A question we recently received from a subscriber in response to our ITEL blog reminded us of a funeral home’s claim we handled a few years ago. After a small fire, only the rear portion of the building was damaged. To ensure that the siding would match across the whole exterior of the building, we claimed siding costs for all four sides – but the carrier would only pay for the one damaged side where the fire occurred.
The carrier had ITEL produce a report for the siding, wherein they told the insured where they could locate a 100% match to replace it. We visited one of those locations with the original sample in hand, and conferred with an employee there who showed us a sample board of the recommended product. This confirmed that the recommended replacement siding was absolutely nothing like the original siding – it was the wrong color, and it contained the wrong grain. It was nowhere near the like kind and quality that the insured was entitled to receive.
We sent the original siding sample along with the recommended replacement sample to the insurance company’s adjuster, and he immediately agreed that it was nowhere near close to a match. The carrier then agreed to cover the costs to replace all four sides of the building’s siding as we’d originally requested.
Keep sending your insurance questions our way. And remember that with a seasoned public adjuster by your side, the claims process can be so much easier.
