every time we have these heavy rains. Obviously I can't have that and other than this issue, I have a history of fixing all problems asap. 

I changed my insurance company this January and was wondering if I should try to file another claim or try to see if a public adjuster will help me. I have never used one before and still trying to learn more about them.

If I file this claim it will be #3 in 1.5 years and the first with this insurance company that I've had for 6 months. If this was going to cost me a few thousand I would probably pay out of pocket but I don't have the budget to pay for a full roof right now. None of my claims have been frivolous and I hate thinking I'm going to have my insurance dropped because I'm trying to utilize it. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thank you.