Oh no Cindy, this sounds awful. Yes, see if you can stay in a hotel.

Given the circumstances, I think you are smart to go with the insurer’s recommended contractor. And it would be great if they can do the asbestos mitigation at the same time.

The big thing is that I hope you can get to a point where you can have a quiet place to sleep!!

The asbestos mitigation may turn out to be the silver lining in this cloud.

Back in the day we used to demolish houses to make way for more spaces for mobile homes. It always cost more to properly remove and dispose of the kitchen floor than it did to demolish the whole house.

Including the concrete slab and the septic tank.

If Travelers is going to cover it you’re getting a bit of a windfall.

We had a basement flood many years ago, and the asbestos tile mitigation was the best part of the repair.

If the insurance company declares it as uninhabitable (and with asbestos that may be true), you may be entitled to housing, as in an apartment, not just a hotel stay. It depends on your insurance, but it's worth checking.

We have almost $200K of displacement insurance. We'll definitely be moving out while the work is done. For one thing, it is summer and the AC has to be off. For another thing, they need to refinish the hardwood floors upstairs, so that will be an oil-based finish that will take time to dry.

I’m dealing with backed up and leaking sewage pipe. Basement is a stinking mess. One company to clear and repair pipe, another to clean up. Insurance company “ not sure” it’s covered.

Ugh.

Yuck, JF.

quote:

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
We have almost $200K of displacement insurance. We'll definitely be moving out while the work is done. For one thing, it is summer and the AC has to be off. For another thing, they need to refinish the hardwood floors upstairs, so that will be an oil-based finish that will take time to dry.

Why does the A/C have to be off?

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Frost:
I’m dealing with backed up and leaking sewage pipe. Basement is a stinking mess. One company to clear and repair pipe, another to clean up. Insurance company “ not sure” it’s covered.

Ugh.

Ugh, indeed. Never mind the sewer issue.

Ugh is for your idiot insurance company.

Any updates?

Not happy.

The mitigation company came. They set up fans and dehumidifiers. After that, they removed portions of walls and ceilings in a few places. For the ceilings and walls that dried out, they will repair/paint.

Trouble is, when they removed a portion of wall, they accidentally cut an air duct in the living room so that cold air pours out. They did not tell us that this happened; apparently they hoped we would not notice. We noticed.

I took a video of the air duct, which was sliced from floor to ceiling, and I sent it them and told them to fix it. They ghosted me.

Meanwhile, I am not happy with my insurance adjuster either. They sent me an estimate for the repairs that included nothing for damaged carpet in basement and warped hardwood floors in our bedroom. Also, they are trying to hold back 30% of the cost of the replacement vanity in the bathroom. They say they only have to pay "actual cost" which accounts for depreciation until I prove I have had the repairs done.

Mmmm, I don't think that's how replacement cost insurance works. He said I can ask my insurance agent to explain it to me; I said I am capable of reviewing the policy for myself. I asked him to email me a copy of the policy. I have asked twice; he hasn't sent it.

quote:

apparently they hoped we would not notice. We noticed.

... They ghosted me.

I asked him to email me a copy of the policy. I have asked twice; he hasn't sent it.

That's awful!! I can only imagine how frustrating all of this is!!!!

Sounds like something called recoverable depreciation.

quote:

At long last, you receive a claim check from your home insurance company — only it’s thousands of dollars less than what you were promised. This may lead you to believe that your insurance company shorted you to avoid paying the full amount. But the more likely explanation is that your insurer deducted recoverable depreciation from your first claim check.

This is common in the home insurance loss settlement process, as insurers typically send out claim checks in two installments: one for an amount equal to the actual cash value of the damaged or stolen property in your claim, and one for an amount equal to the recoverable depreciation of the property. Insurers split up the payments this way to deter insurance fraud and to prevent overpayment.

https://www.policygenius.com/h...erable-depreciation/