Author Archives for Swerling Milton Winnick
About Swerling Milton Winnick
If you’ve had a fire, flood or other property loss resulting in an insurance claim, and need a public insurance adjuster in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New England or anywhere in the U.S. or Caribbean, call Swerling Milton Winnick. We are the oldest and largest public adjusting firm in New England, and our team of experts will give you personalized, 24/7 attention to successfully resolve your residential or business insurance claim.
Condo Coverage Options
October 24, 2023 1:11 pm Leave your thoughts In this installment of our condo blog series, we want to address the one predominant problem that we run into most often: a lack of adequate coverage for the unit owners. How can this be? Well, most unit owners have purchased insurance to cover their personal property and loss of use of their unit…. View More
Per Unit Deductible
October 17, 2023 1:05 pm Leave your thoughts Imagine that a major fire ravages a large condominium complex, damaging 70 of the 400 total units. The property manager (wisely) calls in a public adjuster, and gathers all the condo owners together to discuss the repairs and related insurance claims process. There’s a good chance that few, if any, of the condo owners will… View More
Maintenance Fees
October 10, 2023 12:55 pm Leave your thoughts We recently handled a property loss at a large condominium complex. The building suffered a huge fire, and all unit owners had to move out. The structure was uninhabitable and there was no building left to maintain or common area lights to keep on. But the association still had to pay property taxes. It also… View More
Condo Documents
October 3, 2023 1:01 pm Leave your thoughts All condominiums in the state of Massachusetts must have a Declaration of Trust and Condominium Bylaws. In our profession, we read the bylaws – specifically the Insurance Section – related to every condominium loss that SMW handles. The wording in this section may tell us what items are and are not covered in each condo… View More
Homeowners Beware: Your Business Personal Property Coverage Has Strict Limits
September 26, 2023 2:43 pm Leave your thoughts As public adjusters, we regularly see homeowners who have a home office or workshop where they might undertake small side projects to augment their income. These workshops might be in their basement or in their garage, and contain tools, supplies or electronics that the homeowner owns and uses to work on such projects. This… View More
The First 24 Hours
September 19, 2023 12:14 pm Leave your thoughts Fire!!! Now what? It’s not quite that sudden a shift when you suffer a major property loss – but it’s close. What actually occurs during the first few hours following the news that your house is on fire? Here’s a quick timeline of the first 24 hours – including likely events and decisions you should… View More
Homeowner Changes vs. Direct Damage
September 12, 2023 12:59 pm Leave your thoughts When settling insurance losses, public adjusters must often deal with homeowner changes. This is especially the case when the claim involves a significant loss. This is because insurance policies are contracts of “indemnity” – meaning you only get paid for the property you actually possessed, or items of “like kind and quality.” After suffering a… View More
Period of Restoration
September 5, 2023 1:18 pm Leave your thoughts When you suffer a property loss and file a claim with your insurance carrier, the insurance claims process begins. This triggers the “period of restoration” requirement, which imposes a timeline of “reasonable speed” by which you must get the property repaired or replaced – and the date by which you should resume residential or commercial… View More