Thanks to our climate, buildings in Port St. Lucie can fall victim to water intrusion damage easily. Some insurance companies process water intrusion property claims quickly and pay for the losses of their policyholders. If you are experiencing difficulties with your insurer, though, you might need to work with a water intrusion damage property claim lawyer to get a fair resolution of your claim.
Sometimes people discover water intrusion damage after a hurricane or other severe weather event, but many other things can cause water intrusion. A water intrusion damage property claim lawyer in Port St. Lucie can help. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine at 1-800-747-3733 to get started.
How to Distinguish Water Intrusion from Other Water Damage
After a catastrophic event like a hurricane, there is often so much water that it can be challenging to figure out what is the storm damage and what is the water intrusion damage. In some situations, you might experience both types of damage.
You have water intrusion if there is water inside the building envelope of your structure in a location where water is not supposed to be. For example:
- Leaking plumbing pipes can flood your house from the inside and can damage walls, flooring, subflooring, furniture, and other items.
- An incorrectly manufactured or installed window can let water into your building from the outside during a storm.
- Roof issues can let water enter the structure from the top of the building, damaging the roof support beams, attic, and walls. It is possible for this damage to go through all levels of your home, thanks to gravity.
- Wet crawl spaces under your house can be breeding fields for dangerous mold.
- A lack of waterproofing in the foundation can allow groundwater to seep into the structure.
What to Do if You Have Water Intrusion
Water intrusion damage does not get better if you ignore it. If you have active water intrusion, you will have additional damage over time until you locate and repair the source of the problem. If you discover the cause and correct the issue but do not ferret out and fix all of the water damage, your building could develop structural issues and toxic mold.
Being thorough in your response to water intrusion damage can be expensive, but it will cost you much more if you procrastinate or cut corners. You should do what makes sense in your situation. Here are a few suggestions of measures you might want to take to address water intrusion damage at your building:
- Hire the best professional in your area who specializes in water intrusion. This is no time to hire a handyman off of a home improvement app. Make sure that the professional does not stop looking for intrusion sources as soon as he finds one source. Often, there are several sources of water intrusion because this issue tends to be a systemic problem.
- Fix the things that are causing the water intrusion. Use high-quality materials so that you do not have the same problem in the future.
- Repair all the damage to your building to prevent additional structural deterioration and toxic mold.
- If you discover mold, hire a professional mold abatement company to remove the dangerous substance.
- Take all the necessary steps to prevent future water intrusion.
These and other steps will take care of your building. You also need to protect your insurance claim.
How to Protect Your Claim for Compensation for Losses from Water Intrusion Damage in Port St. Lucie, Florida
Water intrusion property damage is expensive to fix. The insurance claims can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. In a commercial building, you could be looking at losses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or even more. Because of the high dollar amount of these claims, your insurance company will be motivated to try to find any loophole to deny your claim or pay you less money than you deserve.
Working with a water intrusion damage property claim lawyer in Port St. Lucie from the outset is one of the best ways to avoid missteps with your claim. At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, we have experience with water intrusion property damage claims, so we know the tactics that some insurance companies tend to use in these cases.
Here are some additional steps you might want to take if you have a water intrusion property damage claim:
- Notify your insurance carrier immediately. Your insurance policy likely requires that you provide “prompt” or “timely” notice of the claim. Very few insurers define what they mean by prompt or timely notice. Some carriers have denied claims because the policyholder did not notify the insurer until the day after the event.
- Avoid recorded statements. Although you should give notice right away, you should not provide a recorded statement unless your lawyer is with you to advise you during the recording. The best practice is to have your water intrusion damage property claim lawyer in Port St. Lucie transmit the information the insurer wants instead of participating in a recorded statement.
- Use the required forms. Another way that insurers try to deny legitimate property damage claims is to accuse the policyholder of failing to use the form that the insurance company requires. Make sure that anyone working on your behalf, like an appraiser or estimator, also uses the correct forms.
- Take photos of the water intrusion damage at all stages of the process—when you discovered the problem, the inspection to find the source of the problem, and during the repairs. Photographic evidence can be powerful in demonstrating the extent of the damage to the building.
A water intrusion damage property claim lawyer in Port St. Lucie can help you throughout the process and make sure that you do not miss deadlines for taking legal action. We can help you avoid the landmines that some insurance companies use in these cases, and fight to make sure the insurance company does not violate your rights under the Florida Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights.
At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, we take pride in providing responsive legal services to our clients. You can focus on rebuilding your home or business, and we can take care of the rest. Call us today at 1-800-747-3733 for a free consultation. There is no obligation.
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