The first named storm has already pounded the Gulf Coast and forecasters predict another threat soon.  Hurricane Alex reached Category 2 strength before it slammed into southern Texas, bringing with it more than 10 inches of rain and sustained winds of 85 miles an hour. For Florida public adjusters Tutwiler and Associates, Hurricane Alex should be a wake-up call for property owners, particularly condo owners throughout the Gulf Coast region.

The licensed and certified public adjusters say one of the most important part of storm preparation is what is called “pre-loss preparation and documentation.”  This should include verification of the conditions of the property as well as maintenance of important records including repairs, maintenance and conditions surveys. 

“Property owners should have updated value appraisals completed on their buildings that are in line with their property insurance values. Also important is having a current condition survey with photographs at a minimum,” says Dick Tutwiler, founder and CEO of Tutwiler and Associates. “If any of these documents are not properly kept and maintained, it could drastically hurt the integrity of the claim and final outcome.”

This is particularly important for condo owners, as condominium insurance adjusting is often a tricky concept for the general public to understand. According to the Florida public adjusters, who represent condominium associations and unit owners across Florida, they say that they have seen three different kinds of condo associations following a major catastrophic loss:

·        The fully-insured condominium complex which means they have done their pre-loss work and are prepared with the necessary knowledge and information including the correct property insurance coverage;

·        The half-insured condominium complex which means they probably have not updated information about values, policy coverage, as well as revised changes in the law that will apply to post-loss adjustment issues;

·        The totally uninsured condo complex which have let coverages lapse or failed to keep up on issues that affect condominium associations as well as unit owners interest.

We have over the years seen all of these situations and clearly a well run and informed condominium association is most likely to be the fully insured one or at least informed and budgeted for out-of-pocket non-covered items such as large hurricane deductibles, landscape damages, sea wall damage and other non-covered items on the condominium property that are storm damaged.

Tutwiler says it is imperative for the property owner to know not only what is covered by the condominium association master policy versus the unit owner’s policy, but to also take the necessary steps to protect what is not covered as well as budget for the pre-loss for non-covered items. 

“Remember, the burden of proof is on the insured policyholder and it’s a burden for a reason,” says Tutwiler. “Without proper documentation, many insurance companies could take the position that the damages were ‘pre-existing’ because they know the policyholder can’t prove otherwise without well maintained records and condition surveys documenting the pre-loss condition of the condominium association’s property.

In fact, the Florida public adjuster says insurance companies will even look at the minutes of a condo association board meeting and will use details of the minutes going back as far as seven to 10 years. All of this, Tutwiler says, is to find anything that can be used against the policyholder after the event of a storm.

CONTACT:
Tutwiler and Associates
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Phone: (800) 321-4488
For more information, please visit www.PublicAdjuster.com

About Tutwiler and Associates: Tutwiler and Associates is a firm of public adjusters licensed in 10 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands specializing in commercial and residential property loss adjusting. With well in excess of $113 million in client success stories over a 27-year history, the Florida public adjusters work exclusively on behalf of policyholders to help them achieve the maximum settlement amounts they can fairly and honestly recover based on their loss and their policy provisions. Professional help from the adjusters at Tutwiler and Associates can help clients obtain a fair recovery under their policy. The Gulf Coast based public adjuster firm is committed to public service and strives to educate its clients about commercial and residential windstorm and hurricane losses, flood damage, fire, smoke and water damage, collapse, hidden decay and mold losses, sinkholes, loss of stock, and business interruption.